Reasons Why You Should Use Calibration Equipment

When it comes to calibration of equipment, many people wonder what it is and does it mean the change the battery only or something more complicated. What’s important to know is that if your equipment is out for calibration, you cannot use it. An effective calibration is a process performed with special calibration equipment that puts your instrument under testing to ensure it is working properly.

Some people rely on a field comparison check which is done using two meters, and if both provide the same reading, it means the equipment that is being tested is calibrated. However, this is not calibration, but a simple field check. It is a sure way to see if there is a problem with your equipment, but you cannot know which meter is right. The calibration performed with calibration equipment requires a standard with a 10 times the accuracy of the equipment/instrument being tested. Otherwise, you are not doing it right and you are overlapping tolerances.

In simplest words, calibration is a comparison of your instrument to a known standard. Calibration equipment uses an NIST-traceable standard, which has a paperwork showing that it compares properly to a chain of standards related to the well-known standard maintained by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Calibration equipment can correct your instruments (or equipment). When you send your equipment for calibration, you allow the technician to repair it if needed. Once the calibration process is done, you will get a report that specifies how far out of calibration was your equipment and how far out after. If the report performed by calibration equipment shows significant calibration errors, you may need to make some changes in your working principle because your current one is definitely impacting your equipment. Start examining the latest measurements and proceed to the earliest ones.

If you are wondering when is the right time for calibration of your equipment, there is no answer that fits all instruments.

Calibration equipment frequencies you need to consider:

• Manufacturer-Recommended Calibration Interval – Some manufacturers indicate how often their tools need to be calibrated. Check your owner’s manual.

• Before And After A Major Critical Measuring Project – If you are about to perform a major critical measuring project that requires high accuracy, have your equipment calibrated and unused before completing the project. Once you are done, send the same equipment for calibration once again. The results will show you how reliable that testing was.

• After An Accident – If your equipment has taken a hit, immediately send it out for calibration and check the safety integrity.