What is the Difference Between Onsite, Laboratory and Mobile Calibration?
The importance of calibration across industries
Calibration ensures the quality and safety of critical measuring equipment needed for products and services used in industries that can be essential to our everyday life. From medical equipment used in the emergency room, chiller kits and ovens used in food manufacturing, pumps and coolers used in oil and gas production, to the all-important measuring equipment used during scientific research. No matter the industry, calibration ensures the precise measurements of important test and measuring devices in order to keep essential industries functioning.
Regular calibration is often needed to comply with UK Law Rules and Regulations across a wide range of industries. This helps businesses across the UK not only keep up with health and safety standards but it increases the safety of all stakeholders and keeps production in the workplace moving.
Different ways to calibrate your equipment
Due to calibration being such an important part of many businesses’ daily operations, there are a few different ways you can calibrate your equipment to prevent the workplace from coming to a halt. The way in which you choose to calibrate your equipment often depends on the equipment’s height, weight, amount, usage, age or importance to the business.
Here are the different ways to calibrate your equipment and the advantages and disadvantages of each:
Onsite Calibration
Onsite calibration involves our specialist calibration engineers visiting your site in order to test your equipment at your premises. This is often needed when equipment is too large or fixed so it can’t be sent out to our calibration lab. Sometimes measuring equipment can’t be separated from the site which is often the case with marine calibration. If the test and measuring equipment is critical to production or fragile then on-site calibration is the best option.
Advantages of onsite calibration include:
- Production downtime is reduced or even eliminated
- No shipping costs
- No risk of damage or loss
- Calibrate multiple pieces of equipment there and then
Disadvantages of onsite calibration include:
- Our technicians have less control over the environment
- Potential to be disrupted whilst performing dangerous tuning
Laboratory Calibration
Once your equipment reaches our lab, Laboratory calibration is the safest, most accurate and most secure way for our technicians to calibrate your equipment. Our accredited lab reduces all chances of inaccuracy as we have complete control over the environment and quality of the calibration space. If you can send or drop off your equipment at our Hull-based laboratory then you can rest assured that your equipment will be getting calibrated in the most efficient environment.
Advantages of laboratory calibration include:
- Controlled environment
- Highest level of precision
- Safer and more secure for technicians
- Fast turnaround time
Disadvantages of laboratory calibration include:
- Shipping costs
- Transportation
Mobile Calibration
A mobile laboratory is a fully equipped and climate-controlled vehicle that can be transported anywhere at any time. A mobile laboratory is ideal if your equipment needs calibrating on-site but you don’t have your own safe space to calibrate.
Advantages of mobile calibration include:
- Controlled environment
- No shipping costs
- Reduced equipment downtime
- Calibration wherever and whenever it’s needed
Disadvantages of mobile calibration include:
- Equipment needs to fit inside the vehicle
At JBA Calibration we always deliver an exceptional calibration service. Contact us on 01482 689049 for more information or to book your equipment for testing.
