Using a device or series of devices that aren’t correctly calibrated could be disastrous for a project. The success or failure of the project may depend on such vital factors as tiny differences in measurements and the slightest changes to the temperature of a substance or the centimeters in distances could have an effect on the overall result of the experimental venture.
This is why a responsible person in charge of these projects and companies must ensure that all the instruments they use in their new enterprise are well calibrated. With calibrated instruments you can rely on your measurement results and negate the risk of inaccurate measurements being taken during the production process.
To make sure your equipment is in in good working order you should always keep two things in mind; supplier and calibration. You should buy equipment from a well-respected name whenever you can, as more times than not cheap products on sale means they are cheap for a reason.
Not only is it vital to find reliable suppliers of measuring devices, but you also need an independent company that will provide accurate calibration services. It is crucial to have a good relationship with the calibration service supplier in any innovative experiment. You never know when something may go wrong and over-reach the capacity of existing or planned measuring instruments. Additional advice on the use and capacity of new instrumentation may provide the drive to continue with an innovative experiment that could lead to an important new discovery.
The calibration service will ensure the reliability of your instrumentation and measurements, allowing you to remain confident that you can adhere to both national and international standards of measurement during the entirety of the project.
If you’re running a constant project over an extended period of time it is also extremely important that you understand the concept of ‘drift’ and how this can affect equipment. Although generally products shipped from manufacturers will be as accurate as possible when they first arrive, the effect of time and other unexpected influences can cause the overall accuracy of the equipment to ‘drift’, thus affecting the overall results generated by the device.
Similarly, using older equipment that might not have been calibrated for a long time could also be similar and produce incorrect results.
As we previously mentioned, the slightest difference in measurement could have a disastrous effect on the overall result of your project. If the vital equipment you’re using in your project has begun to drift and is producing wrong results, chances are the overall final product your project produces will be affected by the change.
This is why calibration regularly is extremely important as it negates the effect of drift on your equipment and makes sure you are always working with optimum efficiency.
Written by Barry Atkins at www.calibrate.co.uk
