New calibration service meets ISO 9001 demands

Citation

(2001), "New calibration service meets ISO 9001 demands", Sensor Review, Vol. 21 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2001.08721bab.007

New calibration service meets ISO 9001 demands

New calibration service meets ISO 9001 demands

Keywords: Calibration, Force, Pressure, Torque

A new calibration service to ISO 9001 for all amplifiers used in data acquisition and measurement systems has been launched by HBM UK, covering the accreditation of force, pressure, torque and voltage ratio mV/V (see Plate 3).

Plate 3 The new calibration service launched by HBM UK

The company offers three levels of certification:

1. 1.

   Traceable calibration – which is certified to ISO 9001 and its relevant section, ISO 10012 part 1, or working standard calibration – which establishes the line of traceability to national standards and is therefore suitable for ISO 9000 audits. Calibration can usually be undertaken within one week.

2. 2.

   Test report – that involves HBM engineers visiting a site and checking the calibration of all amplifiers on site before compiling the report with results and actions needed.

3. 3.

   Certification of conformance (COC test) – provides a statement that a company's instruments meet the published specification of important parameters of the measuring equipment. For instruments where a periodic calibration is not considered necessary, it is wise to maintain the measurement quality level by performing a conformance test at regular intervals. COC is generally based on the checking procedure in the service manual.

The re-tuning of amplifiers to ISO 9001 is relevant to any amplifier and HBM recommends re-calibration of electronic devices and transducers after two years from initial purchase.

Every company seeking certification to ISO 9000 must prove traceability to national standards. This requirement extends to every item of equipment designed for measuring and testing all the measured quantities that a firm may use in the quality assurance of its own products.

Full traceable calibration means that test equipment has a recognized and valid relation to the nationally approved standards – traceability has to be guaranteed. Traceable calibrations, which HBM offers, is proven if a measuring instrument or device has been calibrated against a reference which was itself also calibrated in an unbroken line of succession to the international standard. This starts with the HBM instruments being calibrated by the DKD laboratory in Germany.

"It is clear that a company can only assert that its own products conform to the specified technical data if they too have been measured", says Jay Lakhani, senior applications engineer. "If a measuring instrument of unsuitable accuracy is used – such as using a yardstick to measure 1/10mm – then the manufacturer cannot carry out a reliable assessment. Even with adequate accuracy there is no way of knowing in all conditions whether the display '13.02 bar' is even correct or whether in reality it should be '13.14 bar'. Clarity demands comparison with a reference; we call this calibration".

All of HBM's calibration is carried out either to the standards specified by Germany's DKD – one of the world's leading calibration laboratories – which provides unquestionable proof of traceability, or by issuing a working standard calibration certificate, which can also provide proof of traceability, if it comes from a calibration laboratory that also has DKD accreditation.

Working standard calibration certificates are not proof of traceability, except with the appropriate additional information about the calibration of the working standard used.

HBM can advise whether a DKD calibration certificate or a working standard calibration certificate is the right one.

Calibration can be carried out on a customer's site or the unit to be calibrated can be returned to HBM. The cost of calibration is dependent on the number of channels and the type of amplifier used.

"The calibration of amplifiers is one of the most widely misunderstood aspects of measurement technology", says Lakhani. "Without properly calibrated instruments then the reliability of data gathered is highly suspect. This ultimately affects the quality of the end-product, which could prove serious if the application is automotive or aeronautical".

Contact: Mike Johnson, HBM UK, 1 Churchill Court, 58 Station Road, North Harrow, Middlesex HA2 7SA, UK. Tel: 020 8515 6100; Fax: 020 8515 6149; E-mail: mike.johnson@hbm-uk.co.uk; Web site: http://www.hbm.com