CALIBRATION

Procedures, Standard And

Introduction
In this section, the procedures and methodologies to carry out a calibration will be discussed. In addition, the approach to calculate errors in a calibration will be shown.

Objective Of Calibration
The prime objective of calibration is to ensure that measurements taken are accurate at all times taking into consideration wear and tear, degradation and abuse. It is with this in mind that we need to adopt and appropriate methodology to do a proper calibration.

cope of Calibration
In developing a calibration program, the following should be taken into consideration ! Involve all testers or those who use measuring and test e"uipment Calibration must be conducted on all e"uipment used to verify product compliance. #ngineering measuring e"uipment must all be calibrated.

$ierarchy of tandards
The hierarchy of standards used in a calibration is shown as follows !
%rimary tandard )eference tandard *orking tandards +easuring , Test #"uipment

%rimary or &ational standards are the ultimate reference standards for determining a measurement. 's an e(ample, a standard measurement of a meter is set by a steel rod of this length which is the primary standard. 'll other standards used to conduct a calibration must be checked with reference to this standard from the working to the reference standard

tandard 'de"uacy
*orking standard used to calibrate internal measuring e"uipment must be traceable to either a &ational or %rimary tandard. In addition, their accuracy must be 4 to 10 times more accurate compared to the e"uipment to be calibrated. -or instance, portable water analy.er such as p$ meter, &T/ meter with the standard measurement scale, can be calibrated internally by using the standard solution that provided. Occasionally, an e"uipment may be state of the art and hence, there is no reference standard available. In this case, this e"uipment can be calibrated with another e"uipment of the same type, make and model.

Traceability of Calibration
In a country, a calibration must be traceable to a &ational tandard held by a national body 0eg. I)I+ or other government agencies of +alaysia1. If this national standard is not available. The calibration must be traceable to another country. Traceability of a calibration is important as an incorrect reference standard used will not ensure that the e"uipment calibrated has the re"uired accuracy. 's most companies send out their e"uipment for calibration, mandatory that they check the capability of the calibration agent. Those that are certified to the I O 2333 4uide 56 will be able to provide an appropriate traceability. -or others, you will need to check the reference standards used and their respective traceability.

-actors to Consider in a Calibration

Calibration #nvironment Interval of Calibration 'ccuracy of tandard +aster Out of Tolerance #"uipment ubcontractor Controls /ncertainty of +easurement $andling the torage Identification and tatus of Calibration Training 7ocumentation and )ecords

Calibration #nvironment
#nvironment conditions which could affect a calibration are as follows. This will largely dependent on the sensitivity of an e"uipment to the various conditions. Consult the e"uipment manufacturer to determine the appropriate environmental conditions re"uired to do a calibration. Temperature $umidity 8ibration 7ust &oise 9ight 'ir +ovement +agnetic -ield ome e(amples where controlling certain environment factors is critical for the different types of measurement are as follows ! Chemical 'nalyses : p$ value and &T/ are critical

Interval of Calibration
Interval between one calibration to another is an important aspect to ensure the continuing accuracy of an e"uipment. This must be established for all measuring and test e"uipment, each may be set at different intervals dependent on the degree of usage and other factors such as! ; tability ; -re"uency of /se ; 'ccuracy ; %urpose of /se If you are unsure which is the best interval to choose, always follow the e"uipment manufacturer<s recommendations. This interval should be reviewed from time and as a rule of thumb, it should be adjusted based on the calibration history. -or e(ample, if an e"uipment is calibrated on a si( monthly basis and it is found to be out of calibration fre"uently, then the calibration interval should be changed either 5 or = monthly.

C'9I>)'TIO& I&T#)8'9
*hat actions and the calibration interval on the e"uipment would you recommend to the user for the following !

?. 'n instrument is found to have failed 5 times in the last 5 calibrations performed at @ monthly intervals. 5. ' newly purchased p$ onAline analy.er which will be used in production daily. Calibration interval recommended by manufacturer is = monthly. =. ' +agnetic -low +eter used to measure the flow of water with specification of 3.6 to ? B accuracy. 'ccuracy of +agnetic -low +eter is 3.6 to ?B with Calibration interval of yearly using the -low +eter 8erificator.

'CC/)'CC O- )#-#)#&C# T'&7')7

's discussed in the previous section, the reference standard used to do a calibration must be at least D to ?3 times more accurate than the e"uipment. In general, a 26B confidence level is preferred and this gives a E 5 sigma (standard deviation) or D sigma capability in a measurement.

O/T O- TO9#)#&C# #F/I%+#&T

*hen an e"uipment is found to be out of tolerance or not having the re"uired accuracy, certain steps must be taken. 'ctions to be taken include decisions on whether the e"uipment can be used or not and what needs to be done on the affected products as follows ! ; )eview all measurements prior to and after adjustment is made to the affected e"uipment. ; 7ecide on whether the e"uipment can be used or has to be thrown away or used for lesser accuracy measurements. ; )eview previous batches of products 0 ? week or more1 where measurements have been taken using this out of tolerance e"uipment prior to and after an adjustment has been made to correct the out of calibration situation. 7ecide whether they meet specification or not. ; If the e"uipment can be used but needs correction to their readings, then the compensation or offset factors must be stated on the e"uipment.

ubcontractor Controls
In choosing an appropriate subcontractor to perform your calibration, it is critical that an accredited calibrating lab or agent is used 0those certified to I O 2333 4uide 561. 'sk for a copy of their certification before selecting them. Cou will also need to ensure that the reference standards used by the calibrating lab or agent is traceable to national standard. The calibration method used should also be checked to ensure they used an appropriate or recogni.ed procedure. >oth of these re"uirement can be verified on their Certificate of Calibration, which is issued to you upon completion of a calibration for each set of e"uipment.

