What is Measuring Instrument Calibration?

What is measuring instrument calibration? When you buy a car, it comes with an owner’s manual that lists all the standard manufacturers’ warranties, service plans and the exact measurements of the tires, engine and other sensitive equipment. If you don’t read that manual and fail to make necessary adjustments, your car can fail to meet the warranty.

But even more important than the warranties and service plans are the recommendations of the car manufacturers’ service departments. They are responsible for keeping their products in good shape. That means checking the fluids, ensuring that tires are inflated to the proper air pressure and that spark plugs are working properly.

The manufacturer’s engineers and technicians are also involved. They rely on the data from the testing laboratories and from field checks to help them decide which parts, engine or transmission, will need attention next. This information is critical. If the car doesn’t meet manufacturer’s specifications, then it will not be on the road.

Manufacturers base their recommendations on several factors. One is the car’s age and the average miles per gallon it’s driven. Newer cars have higher fuel economy and owners want their cars to perform at those levels.

Another factor is the condition of the engine. It’s important to have an accurate diagnosis of any problems with the engine. When an oil change is needed, it should be scheduled right away. The service team knows when a new engine is needed for top performance and they can tell if the engine has been abused or not. If it hasn’t been abused, it’s likely the manufacturers’ service team will suggest an oil change soon.

A car’s service schedule is usually set by the car manufacturer. But it’s up to the owner to measure his car and it’s up to the service team to record the measurements and compare them with the manufacturer’s schedule. If the measurements are off by even just a couple of degrees, it could mean a fabricate problem that needs attention right away. If the measurements are consistently off by a small amount, it could indicate a problem with one of the components.

What is measuring instrument calibration? Just as the name indicates, it’s the process of calibration. Calibration ensures that the instruments used in testing and inspection are working properly. There are five elements to proper calibration: load control, reference temperatures, holding efficiency, and efficiency of current and voltage. These elements are interdependent, meaning one is never 100 percent accurate. However, they can be independently verified using test data.

In addition to using good test equipment, proper instrument calibration also requires good monitoring. The monitoring process involves notifying the operator of any problems before they become critical, allowing for corrective actions before they compromise the quality of the final measurement. This is an essential part of the manufacturing process, which in turn ensures the long-term reliability of the production process. No matter how complicated and intricate the machinery involved, the goal is always the same: equipment that performs at its best and at an acceptable level of accuracy. Improper monitoring can result in excessive or even harmful wear and tear on machinery and instruments.

So what happens if proper instrument calibration isn’t achieved? First, the test subject will suffer from inaccurate performance. When a machine is off-center or off-task, it may not work as efficiently as it should, which could result in the need to continue testing or retesting the equipment until a definitive answer is obtained. Depending on the type of instrument, the problem may simply require replacement of a part or it may require a complete overhauling of the whole testing and inspection process.

Second, the results of measurements and test results will not be accurate. No matter how precise instruments are, there is no way to achieve 100 percent accuracy. There are two kinds of errors: random errors and systematic errors. Random errors occur when a variable does not behave in a consistent and repeatable manner, which introduces an element of chance into the measurement. Consistent behavior, however, requires more detailed and exact test procedures, which are subject to human error.

Why is accuracy important? First, it helps ensure that a machine’s output meets or exceeds the criteria defined by the user, meaning the end product will provide peak performance. Second, accurate calibration also enables machine operators to consistently measure efficiency and costs of various operations. If a manufacturing manager wants his machines to perform at the highest level possible, he must ensure that they are properly calibrated and monitored on a regular basis. And third, constant monitoring of any manufacturing instrument, whether it is an electrical motor an industrial mixer, a heating system, or a machine part, enables resource managers to identify and reduce risks associated with waste, deterioration, and other risks that can compromise the overall effectiveness of an operation.