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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The Need for Accredited Calibration

Our customers expect confidence, integrity of data, and reliable test results. Regular calibration of mechanical testing machines to internationally recognized standards by an accredited organization helps provide this reassurance and are vital contributors in reducing business risk and cost.

How often should a system be calibrated?
In many cases, the frequency of calibration is dictated by the requirements provided in standards or procedures specified by the company’s quality assurance requirements. The most frequently used materials testing standards recommend that a system is calibrated annually. Best practice also dictates that the equipment should be calibrated if it has undergone significant repair, configuration, or has moved locations.

What’s the difference between accredited and unaccredited calibration?
An accredited calibration laboratory is subject to an independent, third party evaluation of its competence to perform calibration procedures meeting ISO 17025, the international standard for requirements and competence of calibration and testing laboratories. This includes verification that the laboratory provides measurement results traceable to recognized National Measurement Institutes (NMIs), such as:
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in US
- National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the UK
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Germany

Using an accredited calibration laboratory provides confidence that the calibration certificates will be recognized and accepted worldwide.

Which standard should I calibrate to?
This depends on the testing procedure or quality control requirements. Many testing procedures and standards require that the testing machine has to be calibrated to a particular calibration standard. For tensile testing, the most commonly specified calibration standards are ASTM E4 or ISO 7500-1. Additionally, where strain measurement devices are used, ASTM E83 or ISO 9513 are often specified.

2 comments:

Calibration said...

just linked this article on my facebook account. it’s a very interesting article for all.

Unknown said...

This is a very interesting article. I have been doing research on ISO 17025 for my class. This article gave me so much information. Thanks so much.