/ncertainty Of +easurement
The uncertainty of measurement of a calibration needs to be calculated to determine all the possible sources of errors. It is given by the formula ! /ncertainty of +easurement G E t 0from a tudents tAtable1 ( s 0standard deviation of variation1. As a rule of thumb, the uncertainty of measurement must not exceed 30% of the tolerance of a measurement. If it does, its mean that the equipment is not suitable for use as its required accuracy is not sufficient. A measurement taken using this equipment ill gi!e a false or inaccurate !alue.

$andling and torage

The proper handling and storage of measuring e"uipment and their reference standards are an essential part of establishing an effective Calibration %rogram. ome of the guidelines to follow are as follows!
$andling : ensure the e"uipment is appropriately handled during use, storage and transportation. %roper torage : ensure e"uipment is stored in their respective casing or special storage container under appropriate environmental conditions as re"uired. %roper %acking for Transportation : ensure the e"uipment is appropriately packed to protected them from movement and damage during transportation 0eg. /se Hbubble bagsI or impact absorbent materials1. Check that the calibration status is valid before issuing an e"uipment for use 0especially newly purchased e"uipment1. #nsure that the e"uipment is appropriately sealed with a tamperAproof sticker or marking, etc to prevent unauthori.ed adjustment or repair.

Identification and tatus of Calibration

/pon completion of a calibration, each e"uipment must be appropriately labeled to indicate their status. 7epending on the si.e of the e"uipment, it may not be possible to attach a calibration label on all instruments. -or an e"uipment such as thermometer it may not be practical to stick such a label. Therefore, other means such as color coding can be used instead of a label to indicate their calibration status. 'lternatively, the label may be attached to the casing or container.

#(ample of the various labels or identifications which can be used are as follows!

%assed Calibration

I"#$ '($

"A%&$ ")&$

Tamper %roof 9abel

These labels are used to prevent tampering on the e"uipment after it is calibrated. 'n e(ample is as follows !

*alibration +eal

VOID
If 'roken

PBA

 H7O &OT / #I 9abel

This label is used to indicate that a specific e"uipment cannot be used either because it is damaged or needs repair or malfunctioned or its calibration is out of tolerance. PBA
%erbadanan >ekalan 'ir %ulau %inang dn. >hd.

DO NOT USE

H&o Calibration )e"uiredI 9abel

This label is used to indicate those e"uipment which do not re"uire any calibration. These are mainly those used for rough measurement and for which accuracy is not important. ome e(amples are process instrumentation such as chlorine analy.ers and ultrasonic level sensor, etc.
%erbadanan >ekalan 'ir %ulau %inang dn. >hd.

PBA

CALIBRATION NOT REQUIRED

Training
%ersonnel appointed to perform calibration must be appropriately trained together with proper education and e(perience. They must understand the characteristic and features of an e"uipment, and its usage 0ie. )e"uired accuracy, stability, sensitivity, etc1. -urthermore, the personnel must know the calibration procedures and methodologies including the calculation of uncertainty of measurement and sources of errors. 8arious training courses are now available and those responsible for performing calibration must attend these courses.

7ocumentation and )ecords

'ppropriate documentation and records must be maintained as part of a calibration program. #ssential ones are as follows !
a1 Master List of Equipment
' master list of e"uipment shall be maintained to indicate all the measuring e"uipment used in a company. It should state as a minimum, the following details !

#"uipment Identification 0I71 9ocation )e"uired 'ccuracy +easurement )ange Calibration Interval Calibration 9abJ'gent 0internal or e(ternal1 7ate Calibrated 7ate due for &e(t Calibration %ass J -ail Calibration

b1

Calibration Plan

-or each type of e"uipment, a calibration plan shall be developed. This plan shall outline all the steps to conduct a calibration including ! )eference standards to be used K )ecording methodologies K #nvironmental conditions for calibration K Calculations K 'pproach to handle an out of tolerance situation. The plan should also outline the recalling system to ensure each piece of e"uipment is calibrated either on or before their due date. ' reminder system or calibration schedule is necessary. c1 Training Re ords

Training records shall be maintained for all personnel authori.ed to perform calibration.

d1

!ut of Calibration "oti e and Re ords

&otices advising the relevant department and personnel of an e"uipment found to be out of calibration and the corresponding actions 0s1 taken shall be maintained.

e1

Manufa turers# $andboo%s

+anufacturers< handbooks or reference manuals used as part of calibration shall also be controlled and kept by the department responsible for calibration.

f1

Calibration Certifi ate

Calibration certificate provide by an e(ternal calibrating organi.ation must be kept as proof of calibration and are to be maintained as part of the calibration records. Internal calibration certificate also re"uired to be kept at the respective cost centre.

g1

Re ords of &sage

)ecords of usage are to show the persons who have used the e"uipment and to indicate the degree of usage and what measurements were taken. h1 Measurement Equipment $istor' Re ord

' history record should be maintained for each piece of e"uipment. It should contain the following details ! make, model and type or brand date of purchase department using this e"uipment and its location use date of first calibration adjustment made during calibration 0if any1 repair , service details action taken on out of tolerance situation 0if any1 date of disposal 0when it is unusable1.

T(an% 'ou
%repared >y! Mohd Suhaimi Shariff