[Essentials] The importance of getting your instruments serviced and calibrated

Calibration is defined as "Correlating the readings of an instrument with those of a certain standard in order to check the instrument's accuracy." James Heal instruments are all created to the highest quality and are built to last, so ensuring they correlate with the standards we define is extremely important and keeps the instrument in the best condition possible.

A crucial element to having a service and calibration by a professional provider such as James Heal, is that our engineers are UKAS and ISO accredited to ISO 17025. Being accredited by these bodies means that the standard of the service provided is consistent and in keeping with the guidelines as stated by these bodies, so that when your calibration is performed, the training for the engineer and the equipment that they use, is all of the highest quality and regulation.

Most testing instruments are performing physically repetitive or consistent motions as their function, and there is no way to tell how little or how often these pieces of equipment will be used in a laboratory environment for. 

These testing instruments must provide consistent and reliable results from its testing, for its full lifespan, as dictated by the manufacturer. Rigorous longevity testing goes into the development of every James Heal product, but with some instruments working often 24 hours a day, and often at times for a week or more without stopping.

It is important that every instrument be given a full professional service, on top of general maintenance, to ensure that the working components and parts that receive regular wear, are still functional and still meeting the requirements as laid out in the testing standards. 

There are many benefits of getting your testing instruments serviced, including:

• Consistency & Reliability
  When a testing instrument is serviced and calibrated, you can ensure your tests are consistent and reliable due to the machine meeting the standards it is designed to meet. The calibration will ensure machines are weighing items correctly, performing the correct movements and meeting the standards it is designed to meet.

• Accuracy
  Textile testing is surrounded by the need for accurate results. Should a machine not be serviced or calibrated, the accuracy of the results cannot be determined, which could potentially lead to false tests and results.

• Decreased risk of downtime
  Just like getting your car serviced, servicing and calibrating your instruments means there is less chance of the machine breaking down and reducing that risk is extremely important for instruments that are used on a regular basis.

• Cost Saving
  Paying for your instruments to be serviced and calibrated every year could actually save you money in the long run. Should you not ensure your machines are in correct working order and meeting the standards required, you could end up having to purchase a new instrument a lot sooner than you would originally need to.