Importance of test equipment calibrationand preventive maintenance of equipment

What is the testequipment calibration? What is preventive maintenance? Why is test equipment calibrationnecessary?

Test equipment calibration is the set of operations that establish, under certain specific conditions, the correspondence between the values ​​in an instrument, equipment or measuring system , or values ​​represented by a material measure or reference material, and corresponding known values ​​of a dimension or pattern , ensuring traceability of measurements to the corresponding basic units and proceeding to its setting or expressing this correspondence by correction tables or curves .

To calibrate an instrument or pattern is necessary to have a higher accuracy to provide the conventional true value that is to be used for comparison with the indication of the instrument under calibration.

Why is it important the test equipment calibration?

Aging of components, temperature changes and mechanical stress gradually deteriorate its functions. When this happens , the tests and measures begin to lose confidence and is reflected in the design and product quality . Such situations can be avoided through the calibration process.

The proper calibration of equipment provides the assurance that the products or services offered meet the required specifications. More and more numerous the reasons leading manufacturers to calibrate their measuring equipment , in order to :

·        Maintain and verify proper operation of the equipment

·        Meeting the requirements of the quality standards

·        Ensuring the traceability and reliability of measures

What is preventive maintenance?

On the other hand , is known as planned preventative maintenance (PPM ) to schedule inspections in performance, safety , adjustment, repair , testing, cleaning, lubrication , calibration, to be carried out periodically on the basis of an established plan and not by an operator.

The fundamental purpose of preventive maintenance is to inspect the whole equipment and detect any possible faults at an early stage , correcting them in a timely manner.

Benefits of Preventive Maintenance

·        Reliability ,instruments operate in better security , since their status is known , and its operating conditions.

·        Decreased downtime, downtime of equipment / machines.

·        Longer life equipment and facilities.

·        Decrease in inventories in stock and therefore their costs , since the parts are adjusted higher and get a lower consumption.

·        Uniformity in workload for maintenance of personnel due to a program of activities.

Why finalizing the calibration and preventive maintenance by a single supplier ?

When within a company is a provider of preventive maintenance and one for calibration and adjustment of equipment and instruments, often they occur incompatibility problems in procedures applied to computers , in addition to the maintenance service guarantees that are lost when the instrument is reviewed by another supplier .

This is one of the most important reasons for both services are given by the same company, since the warranty is still retained , and you have clearly identified the contact who will perform the service , saving search time for two suppliers , thus achieves savings of money, which pay off in higher earnings.

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Electrical test equipmentCalibration

 The Electrical test equipment Calibrationis a factor in any system of quality in the field of electrical sectors , electronic , maintenance or industrial installations. The electrical equipment are measuring instruments that allow the measurement of different electrical parameters and allow various tests and tests for compliance with the quality requirements , regulatory or specific to the Low Voltage Regulation .

When to start the Electrical test equipment calibrations ?

We recommend calibrating the equipment before first use . The easiest way is to apply for accredited calibration the time you purchase a new instrument. Thus, start of the measurement history , which may be required at any time by the customer or quality procedures .

How often to execute them?

The frequency with which companies gauge their instrument is a balance between risk and cost. The shorter the period between Electrical test equipmentcalibrations, the less risk that their actions are questionable . We therefore recommend calibratingyour measuring instruments every year. The equipment used should have a daily calibration cycle shorter than , for example, those used once a month . However, to establish an adequate period between calibrations it should be considered :

Cost:

The cost of measurements necessary for the correction - when you discover that the measuring instrument has not been well for a long period of time.*

Instrument:

·        Measurement uncertainty is required

·        The scope and the intensity of its use

Environmental, transport and handling Terms:

·        Climatic conditions , vibrations, ionizing radiation , etc. .

·        Transport agreements

* Because of the age of the components, temperature changes and mechanical stress , the accuracy of the equipment decreases with time . This is called "drift”, and when it occurs, the measurement results lose reliability. The drift cannot be eliminated , but it can be detected and taken into account during the calibration process .

è  The calibration of electrical equipment represents an investment in the quality of the product and/ service in which they are involved. Instruments such as fluke multimeters, pliers, meters of land, insulation testers, installation testers , network analyzers are instruments ... very present in the world of electrical measurement and good control on the same, will permit ensure desired quality levels .

Normally Electrical test equipment calibration is motivated by the implementation of a quality system so that electrical equipment must be calibrated in a planned and the results should be verified in accordance with a criterion of acceptance / rejection preset. Various electric Laboratories ensure traceability in their measurements and have competitive scope to calibrate electrical equipment.

