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 is needed throughout the life of a machine or instrument; obviously, it will need to be calibrated before you use the device the first time. However, most industrial machines require calibration throughout their use, and certification also is required to show that the machines have been calibrated. Any time you adjust the machine for a different job, it needs to be calibrated so that you know the new measurements are precise. Any type of movement also can make a machine fall out of calibration, from a seismic event to just being moved to a new location, and even changes in temperature can be a factor for some pieces of equipment.

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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