MAGNAFLUX - ASQ Fox Valley Section 1208 - Home Page



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Hello everyone and thank you for coming this evening.

• For those of you who do not know me, I’m Kenn Losacco, President of Assurance Technologies, Inc. in Bartlett, Illinois. I have been the owner of ATI for a little over 20 years now.

• ATI has been in business, in the Chicago area since 1955.

• We Sell, Service and Calibrate Measuring & Testing Equipment for Manufacturers.

Before I get into my presentation, I would like to thank Hector Rodriguez for inviting me to speak here tonight.

I think that Hector & I have known each other through the Quality Industry for most of my 20+ years.

Luckily for all of you, Hector has me limited to a set time for this presentation.

• Just Like at the Oscars, Hector has promised to start playing music if I go too long.

• So…, please be courteous to the other attendees. Write down any specific questions you may have on the handouts and save them for after the presentation. We will be answering specific questions at the Q&A stations at the back of the room if there is a little time before dinner and after the presentation.

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My presentation tonight will be on “Managing Your Company Calibration Program”.

• My goal tonight is to give you a little better understanding of Calibration.

• Basically, how it came about, why it is needed, what you need to do and what you should be getting from your Calibration Provider.

In addition to my presentation tonight, we also have (2) Question & Answer stations set up in the hall for “A LITTLE BIT BEFORE DINNER & AFTER THE PRESENTATION”.

• This station over here, has employees from ATI who are here to answer any “specific” Calibration questions that you may have.

• And…, this station over here, has a demonstration of ATI’s A-Trax Gage Management Software that is accessed through our website. A-Trax is set up for free for all customers to make your Calibration Program “Pain Free”. It basically handles your Gage Control Program for you.

o A-Trax will notify you when your gages are due and send you a preprinted packing list to send your gages in.

o It will also allow you 24/7 access to all your calibration records.

o And provide you reports after a calibration alerting you to any failed conditions that were found.

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>>> Show Gage Block & Caliper for Demonstration

The definition of Calibration is:

The comparison of measurement values from a device under test (such as this caliper), against those of a calibration standard of known accuracy (such as this Gage Block).

• The calibration standard can be either a physical artifact (such as a Gage Block) or a generated value (such a Voltage as in Electronics).

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Interesting enough, no one really knows where the actual word “Calibration” came from.

• It is suspected that it came from the word “caliber” (as in guns and cannons).

• It is thought that because soldiers probably didn’t like their cannon balls and musket balls getting stuck in the barrel of their weapons, causing the weapons to explode, they came up with “calibration” to insure the size of the projectile and gun barrel were within the “dimensional specifications” of the “caliber” of the weapon.

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Dating back to the 1960’s, MIL-STD 45662 was probably the earliest standard to define proper calibration practices and was usually referenced in any Military related work.

• The Military eventually determined that there was a fairly high cost associated with creating and maintaining their own standards, so in many cases, they started referring to International Standards that were already available.

• In 1992, MIL-STD 45662 was replaced by ISO 10012 (Requirements for Measurement Processes & Measuring Equipment) which became the next referenced standard for most Military work. “ISO” stands for “International Organization for Standardization”

• In 1994, ISO 10012 was then replaced by ANSI Z540 (Requirements for the Calibration of Measuring & Test Equipment).

• Also released in the 1990’s, was ISO Guide 25 (Requirements for the Competence of Calibration and Testing Laboratories). In the late 1990’s, there was a big “Rush to become an Accredited Calibration Lab”, and this was really the first standard for Calibration Labs to follow and become accredited to.

• Finally in 1999, ISO 17025 was released and in 2000, it formally replaced ISO Guide 25. ISO 17 025 is the ISO Standard that is still being followed by Calibration & Testing Laboratories today.

As you can see, there wasn’t a lot of effort put into the requirements for Laboratories until the 1990’s. Then the requirements basically went crazy.