Product of electrical equipment calibration laboratory calibration issues a certificate of electrical equipment which reproduces the results of experimental measurements together with a calibration sticker that adheres to equipment visible calibration status.

Calibrate electrical equipment is to compare the extent of a reference standard traceable measurement of the measurand.

When calibrating electrical equipment are usually provided levels of reliability and safety in processes where the resulting measurement instrument use occurs.

Electrical Test Instrument and Equipment Calibration

Companies and research labs using electrical test instruments are deadly serious about instrument calibration. They pay top dollar for high-end branded instruments, and it’s not unreasonable that they expect it to be calibrated to provide the extreme precision and reliability promised. The important questions to consider here are what is calibration, why electrical test equipment needs it, when it needs to be done, and how it is done.                  

We’re talking about the latest cutting-edge digital instruments with LED or LCD displays here. One would think it doesn’t have that many mechanical or moving parts that go out of whack.  You can’t open it up and tighten some screws or grease the works with a bit of lubricant. So exactly what does a metrology lab which handles test instrument calibration do?

Their job is to compare the instrument’s test results against that of a standard that is known to be at least 10 times as accurate as the instrument. After all, you can’t use a 100V voltmeter with an accuracy of three percent to calibrate another one with the same range and accuracy. If they show different readings, you have no way of knowing which one is accurate. In fact, both might be inaccurate.

What needs to be done is simple. Based on the results and the comparison against a more accurate standard, the metrology lab decides whether the instrument is “in-cal” or “out of cal.” If it is the latter, the parts and settings are adjusted until it provides a more accurate reading within the acceptable tolerance limit.

Then there’s the question of the test equipment calibration frequency, better known as the calibration cycle. The safest bet is to follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to how frequently you need to send it in for calibration. It would also be prudent to do so before a highly critical measurement, and also after overloads or hard knocks that may have disturbed the settings.

Some organizations ignore all this, and just follow their own calibration cycle to get all their instruments calibrated once a year, twice a year, quarterly, or on a monthly basis.

Note that not every kind of electrical test equipment needs to be calibrated. Some are classified by the manufacturer as "No Calibration Required" or NCR. This does not mean the instrument is an engineering marvel that never goes out of whack.

All it means is that the intended usage won’t be affected in any way by a bit of inaccuracy. An NCR classification is basically meant to assure the buyer and users that the instrument will perform its function effectively even without regular test instrument calibration and maintenance.

What is calibration and why is it performed?

Functioning of many industries today, relay on proper performance of the field instruments. Smooth functioning of these field equipments is ensured by protracted work known as calibration. The process of calibration is the comparison between two measurements where one is standard and the other is test instrument.  All the field instruments in the industry should comply with the precise standard measurements. The calibration of the test instrument is done when the test instrument measurements are found deviating. The technician who is performing the instrument calibration will be able to find out how far the test equipment calibration is deviating from the standard one.

Commercial calibration laboratories conduct this test equipment calibration with reference to the universal standards which are more accurate. The duration of instrument calibration may range between one to four hours because he uses prevalent techniques.  Calibration plays a key role in the industries where precision of instrument is very important for quality of the product. Every such instrument needs calibration with the regular intervals of 6 months to ensure proper functioning.  If your industry holds large number of equipments that needs to be precise for the product quality, you can run automated calibration to diminish the time and expenditure.

Any mechanical instruments, electronic test equipment can go through calibration services to ensure that the product is delivered at highest quality. Taking the assistance of calibration services of the company is the better option when you have different instruments that call for calibration at different times.  At these companies, the technician that performs calibration certified and they also provide on-site calibration data, calibration recall alerts, equipment history equipment management and event tracking for your equipments. As the part of ensuring proper functioning of the instruments, calibration Service Company provides instrument calibration, material testing and repair service for wide range of equipments. They will keep track of the performance of the instruments and adjust the readings accordingly.

Machineries that are purchased in the industries are expensive. Though they will enter into your industry with the standard calibration, these measurements may deviate as the machinery is subjected to wear and tear. It is not possible for the business owner to invest such huge money repeatedly each time when there is a disturbance in the functioning of the instrument.

The best way to address this concern is to put the machinery for test equipment calibration where the technician checks for the deviation of the measurements and adjust them to the standard reference level by keeping the performance of the test instrument in track. You will get exact report of condition of your machine before taking a decision to purchase the new one.  Make sure that you get test equipment certification from the service provider once your machine is calibrated. This certification will notify you that your machine is tested and verified against these critical point and will also tell you the errors if any so that you can confidently demonstrate the customer that the system is within specified accuracy.