calibration and services

Calibration & Services

iStock-1032716674
iStock-1296461033
Fluke_t6-1000_1
Fluke_ti400_1

Why Calibrate?

A digital multimeter will only be able to meet its specifications when it is within a certain environment. Conditions such as temperature, humidity and the like will have impact on the performance. Also conditions such as line voltage can affect the performance. In order to ensure that the digital multimeter is able to operate within its uncertainty specification, it is necessary to ensure that the external conditions are met. Outside this range the errors will increase and the readings can no longer be guaranteed.

A further element to be considered is the calibration period of the digital multimeter. As all circuits will drift with time, the DMM will need to be periodically re-calibrated to ensure that it is operating within its specification. The calibration period will form part of the specification for the DMM. The most usual calibration period is a year, but some digital multimeter specifications may state a 90 day calibration period. The 90 day period will enable a tighter specification to be applied to the digital multimeter, allowing it to be used in more demanding applications.

When looking at the calibration period of the digital multimeter, it should be remembered that calibration will form a significant element of the cost of ownership and after some years will be significantly above that of any depreciation. A long calibration period for the digital multimeter is normally to be advised, except when particularly demanding testing is required.

Calibration_etm4u1
Calibration_etm4u4
Calibration_etm4u3

Calibration

When calibrating, one instrument is compared to another with higher traceable accuracy. By calibrating, one can document that a measuring instrument is within the specified specifications at the time of calibration. The specifications you calibrate against are normally stated by the manufacturer of the measuring equipment, but can also be specified by other standards, customers or your own requirements.

Traceability

By traceability is meant that something can be traced back to the origin. For calibration it is meant that the result of the calibration can be traced back to the definition of the measurement size via an unbroken chain of calibrations where everyone has specified measurement uncertainty. Traceability is usually set to national or international standard

Our laboratory

All measurements made when we calibrate are traceable to national or international laboratories. Our calibration laboratory is equipped with accurate reference instruments adapted to our customers' needs. We issue calibration certificates confirming that the instrument is within the manufacturer's specifications or other requirements. We have agreements with external laboratories for instruments we cannot calibrate ourselves.

What can we calibrate?

Multimeters, clampmeters, insulation testers, loggers, analog instruments etc. These instruments are calibrated with a multifunction calibrator. We can also calibrate temperature meters  from -30C to 125C, and surface sensors from room temperature up to 400C.

Calibration4