The ISO 9000 Quality Management System was probably the main reason for the emphasis. The ISO 9000 family of Standards was designed to help companies ensure they meet the needs of their customers as well as meeting all statutory and regulatory requirements.

There are many spinoff standards that use ISO 9000 as a basis, but also contain some additional specifics to certain industries.

• TS 16949 is ISO 9000 for Automotive Suppliers

• AS 9000 is ISO 9000 for Aerospace Suppliers

• ISO 17025 is ISO 9000 for Calibration and Testing Laboratories

Standardized Gage Calibration Programs have been in place for certain industries (like Aerospace & Military) for quite a while.

• In 1987, when ISO 9000 was originally released, the standard initially stated that a company “should” have a Calibration Program.

• In 1994, the original Automotive Quality Standard for all Automotive Suppliers, QS-9000 was released and it required all Calibration to be performed only by an Accredited Calibration Lab.

• QS-9000 and now TS-16949 were developed by a joint venture of the “Big 3 Auto Manufacturers” named AIAG. AIAG was an acronym for (Automotive Industry Action Group).

There were (3) main reasons why QS9000 was developed by “the Big 3”:

1. To insure better quality parts coming from their suppliers.

2. As a Cost Savings, to force the cost of Quality on the supplier.

3. Like the Military, to eliminate the high cost of developing and maintaining their own standards.

• Unfortunately, in 1994, when QS 9000 was initially released, there were only (2) Accrediting Bodies (A2LA & NAVLAP) that could accredit Calibration Labs to the ISO Guide 25 &ANSI Z540 standards.

• And more unfortunately…, there were literally tens of thousands of automotive suppliers that were required to become Accredited to the QS 9000 Standard to continue to be an Automotive Supplier. Unfortunately, they couldn’t because QS 9000 required them to only use an Accredited Calibration Lab to perform their calibrations and there were only a handful in existence at the time.

• It was great for the only (2) Accrediting Bodies, A2LA & NAVLAP, but not too great for the Automotive Suppliers.

• Eventually, reality set in, and the AIAG gave a 2 year reprieve to the requirement until other Accrediting Bodies could be brought on board to accredit Calibration Labs to handle the load.

• This is also why people initially would ask if you were “A2LA Accredited” instead of are you ISO or ANSI Accredited. Kind of like asking for Kleenex vs Facial Tissue.

From there, it just became a “good practice” for most companies to follow along with accredited calibration programs. Mainly, because a company’s self-blessed calibration program is usually a real easy target for customer and ISO auditors.

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From a Legal Standpoint:

• If your company ends up in a lawsuit and you have had your gages calibrated on a regular frequency by an outside company that is Accredited by an Accrediting Body that is Accredited through an International Organization, you have (3) levels of testing and checking in place to eliminate your Calibration Program as a potential contributor to a problem.

Scrap:

• What do returns and scrap cost you?

• What does it do to your reputation and can it result in lost customers?

• More and more companies that purchase parts have tracking systems in place to provide a “score” for on-time delivery and quality issues. If you want to continue supplying or get more business, you need to maintain a good score.

• Also many industries now have lengthy Corrective Action Processes that are required to be completed due to non-conforming material. The Corrective Action can also be followed up by a Customer Audit.

Good Example to Employees:

• If employees see you bring in a company from the outside, instead of having “Bob from Shipping” make an attempt at calibration, it shows your employees that you are “invested in Quality” and you stand a much better chance of them following your lead.

- - It Happens:

• Gone are the days of Journeymen Tool & Die Makers who went to night school, honed their skills for years as Apprentices and always checked their gage before using.

• Now, fewer and fewer people know how to properly use a gage, let alone how to properly verify it before using it. If that gage wears or is dropped, it can be measuring improperly and accepting bad parts.

It is always a good practice to train your people on proper use and verification of their gages as well as having them verify your commonly used gages on some reasonable frequency (say every Monday morning) and keeping a log of the measurements.

• Probably, the best example of how regular calibration has made an impact on an industry would be the Automotive Industry.

