Calibration Services

Why Calibrate?

British scientist Lord Kelvin (William Thomson 1824-1907) is quoted from his lecture to the Institution of Civil Engineers, 3 May 1883 as saying:- "I often say that if you can measure what you are speaking about and express it in numbers you know something about it; but when you cannot express it in numbers your knowledge is a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced to the stage of science, whatever the matter may be." This famous quote emphasises the importance that measurement has in science, industry and commerce.

Prior to dispatch, where appropriate, each piece of our test equipment is calibrated by qualified engineers using procedures and equipment which are scrutinised annually by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). The International Laboratory Cooperation (ILAC) links UKAS with accreditation bodies worldwide. All equipment needs to be UKAS calibrated and traceable to national standards in order to satisfy typed testing as described in the EN13108. Although equipment from Cooper Technology normally continues to perform correctly and produce accurate results for many years, over time and through application there could be some component wear and the output from electronic components may drift. A highways material laboratory is not an ideal environment for instruments that must, in some cases, measure displacements within accuracies in excess of one millionth of a metre.

The Benefits of Calibration

• To comply with your internal quality assurance policy and to demonstrate a disciplined commitment to sound laboratory management.
• To have the confidence that your test equipment continues to function correctly and to ensure that it maintains the required level of measurement accuracy you would expect.
• To enhance your customers' confidence in a reliable and accurate testing service.
• To gain national and international recognition of your testing and to help you to access foreign markets where laboratory accreditation is compulsory.

The equipment needs checking and calibrating at least annually by one of our fully trained, UKAS approved engineers from Cooper Technology Calibration Division. On completion of the calibration, our engineer will provide you with an update on the condition of the equipment, together with a  traceable calibration certificate.