Martel calibrator user Bruce Schmeck is quoted in the March, 2010, issue of Control Magazine saying, “We use field calibrators…for all kinds of biochemical batches to monitor and verify temperature, pressure, flow and agitation.”

In the same article, one of our competitors surveyed users and unsurprisingly discovered that a lot of them aren’t calibrating the instruments in their plants.

The article goes on to point out that many users have been sold a bill of goods about their instrumentation from the makers of that instrumentation. To wit,”our digital instruments don’t drift, so they don’t need to be calibrated.”

BetaGauge 321A Dual Range Pressure Calibrator

Mr. Schmeck also explained in this article that it isn’t the digital part of new instruments that drifts; it’s the part where the rubber meets the road, so to speak. He cites the example of the metal diaphragm in a pressure transmitter. The metal will age and its response characteristics will change over time. The ONLY way to fix that is to use a traceable field calibrator to inject a known valid signal.

To sum it up, here’s another quote from Bruce Schmeck that I like, “Most calibrators need to be re-calibrated once per year.” I love it.

I’m not referring to an old time game show or parlor game as they used to be known. My question is, “Can you trust your vendor’s calibration certificate?”

There are a few indicators you can use.

1. What kind of reputation does the company have in the industry? You know, how long have they been around and do other customers respect their products and service? There are a number of industry surveys and reports that can help with this if you don’t feel comfortable making your own assessment.
2. Is the certificate traceable to NIST or other national standards body? This may seem obvious, but read the statement see if it makes sense to you. Are there unsupported assertions about things like TUR (Total Uncertainty Ratio) or Guide 25 approval?
3. Are the standards used properly identified and are they appropriate for the task at hand? For example, if a specification is % of reading, but the standard’s specification is % of scale, there’s a significant mismatch. You may also need to check to see if the standard has been properly maintained with acceptable calibration intevals.
4. Does the certificate include data that is clearly presented and meaningful? Are there sufficient data points to assess performance?
5. If possible, check the calibration at intervals different from the cardinal points on the certificate. Even a bump check can provide revealing information.

Finally, is the calibration accredited under an international standard (ISO 17025) or do you need such an accredited calibration. Even if it’s offered as an option, the vendor must have a pretty good idea that the normal calibration is valid.

The last five “mantras” from the Sunday Wall Street Journal article are…

6. It’s a team effort. Unless you are a one person show, you’re part of a team…or are you? I know I could think of myself as a star and act accordingly, but I also know how much more we can all accomplish together. Even stars need to be bailed out from time to time. That’s when being a team player means a lot. Writing this just made me think of the Brian Piccolo story, teammate of Gale Sayers for those of us old enough to remember.

7. Stay on the reader’s side. Just replace reader with customer and this makes ultimate sense.

8. Don’t get carried away. This is similar to the first point, “stick to the mission.” Maybe better said, KISS-Keep It Simple Stupid (I left out the comma to give it a new slant).

9. Buy low. Sell high. It’s important to make a profit. Like most travelers, I like to see good deals on airfare, hotels, etc. But, if the airlines don’t make money, how long can they afford to keep the planes in good shape and provide the service we all really want? If you sacrifice profits for say growth, you better think carefully. It’s even worse if you’re sacrificing profits just to maintain market share. GM and Chrysler are to some extent examples of what happens (you get a government bailout. Don’t count on it).

10. Remember how you got here. Remember who brought you to the dance. Also as philosopher George Santayana so famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”