• When I was growing up, a car lasted 50,000 miles. After that, it was typically considered a “$500 beater”. Today, 100,000 miles is considered a car’s half life and that “beater” mark is now 250,000 miles or more.

• This is mainly because parts can be manufactured more accurately because they can be measured more accurately. When some Precision Machine Shops call us to purchase Measurement Equipment, I am truly amazed at what tolerances they are required to hold on their parts.

This concludes my Pre-Dinner presentation. We have briefly touched on a little history and few reasons why we calibrate.

Please enjoy your dinner. You welcome to visit the (2) tables until dinner comes out with any questions and after dinner we will continue with the program.

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I hope you enjoyed your dinner.

I will try to keep this next part of the presentation to 1 hour, and more importantly, when speaking about the “exciting world of Calibration”, I will try to not put you to sleep.

OVER THE NEXT HOUR, WE WILL BE GOING OVER THE ABOVE TOPICS:

CHANGES AND INCREASED REQUIREMENTS WITHIN THE QUALITY INDUSTRY

• Requirements are always changing within the area of Calibration and the Written Standards for Calibration get revised about every 5 to 10 years.

• The ISO 17025 Standard that Calibration Labs follow is broken up into 2 parts:

“Management Requirements” and “Technical Requirements”.

The “Management Requirements” are mostly the same as ISO 9001, so any changes to ISO 9001 are also part of the next revision of ISO 17025.

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UNCERTAINTIES OF MEASUREMENTS

“Uncertainties of Measurements” was a big push a couple years back by all the Auditors and seemed to be pushed by the International Accrediting Bodies that accredit the National Auditors.

“Uncertainty” is the Tested and Calculated Error found in each measurement a Calibration Lab makes. The better the methods a Lab has in place, the better trained the Tech’s are, and the better the grade of standards they use, the lower their Uncertainty of that Measurement.

IMAGE 1 – If I were to pass a tennis ball and a ruler around the room and asked everyone to measure the tennis ball with a ruler, because the ball is round and the ruler is flat, we would get many different measurements. This is a big exaggeration, but true to a certain degree with any measurement.

IMAGE 2 – This shows the TRUE VALUE, MEASURED VALUE, ERROR & CALCULATED UNCERTAINTY

IMAGE 3 – Shows a Pyramid of Error from NIST all the way to the Inspection of the Production Part

which is (1.161%)

Originally, the Auditors were OK with labs defining their Uncertainty of Measurements as a General Value called “Best Measurement Condition”. This was what your Uncertainty was under the best conditions.

They have since changed to wanting to see every Calibration Lab calculate the actual uncertainty of every measurement they perform in a calibration to include factors like the following:

• The Grade of standards that you used (EG: Grade 00, 0, 1, 2 Gage Blocks, all have different tolerances)

• Reproducibility & Repeatability of the Technicians and the procedures (G,R&R Studies). Basically (3) Tech’s make (10) measurements each and you see how Repeatable their measurements as individuals and how Reproducible their measurements between eachother.

• Independently run Interlab Proficiency Testing or ILPT’s thru NAPT, HN and other providers. In an ILPT, an artifact of know size, weight, etc. is sent to every Lab that joins the test. Each Lab’s results are matched against the known size of the artifact and against the other Lab’s results. If your results are not satisfactory, you must start a Corrective Action to correct the problem and achieve acceptable results.

• Environmental conditions (like fluctuations in temperature & humidity)

• On-Site vs Laboratory conditions, etc., all have to be defined and factored into a value as the uncertainty of each measurement.

It also created another Final Status of a Calibration – Besides “PASS & FAIL” There is now PASS WITHIN UNCERTAINTY (which we explain a little later in the presentation).

Unfortunately, in the beginning, the National Accrediting Bodies weren’t even sure what was an acceptable method for the International Accrediting Bodies and Re-Issuing of Accreditation Certificates for Calibration Labs that year took months.

