Understanding Calibration & Its Applications

By Carey Bourdier


Many machines and instruments require calibration, and this just means that a calibrator with a known measurement is compared to the measurements of the machine or device that needs calibration. The goal is that the known measurement and the test measurement will match. If they don't match, adjusts are made carefully until the two do match.

Ever since the days of the Industrial Revolution, the process of calibration has been improving. It's extremely important that machines, instruments and devices are calibrated to ensure that products are assembled correctly and that measurements are taken correctly. Every type of industrial endeavor has need of calibration, whether you are creating packaging for a toy, building vehicle parts or even doing some type of medical testing.

Calibration obviously is important before you use a device the very first time; after all ,you want to ensure that it will work correctly. However, devices and equipment also need to be calibrated every so often as the months and years pass. For some industries, calibration is required in order to gain certification. Whenever an employee notices problems with a device or instrument, it should be recalibrated to ensure that measurements are accurate. Additionally, if the machine is jostled or moved or perhaps there is an earthquake or other type of seismic anomaly, you need to calibrate. Even vast changes in temperature can affect some machinery or devices, and this might mean you need to call in someone to perform calibration services.

There are many different instruments that are used to perform calibration services, and the type of instrument used depends on the type of measurements that need to be taken. In general, there are pressure calibrators, temperature probe calibrators, block calibrators, multi-function calibrators and many more. Some are handheld pieces of equipment and others are larger or need to be placed on a level surface in order to work.

Companies often outsource calibration services to companies with employees that are skilled in the art of calibration. The highly skilled individuals can calibrate and repair equipment as well as many kinds of instruments, including optical instruments, level instruments and more. Often these companies' employees are called upon to help their customers obtain certification.

Calibration technician is the proper name of a person who performs these types of services and not only does it require several years of training from a technical school, you also have to have about five years of fieldwork before you can earn certification as a Certified Calibration Technician. However, many techs actually have four-year degrees or beyond in majors such as mechanical engineering or perhaps metrology, which is the study of measurements. If you become a calibration technician, you will learn how to use a variety of devices and calibrate all sorts of equipment, from optical devices to electrical equipment to perhaps even chemical equipment.




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