Why is equipment calibration important?
Calibration, as defined by the International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM), is:
“The set of operations that establish, under specified conditions, the relationship between the values indicated by a measuring instrument or measurement system, the values represented by a material measure or reference material, and the corresponding values provided by standards” (source: VIM dictionary).
In short, it compares the reading value of an instrument against the value of a reference standard that has been previously established.
In calibration, metrological traceability is a highly relevant concept that must be taken into account. According to ENAC, it is:
“An unbroken and documented chain of calibrations to a reference (measurement standard, practical realization of the definition of a measurement unit, or a measurement procedure), through documented measurement procedures that allow the measurement results to be related, in general, to the units of the International System (SI), legally established in Spain, with a known and documented measurement uncertainty” (source: ENAC).
FILTERS
- Externally, in an accredited laboratory or one that complies with the NT74 requirements
- Internally, by developing the part of the traceability chain that is under its responsibility
- Ensure the quality of your results
- Know how your laboratory equipment measures and the uncertainty associated with calibration
- Guarantee the reliability and metrological traceability of measurements
- Identify the error of instruments to verify that they meet the specified accuracy and/or uncertainty requirements in order to provide valid results
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