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THE HIERARCHY OF ACCREDITTATION

Within the ISO 17025 organization, there is no chance of a “Fox Watching the Hen House” in the world of Accredited Calibration Labs.

Every level of the ISO organization & the Accreditation process has a watchdog.

• International Accrediting Body Directing Committees

o The ISO/CASCO Committee directs the International Accrediting Bodies for Policy, Technical, Regulatory & Industry Input for any standard that is developed.

• International Accrediting Bodies

o Such as ILAC, APLAC, UKAS, & EA, Audit and Accredit the National Accrediting Bodies to

ISO 17011 (which is the International Standard for Competence and Ethics).

• National Accrediting Bodies

o Such as A2LA, NAVLAP, LAB, ANAB, PJLA, then audit and certify the Calibration Labs like “ATI” to ISO 17025 and other more specific standards.

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ACCREDITATION SPECIFICS THAT YOU SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR IN A CALIBRATION PROVIDER

If you decide to start using or switch your Calibration Provider, you need one that you can trust and have confidence in. Your choice of Calibration Providers can mean the difference between passing your audits easily or having audits being a very stressful time in your job.

On several instances, we have been called by companies that decided to try another Calibration Lab to come and recalibrate devices that were already just calibrated by another Calibration Lab. Mainly due to their own internal auditors finding numerous errors and issues with documentation leading to eventual concerns of their actual capabilities.

But…, “the good news is that the Bad Calibration Lab was less expensive”.

1. Is the Calibration Lab that you use “Accredited”?

• Any Calibration Provider that is ISO 17025 Accredited should provide you their ISO Certificate along with their Scope of Accreditation. The Device that you want calibrated must be contained in their “Scope” for the calibration to be an ISO 17025 Accredited Calibration.

• Every legitimate ISO 17025 Accredited Calibration Certificate will contain (3) logos (The logo of the Calibration Provider, the logo of the National Accrediting Body such as A2LA, NAVLAP, LAB, ANAB, PJLA) & the logo of the International Accrediting Body (such as ILAC, APLAC, etc.).

2. Is Your Calibration Lab Accredited by an Official Body?

Do your homework and research the credentials of whoever you chose.

• There are Calibration Companies that do not want to take the time, incur the expense or have anyone looking over their shoulder making sure that they follow the rules. Some have taken it as far as teaming up with other so called, Calibration Companies to accredit each other. They will include a logo of an Auditing Company that they created, but that Auditing Company is never audited or regulated and their accreditation is virtually meaningless.

• Once again, if a Calibration Provider is truly ISO 17025 Accredited, there will always be (3) logos on every certificate of calibration.

3. Is the Calibration that you are provided Accredited?

Some Calibration Companies offer Accredited and Non-Accredited Calibrations. They will either not mention this at all when quoting or present this as a cost savings option.

• Usually, the real reason behind 2 levels of Calibrations being offered is that they have had numerous problems in the past passing their audits. (calibration certificates not completed properly, measurement errors, equipment was not calibrated to correct specifications, etc.)

• Certificates for Non-Accredited Calibrations do not have to be shown to an Auditor during an audit and can be completely incorrect and full of mistakes. You are basically paying for nothing and opening yourself up for major legal issues if ever sued.

• In my opinion, this practice should be banned by the Accreditors for Labs that are accredited. It causes issues for other labs that “always” just follow the rules and do it right.

• There are also “NIST Traceable Calibrations” which can be for a legitimate reason (like a very infrequent request) but also sometimes to just not follow the rules and incur the expense.

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10 COMMANDMENTS OF SELECTING A CALIBRATION LAB:

I. Thou shalt Tour & Audit Their Facility

• You are starting a business relationship.

• Tour & Audit the Calibration Facility

• Make sure that they look organized, housekeeping alone will tell you a lot.

