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25 years of calibration

A HBM UK product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Sep 23, 2002

This year sees the 25th anniversary of HBM's accreditation as the first calibration laboratory to meet the strict requirements of the DKD - the German calibration service.

This year sees the 25th anniversary of HBM's (Hottinger Baldwin Messtechnik) accreditation as the first calibration laboratory to meet the strict requirements of the DKD (Deutscher Kalibrierdienst) - the German calibration service.

The anniversary marks HBM's continued leading role in measurement technology.

HBM's significance in this field is also clearly shown by its DKD laboratory designation number.

As HBM in Darmstadt was the first DKD calibration laboratory, it was given the registration number 001.

A further two digits are used by the DKD for sublaboratory designation to give a complete registration number for HBM's DKD laboratory as DKD-K-00101.

This number appears on all DKD calibration certificates issued by HBM and on the calibration marks stamped on a calibrated instrument.

Customers should note that this number recognises that the calibration has been placed at the number-one DKD calibration laboratory.

HBM's first accreditation was for the measurement of force and this has since been expanded by further accreditation's for voltage ratio (mV/V), torque and pressure.

Demand for DKD calibration has increased continuously since 1977, particularly because of the ISO900x requirement for traceability to national standards.

HBM completed its 10,000th DKD calibration on 8th March 2002 while the number of DKD calibrations completed by HBM has increased to over 1100 per year.

The DKD was established in 1977 as an authority for controlling and monitoring the calibration of transducers and measuring instruments used throughout industry.

It is an association of calibration laboratories that defines standards and guidelines for calibration procedures.

Experts from the PTB (Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt - German Metrology Institute) examine every DKD accredited laboratory to ensure that it complies with the strict standards and guidelines.

The examination looks at each laboratory's facilities and each measurement to ascertain that it complies with the testing requirements.

The PTB also determines a calibration plant's measurement uncertainty through to evaluating personnel qualification.

Accreditation as a DKD calibration laboratory is only granted if all the PTB's requirements are met.

(This was Engineeringtalk's Top Story on 20 September 2002).

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