Calibration is the act of comparing a device under test (DUT) of an unknown value with a reference standard of a known value. A person typically performs a calibration to determine the error or verify the accuracy of the DUT’s unknown value.
Traditionally calibration has been performed using a calibration reference and writing the results manually on a piece of paper. In a modern electronic and paperless system everything can be done paperless. When the calibration is performed with documenting calibrators, they automatically save the results into their memory. Once calibration work is completed, the results can be downloaded from calibrator to the calibration management software. Finally, the calibration software sends an acknowledgement to the maintenance management system that the work has been completed.
Process instrument calibration is comparing and documenting the measurement of a device to a traceable reference standard. It is important to calibrate so that you can be confident that your measurements are valid. Measurement validity is important for many reasons, including safety and quality. For best results and reliability, make sure the uncertainty of the calibration is small enough. Or use a calibrator that has accuracy specification several times better than the device under test. Finally, setting calibration tolerances and frequency should be determined by several factors, including instrument criticality.