II. Thou shalt Ask Management Questions

• Insist on meeting with Management

• Ask questions & toss out scenarios and carefully listen to the answers

• My philosophy has always been If it’s not at the top, it’s not down below

III. Thou Shalt Ask to See Training Records

• Ask to see the Training Records of the Technicians that will be serving your account

• Make sure that they have the training and are qualified

• Make sure they are the same Technicians who come on-site

IV. Thou Shalt Request & Check References

• Request to see a list of customers near you and request a contact name

• Call the customers & ask a few questions (Lastly, would they recommend the company)

• Make sure that they have Good Customer Service. (You will need it during an Audit).

V. Thou Shalt Request to see an Organization Chart

• To do it right, a Good Calibration Provider will have very close to a 1:1 ratio of

Service people to Support people

VI. Thou Shalt Look at Their Published Uncertainties (or Error)

• Look at what their Uncertainty of Measurement is for each device

• In some cases, it might be greater than the accuracy you are trying to hold.

• The lower the Uncertainty, the better the calibration.

VII. Thou Shalt Define Their Guaranteed Turnaround Time

• Make sure that their Calibration Time is acceptable for what you need.

• Ask what their plan of action is for delays.

• Ask if they have records to prove what they say.

VIII. Thou Shalt Determine if the Calibration Lab can also Repair & Replace Gages

• You really want to use a Calibration Lab that can repair & replace gages if needed

• Being able to repair & replace gages right within the Lab can save you weeks or months of being without a gage

IX. Thou Shalt Determine if the Calibration offered is truly Accredited

• Unfortunately, as in most industries, there are some dishonest companies out there

• Are they Accredited by an Accrediting Body that is Accredited to ISO 17011?

• Is the Calibration that they are offering an Accredited Calibration (or a bait & switch)

X. Thou Shalt Define How Easy it is to Retrieve Certificates or Use the Customer Portal

• Ask them to set up a dummy company and test drive it

• You may need to use it during an audit (while in the hot seat)

• It should be logical and easy to navigate

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THE IMPORTANCE OF TRACEABILTY AND CALIBRATION FREQUENCY OF STANDARDS USED

One of the most important requirements to your company is traceability.

Standards used need to be traceable to NIST

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o When your Calibration Provider calibrates your device, they should be using standards that have proven traceability back to the National Institute of Standards & Technology (or NIST). NIST is a department of the Federal Government and contains the country’s most accurate calibration standards. The NIST standards are used as calibration standards for testing the Calibration Lab’s standards that are sent to NIST.

A lab does not have to have every standard that they use calibrated by NIST, but if it is not directly calibrated by NIST, they do need to show the chain of calibrations back to a NIST standard. For “Critical Masters”, if we did not go directly to NIST we will go to a lab like Mitutoyo, Starrett, etc. who has proven capabilities and low Uncertainties.

“Demonstrated Competence” & “Unbroken Chain”

o If a Standard is not calibrated directly by NIST and the Artifact is calibrated by a Calibration Lab who shows traceability back to NIST, all the Calibration Labs inbetween the end Lab and NIST are termed the “Chain”.

o Every link (or Lab) in the chain back to NIST must have “Demonstrated Competence” meaning their test step in the chain must have been performed according to “Written Documents” and the results of the tests have to be “Documented”. The example that NIST gives of “Demonstrated Competence” for any link in the chain is for the lab to be ISO 17025 Accredited.

If everything is in place, from your Calibration Lab back to NIST, it is termed an “Unbroken Chain”.

Calibration Frequency should be reasonable

o The timeframe to the date in the chain of the NIST calibration should also be reasonable for the device. You don’t want a Lab using a standard that shows the NIST Calibration of the unbroken chain was 20 years ago.

o One of the biggest costs of running a Calibration Lab is the Calibration of their own standards. Unfortunately, there are Calibration Providers out there who will continually extend out re-calibration frequencies so they do not have to pay when it should be done (If they can get away with another year, they will). The longer time between calibrations, the more risk for you.

