All, While I do not know of any specific requirement, I know that some companies operate on the basis of having the equipment checked to confirm that it is "in cal" before any adjustments are made.
If the equipment happens to be out-of-cal, then we know which functions and by how much it is in error. This information is required to assess whether there is a need to go back through the measurements it was used for, to decide if repeats, recalls etc are required. Adjustment / repair is carried out and then the equipment is calibrated. If the equipment is in-cal on the first pass, then, depending on the equipment and the need for routine adjustments the device is re-cal'ed or not. If a particular piece of equipment has a history of being out-of-cal at the time it is sent for calibration, then the calibration period is reduced. Similarly, if a particular piece of equipment is always spot-on calibration, then the calibration period is increased. Generally, the aim is to keep the equipment in cal but needing a slight adjustment to "centre" it. Makers recommendations are significant and are usually followed until we have a history to go by in order to extend or reduce the period. The calibration process described is more expensive than the usual type of process. However, if the equipment was significantly out of cal, then the task it had been used of may have erroneous results. If this could lead to significant costs / damages etc., it could be well worth the extra on the calibration bill. I hope I have described this adequately well. Regards Tim From: emc-p...@ieee.org [mailto:emc-p...@ieee.org]On Behalf Of rehel...@mmm.com Sent: 20 March 2006 09:07 To: emc-p...@ieee.org Subject: Re: Calibration of test equipment *** WARNING *** This mail has originated outside your organization, either from an external partner or the Global Internet. Keep this in mind if you answer this message. Mike, I have searched for this answer before. I have not found anything anywhere that requires a specific time period between calibration. Just manufacturers recommendations or whatever is agreed between you and your calibration lab. The dangers of extending it beyond a year has been documented previously. Bob Heller 3M EMC Laboratory, 76-1-01 St. Paul, MN 55107-1208 Tel: 651- 778-6336 Fax: 651-778-6252 ========================= "Mike Hopkins" <michael.hopkins@ thermo.com> To Sent by: <emc-p...@ieee.org> emc-p...@ieee.org cc "Tricia Rakiey" <tricia.rak...@thermo.com> 03/16/2006 03:31 Subject PM Calibration of test equipment It's my understanding that the MRA's require that test instruments used for compliance to European Norms be calibrated by an accredited lab --- in the US, NVLAP, A2LA, and (another?). As a manfacturer, we recommend our products be calibrated yearly. ISO 17025 includes clause 5.10.4.4, which states: "The calibration certificate (or calibration lable) shall not contain any recommendation on the calibration interval except where this has been agreed with the customer. This requirement may be superseded by legal regulations." ISO 17025 is, of course, the basis of accreditation to NVLAP or A2LA and others... My question to the group is: Is there some requirement under the MRA's or European Norms that states equipment must be calibrated periodically, and is "periodically" defined?? It seems to me allowing the customer to decide on when calibration is due (per ISO) can lead to no requirement for calibrations at all, which in turn, puts the whole accreditation issue in question….. I find this hard to believe, but I haven't identified a paragraph makes it clear…. Best Regards, Michael Hopkins Manager, Customer Technical Center Process Instruments Division Thermo Electron Corporation One Lowell Research Center Lowell, MA 01852 Tel: +1 978 275 0800 ext. 334 Mobile: +1 603 765 3736 michael.hopk...@thermo.com www.thermo.com/esd - ---------------------------------------------------------------- This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to emc-p...@ieee.org Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas emcp...@ptcnh.net Mike Cantwell mcantw...@ieee.org For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: j.bac...@ieee.org David Heald: emc-p...@daveheald.com All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc - This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to emc-p...@ieee.org Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas emcp...@ptcnh.net Mike Cantwell mcantw...@ieee.org For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: j.bac...@ieee.org David Heald: emc-p...@daveheald.com All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc ******************************************************************** This email and any attachments are confidential to the intended recipient and may also be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient please delete it from your system and notify the sender. You should not copy it or use it for any purpose nor disclose or distribute its contents to any other person. ******************************************************************** - This message is from the IEEE Product Safety Engineering Society emc-pstc discussion list. Website: http://www.ieee-pses.org/ To post a message to the list, send your e-mail to emc-p...@ieee.org Instructions: http://listserv.ieee.org/request/user-guide.html List rules: http://www.ieee-pses.org/listrules.html For help, send mail to the list administrators: Scott Douglas emcp...@ptcnh.net Mike Cantwell mcantw...@ieee.org For policy questions, send mail to: Jim Bacher: j.bac...@ieee.org David Heald: emc-p...@daveheald.com All emc-pstc postings are archived and searchable on the web at: http://www.ieeecommunities.org/emc-pstc
