This is a guest post from Edward Simpson, calibration and technical engineer, RS Calibration.

The economic success of most manufacturing industries critically depends on the quality of their products, and measurement plays an important role in this.

Every measuring device used in the manufacturing processes have a meaningful purpose. Therefore, there is a need to calibrate the measuring instrument at regular intervals to ensure it is performing within its specified limits.

What’s calibration?

Instrument calibration is the process in which the accuracy of the instrument is checked by comparing the results with the standard value. The instrument calibration helps to identify the error in the reading and makes necessary adjustments of the voltages so that the instrument provides the ideal reading.

The importance of calibration. Why calibrate?

The stability of the instrument depends on its application and the environment it operates in. Factors affecting the stability of the instrument are – harsh manufacturing conditions, fluctuating temperatures, and elapsed time.

Over a period of time, even the highest quality measuring instrument will drift and become unstable. This may make the instrument lose its ability to record accurate measurements. That’s why calibration is important.

Calibration ensures that instrument drift is minimized, quality remains high and consistent over time.

Just like any other measuring instrument, a watt meter also needs to be calibrated. A watt meter is an instrument that measures the amount of electricity that is used in any given circuit.

If the watt meter is not calibrated, these are some of the consequences you are likely to face.

1. The reading measured is inaccurate.

An uncalibrated instrument will record inaccurate results.

2. The results are not reliable.

An instrument that is well-maintained and regularly calibrated gives accurate results. That means, the instrument is reliable. In order to ensure a high level of reliability of a watt meter, calibration is a must.

3. It poses potential safety risks.

An uncalibrated watt meter is not only unreliable, but it can be risky too. Using an uncalibrated watt meter can give you an electric shock, which can be life-threatening.

4. It increases unnecessary costs.

Using an uncalibrated watt meter may mean you would be spending on:

• equipment repairs.
• medical costs, if workers were affected.
• unnecessary energy consumption due to over-chilling or overheating of equipment
• the need to investigate quality issues that were identified to have caused due to fluctuating temperatures in the manufacturing processes.
• Increased workers’ downtime as equipment is sent for repairs.

5. The finished product could be of poor quality.

If a watt meter doesn’t measure electricity correctly, the end product is bound to be of poor quality or defective. This would mean a lot of unhappy customers, who are likely to tarnish the company’s reputation.

Poor quality of the product will also affect sales and in worst case scenario may mean a product recall.

To ensure that this doesn’t happen to you, it is important that you calibrate the watt meter regularly. Periodic watt meter calibration keeps your quality in check and if required necessary actions can be taken.

Author Bio: Edward Simpson works for RS Calibration Services and has a knack for finding faults in machines and does not rest until they are rectified to perfection. He lives in Pleasanton, CA and loves to write about how machines work and about the importance of proper care and calibration of equipment. When he’s not working or writing, he loves to run to stay fit.