Chain of Traceability should be reasonable

o Since every Lab that calibrates a standard in the Chain, adds to the total uncertainty of the final standard, there should also be a reasonable number of links (or labs) in the chain. The closer to NIST the better, but I would think that no more than 4 steps away from NIST is a good rule of thumb.

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TERMS & WHAT TO LOOK FOR ON A CALIBRATION CERTIFICATE

Certificate Number

o For Traceability, every calibration certificate must have a unique Certificate Number that can be used for tracking.

As Found / As Left Readings

o This is a requirement of ISO 17025. Without As Found Readings, you are only getting half the story and cannot prove your device was always reading correctly.

o The only time you would not have AF Readings would be if the device was new, rebuilt or moved because AF readings would be meaningless. If AF R are not shown, a note must always define why.

Due Date & Calibration Frequency Coincide

o This a very common mistake on Calibration Certificates and an easy find for Auditors.

Correct Tolerance is Applied

o Make sure the Tolerance used is correct. It matches your requirement and/or OEM Spec’s.

Calibration Standards Used Are Out Of Calibration

o This is another very common mistake on Calibration Certificates and an easy find for Auditors.

Uncertainty Defined Is Within Your Requirements

o You need to look at the Uncertainty of Measurement that your Calibration Provider shows for the Calibration and determine if it works for how you use the device.

Procedures That Were Used Are Defined

o Any Internal or External (ANSI, ISO, ASTM, etc.) procedures that were followed for a Calibration must be defined by the Calibration Provider on the Calibration Certificate.

o Also that the Procedures referenced are the latest. This is another easy find for an Auditor.

Reported Results

o If a tolerance is defined by you, an OEM tolerance is followed, or an ANSI, ASTM type Test was followed and the tolerances were known, a PASS / FAIL or PASS Within Uncertainty Status should be shown on the Calibration Certificate.

General Information Errors & Typos

o Unfortunately, people are human and simple errors can occur. This is another easy finding for Auditors.

o We found ourselves spending more time checking certificates than performing the actual calibrations, so we developed our A-Trax Software to pull all customer information from a database perform all math and prevent most common types of errors.

For true, ISO 17025 Accredited Calibrations there must be (3) logos on the certificate

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PASSES WITHIN UNCERTAINTY

“New Reported Result”

o Because of all the phone calls (even from ISO 9000 Auditors), my Customer Service People begged and pleaded with me to speak to you about a new “Reported Result”.

o When the ISO 17025 Auditors decided to have every Calibration Provider, define and publish the Uncertainty of every Calibration Measurement they make, they found that once you added the Measurement Uncertainty to it, it would make the Measurement better or worse. And…, if it were close to a tolerance limit, it could “theoretically” make the measurement IN or OUT of spec. So, they added a 3rd “Reported Result” called “Passes Within Uncertainty”.

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WHAT YOU SHOULD BE PROVIDING YOUR CALIBRATION PROVIDER

A Gage List containing the following:

• Gage Type

o Please be as descriptive as possible (Thread Mic, I.D. Mic vs Mic, etc.), so the Calibration Provider can quote accurately and the Technician brings the proper equipment that he will need.

• Manufacturer

o Mitutoyo, Starrett, Brown & Sharpe, Import, etc.

• Model #

o Is needed for the Calibration Certificate and always helps us define a device with incorrect or missing info.

• Serial #

o Is needed for the Calibration Certificate and Required for Traceability

• Gage ID #

o If you have an internal Gage #’g System and want it reflected on Certificates and in Calibration Provider’s Database

• Location of Gage

o Always a good idea and a timesaver.

• Your Calibration Frequency

o You should tell us what frequency of calibration you want for each device. Unfortunately, we do not know if the device is used daily, weekly, monthly, annually or if it is a spare going into storage until needed. Since we do not have a crystal ball, you are in the best position to determine how frequently your devices need calibration.

• Your Required Turnaround Time

o Unfortunately, no Calibration Provider can calibrate everything on-site at a customer. If a Device is coming back to a Calibration Providers facility for calibration, you should let them know your requirements or expectation for the return of that Device.

