Monday, September 21, 2015

Basic Information Regarding Calibration

By Carey Bourdier


While you might have heard the term calibration before, you might not really understand what this process is all about. It's really quite simple and it just means that two measurements are being compared. One measurement is known to be correct, and you measure another object to see whether or not it matches this known measurement. If the measurements match exactly, then the object you are testing is calibrated. If not, adjustments will need to be made until there is a match.

The process of calibration has been around since the Industrial Revolution, but obviously these days it is much more precise. Calibration is needed for many different industries. For example, equipment needs to be calibrated in order to ensure that each piece of a product is perfectly crafted and then assembled. This could be any product from a car to a computer to the creation of packaging for food.

Instruments need calibration on many occasions, not the least of which is before they are used for the first time. Most industries must have their equipment calibrated from time to time and receive calibration certification. In addition, calibration is needed if employees notice abnormalities or data inaccuracies. Calibration also is needed when any adjustments are made to the equipment. In addition, sometimes a machine might be jostled or moved and calibration will be needed to insure accuracy. Even a sudden change in weather or temperature can have an effect on certain pieces of equipment which will require calibration services.

There are several different types of instruments used for calibration, and each instrument takes a specific type of measurement. Some calibrators can perform multiple functions, and there are also black body calibrators, pressure calibrators, temperature probe calibrators and many more types.

In many cases, because calibration is often not needed every day, these calibration services are outsourced to companies that specialize in calibration. The employees are experienced, skilled technicians who not only can take the measurements and comparisons, but also make the adjustments and sometimes repairs that are needed in order to ensure calibration. In addition, these technicians also often are authorized to handle certification of devices and machinery.

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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