Exploring More About Equipment Calibration

By Author: Edword Simpson
Total Articles: 5
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Test equipment calibration is imperative to safeguard the critical instrument against impacts of hostile events that may render it inaccurate. Such equipment may be used in processes involving expensive infrastructure and safety systems demanding tight tolerance limits. Even slight deviation can cause wrong measurement resulting in foundering of the processes and resultant loss of property. Any non-calibrated meter will produce ambiguous reading for highly vital measurement systems.

What calibration aims to score?

Calibration services compare the test equipment to an approved standard, possessing an accuracy at-least ten times higher than the instrument calibration services. It involves using "National Institute of Standards and Technology" traceable standard. Calibration aims to correct instruments that have fallen out of calibration and producing misleading ...
... measurement. Minor calibration errors imply that the reading was well within tolerance limit but calibration focused on restoring "dead-on" accuracy. Gross errors means the instrument has transgressed the tolerable limits and meter reading is highly inaccurate.

Why the need for regular calibration arises?

Due to effects of time: The prominent components of test instrument like input dividers, voltage references, current shunts etc are vulnerable to effects of time and register minor shifts over time. This shifting spells no trouble if calibration services are wisely used according to fixed schedule. But an inadvertent hard dropping of current clamp, for example, can knock the equipment "out of cal" resulting in gross calibration errors. An accidental exposure of DMM (Digital Multimeter) to current overload can render it inaccurate. Some users are under the impression that such impacts will not affect the inputs owing to their breaker-protected nature. However, such protective devices may fail to trip in response to sudden, momentary changes in voltage or current. A huge voltage input can leap over the protective device completely. Test equipment calibration will set right such errors and also restore the sanctity of measurements.

For quality assurance: Calibration fine-tunes the calibrated test equipment and ensures safe and reliable use to acquire accurate test outcomes from highly sensitive devices. This is a quality assurance exercise.

To maintain accuracy: Test equipment manufacturer specifies a calibration interval for strict compliance to maintain the accuracy of critical measurements. Calibration should be undertaken prior to any large-scale critical measurement project like taking a plant down. Calibrated instruments should be unused before embarking on measurements.

After project completion: Once the critical measuring project has been executed, the test instruments should be sent to calibration services post testing to understand that the outcome is unalloyed and reliable.

After an event: If the instrument was subjected to a hit, like internal overload getting disturbed or the unit consumed a steep impact, test equipment calibration is mandatory to check the integrity of it.

To follow requirements: Some projects mandate use of certified, calibrated test equipment only.

To ensure system efficiency: Annual calibration should be carried out of equipment that is deployed for doing critical as well as non-critical measurements to ensure processes carry on smoothly.

Annual calibration: It is cost-effective to subject your test equipment to calibration services at long durations if the equipment is seldom used to perform critical measurements and the meter is not exposed to an event.

Ensures confidence: Regular calibration enables you to use your test equipment with confidence.