• Your Required Tolerance or Accuracy for PASS/FAIL

o We do not know if you are using your device to measure Hubel Telescope Lenses or Wooden Fence Pickets. Each would require a different tolerance. You should define what tolerance you require every device to be within, based on how you are using it.

o You can use the OEM’s tolerance for the Device, but you may be requiring Accuracy of the Device that you really do not need and if it Fails, you would be replacing a device that still is OK for how it’s used.

• Your Required Uncertainty for each type of device

o The lower, the better, but must be less than the OEM published accuracy. Otherwise, the Calibration Provider’s Uncertainty would exceed the accuracy of the Device and in most cases, would not be accurately calibrating the device.

• Define “Special” Test Points, Instructions or Drawings (upfront)

o If a Device has a special use, you only use it in a certain range (EG: Device goes to 1000°, but you only use at 200°), Device measures Voltage and Amperage, but you only use it for voltage, is a custom made Device that was manufactured per a drawing, etc.

o If you need a Device to be Calibrated against specific Industry Standards, let the Lab know. (EG: Gages for 6 Lobe Torx type screws all look alike but can be per ANSI,IFI, ISO or TORX Industry Standards.

• Accessories

o Unfortunately, if we are not a distributer for a Device that was sent in to us, we may not have the OEM Accessories for that Device. If the Device needs those Accessories to function and it was sent in without them, there will be delays.

o Examples of what is needed are the Readout for the Device, the Power Supply, OEM Adaptors to adapt it to some normal thread or mechanism.

o Anything a Lab would need to operate the Device, needs to be sent in with the Device.

• A Liaison From Your Company That Will Be Available That Day

o It is always best to have an appointed person that has a knowledge of how devices are used and where they are located available while a Calibration Provider is on site.

• Gage Collection

o Yes, it would nice if a calibration visit didn’t involve any of your time, but unfortunately, it is virtually impossible for a Technician who is not familiar with your facility to find devices.

o People have Devices in the toolboxes, drawers, are in meetings, out sick, on vacation, etc.

o And…, we have found that some people basically are just hesitant to give their devices for fear of getting someone else’s back.

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WHAT YOUR CALIBRATION PROVIDER SHOULD BE PROVING YOU

• Accurate, Readable Calibration Certificates

o We battled human error and bad penmanship early on, (unfortunately, not everyone went to Catholic school and got their knuckles smacked with a steel ruler for bad penmanship) so early on, we developed computer generated Certificates and a Service Data Base which eventually led to the development of our A-Trax Total Gage Management Software

• Calibration Certificates Containing (3) logos

o For ISO 17025 Accredited Calibrations, the Calibration Providers Logo, The National Accrediting Body’s Logo & The International Accrediting Body’s Logo should all appear on

• AS FOUND / AS LEFT Data

o If you do not have As Found Data, you create a hole in the history of the device and cannot prove the device was always in an in tolerance calibration.

o The device could have been dropped 5 minutes after the last calibration and has been reading incorrectly until this calibration where it was adjusted back into tolerance. If you only have As Left Readings, the time that it was out of tolerance is not recorded and you have a gap in the history of the device.

• Notification Of Gages Due For Calibration

o A Good Calibration Lab should provide you an advanced notice of what devices are coming due with sufficient time to collect & calibrate the device before it is overdue.

o Our A-Trax Software can provide and send a customer a weekly, monthly, annual or customizable “Gages Due” Report complete with a Packing List to check off and send the devices in.

• Reasonable Scheduled Calibration Dates & Times That Are Met

o If you respond promptly to “Gages Due” report, a Calibration Provider should schedule the Calibration promptly and the Technicians should be on time.

• “Gages Not Found” Report

o If Devices cannot be found, you should define their status as Lost and determine if they were used for any measurements in the prior calibration cycle.

• “Gages Found Out of Tolerance” Report

o Per ISO, you need to comment or take action if Gages are found Out of Tolerance even if they were adjusted to be back In Tolerance during calibration.

