Chances are you learned about how important calibration was when you trained for your job, and you started working with the expectation that you would calibrate equipment frequently. Then you no doubt noticed that calibration checks usually found the machinery to be working within tolerance and not needing much calibration at all. If you or anyone on your team have started getting a bit lax about those calibration checks because you've found you can go for a longer time before the calibration starts to falter, stop. Do not assume that's the best thing to do. You need to bring those calibration checks back into line with the manufacturer's schedule, especially when dealing with equipment like pressure gauges, which can affect worker safety.

Bad Calibration Could Lead to Gauge and Machine Failure

All machinery that needs to be calibrated has a tolerance. That range allows the machinery to continue to work accurately without you having to readjust it every few minutes or days. However, the tolerance usually isn't huge, and machinery can go out of calibration unexpectedly, such as when new equipment that does not have good vibration control is installed nearby. Because there is really no warning when calibration is about to leave that tolerance range, you have to keep checking it through a calibration inspection. The last thing you need is to find out something like a pressure gauge is no longer measuring pressure correctly -- by having a pipe burst from too much pressure.

Calibration Fades as Machines Get Older

Also of concern is that calibration can fade more quickly as the machine gets older. Parts become weaker, belts and other rubber or plastic pieces become brittle or stretched out, and surfaces may wear away or be stripped away through friction. All of that makes the machine more likely to break down, if not completely, then in subtle ways such as failing calibration. As machines get older, you may even need to recalibrate them more often.

The Manufacturer Can Do It

The good news is that the manufacturer can send people out to do the recalibration onsite, and to make repairs if needed. Smaller pieces of equipment may have a calibration schedule that you can handle yourself, with periodic major recalibration done by the manufacturer. Either way, you're not going to have to take time out of your work day to perform major maintenance on the equipment (those calibration procedures that you might have to do would be fast and not create a lot of work).

If you haven't had some of the equipment in your factory calibrated in a while, check the recommended schedules and get everything caught up. Calibration is essential for worker safety and product accuracy. Contact a pressure gauge supplier for more assistance.

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