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Why and When Should One Calibrate a Measurement System
Published
Author(s)
Raghu N. Kacker
Abstract
A measurement without its uncertainty is not adequate. The stated uncertainty ceases to be valid when the measurement system goes out of calibration. A conventional re-calibration interval may not be optimal for all usage conditions. The cost of re-calibration may be viewed as unnecessary expense when there is no indication that the system is out of calibration. We propose that the system should be checked at regular intervals in real-time. Then we provide a simple, generic, and widely applicable formula for the checking interval. The formula is illustrated with application to coordinate measuring machines.