• Easy to Navigate (24/7) Record Retrieval

o System should be easy to use and logical to navigate

o Calibration Certificates & Device History should be easy to access

• Exceptional Customer Service Both Before & After the Service

o A Good Calibration Provider should have questions answered and problems resolved the same day or within a reasonable amount of time for the problem.

o Formal Corrective Actions like CAR’s, PAR’s, etc. should be completed promptly.

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EXAMPLES OF EQUIPMENT SPECIFIC CALIBRATION REQUIREMENTS

Anything that measures, wears or can be adjusted absolutely needs to be verified on a regular frequency

>>> Show Caliper

Calipers (4 Measurements)

• A great example of a device that needs multiple calibrations is a caliper. A caliper has four measuring mechanisms in one device (ID, OD, Depth & Step)

Measurements Between Surfaces

• Any device that has anvils or jaws must be tested for parallelism.

Hardness Testers / Durometers –

• A lot of standards are slowly changing from Indirect Methods of Calibration (such as using a certified Hardness Test Block) to Direct Methods (which includes measuring the actual load and Dimensionally measuring the Indenter).

Optical Comparators

• Linear X&Y, XY Squareness, Magnification (if you use overlays) & Protractor all need to be calibrated.

CMM’s

ASTM B89 & ISO 10_360 are the Standards for Calibration of CMM’s and B89 now, just references ISO 10360. The Calibration Standard contains almost 100 pages of tests and adjustments. At the bare [pic]

EXAMPLES OF EQUIPMENT SPECIFIC CALIBRATION REQUIREMENTS

Anything that measures, wears or can be adjusted absolutely needs to be verified on a regular frequency

>>> Show Caliper

Calipers (4 Measurements)

• A great example of a device that needs multiple calibrations is a caliper. A caliper has four measuring mechanisms in one device (ID, OD, Depth & Step)

Measurements Between Surfaces

• Any device that has anvils or jaws must be tested for parallelism.

Hardness Testers / Durometers –

• A lot of standards are slowly changing from Indirect Methods of Calibration (such as using a certified Hardness Test Block) to Direct Methods (which includes measuring the actual load and Dimensionally measuring the Indenter).

Optical Comparators

• Linear X&Y, XY Squareness, Magnification (if you use overlays) & Protractor all need to be calibrated.

CMM’s

• ASTM B89 & ISO 10_360 are the Standards for Calibration of CMM’s and B89 now, just references ISO 10360. The Calibration Standard contains almost 100 pages of tests and adjustments. At the bare minimum, a calibration Provider should be reporting Linear X,Y,Z, Volumetric (Squareness) & Probing Error.

• When CMM’s are originally built, they are mechanically squared and then adjusted using lasers, levels, indicators and master squares to achieve the best mechanical accuracy possible. They are then Error Mapped through the software to “fine tune” the remaining intrinsic error out. Unfortunately, some CMM softwares are locked and will not allow anyone but the OEM to add correction through adjusting the Error Map.

• Most Volumetric (squareness) issues can be adjusted out mechanically, sometimes Linear Errors can be corrected by cleaning and adjusting measuring Scales, but if that doesn’t work, the only other option is to re-Error Map the CMM.

• If we are calibrating a CMM, we can normally determine if it will need re-Error Mapping within 2 hours. If it does, we notify the customer and only bill for whatever time was spent.

This is not on the slide, but a late afterthought of mine…

On-Site Hard Gage Calibration Requests – Hard Gages Uncertainties grow

• On occasion, we are asked to calibrate Hard Gages on-site which we do not like to do because without controlled conditions, it really raises the Uncertainty of the Measurements. This request is normally due to a bad experience with another Calibration Provider that took gages and kept them for a long time. It is better to find a Lab who wants to do it right and is willing to do special handling.

• A good analogy would be: Will an auto mechanic repair your car better on the side of a highway or on a lift, in his garage with all his tools close by?

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