Calibration: What It Is & Why It's Important

By Carey Bourdier


Calibration is a highly important process for many industries. Calibration ensures that machinery is as perfectly in order as possible, which means that products will be made to exacting standards. While this might not seem important, imagine the construction of a vehicle or a piece of important medical equipment if it isn't built to specification. Imperfections can result in injuries or even death, so calibration services are crucial for all types of production.

The actual word calibration has been around since the days of the Civil War, when it mainly referred to different types of artillery. You may have heard someone discuss the "caliber" of a weapon, which relates to the diameter of the barrel of a firearm. However, it quickly became apparent many years earlier, during the Industrial Revolution, that calibration was necessary for all types of production, even if the word itself was not yet used.

There are many circumstances which require that you hire someone to provide calibration service. Most instruments and machinery need general calibration and maintenance from time to time. This depends on the amount of time that has passed between calibrations, as well as how many hours the machine, instrument or device has been used, as time and usage can cause calibration to become off. It also is necessary to calibrate a new instrument or one that has been changed or repaired.

When one of your clients needs an instrument adjusted to meet new specifications, you will need calibration after these changes have been named. Sometimes nature even intercedes, such as if there was serious seismic activity in your area that might have caused a shift. Surprisingly, even sudden changes in the weather conditions can cause calibration to alter.

If you need calibration services, you will need to find a certified calibration engineer. This individual not only will have to earn special certificates, but also a college-level degree as part of their training. Typically, these engineers earn a bachelor's degree or higher in a subject such as mathematics, but also perhaps chemistry or physics. At any rate, they have taken a variety of coursework that definitely includes trigonometry and several metrology courses, as well as advanced algebra and physics.

In addition, calibration engineers must learn how to collect data and use a variety of tools. Some engineers will use electronic items such as an oscilloscope, and others will need to use software designed for calibration. Other helpful information will be garnered from calipers, temperature gauges and other types of gauges.




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