Article: Which calibration is the right one? Article: Which calibration is the right one? | HBM

Aid to decision making: Which type of calibration meets my requirements?

Sensor calibration is a sound investment in the future. Calibration is indispensable to ensuring consistent quality of your measurement results. Moreover, calibrating your sensors is an integral part of ISO 9001 certification.

There are different types of calibrations available. In most cases you can opt for a basic working standard calibration or calibration against a higher-level standard such as calibration in line with ISO 376 and DAkkS-DKD-R 3-3 for force transducers or calibration per DIN 51309 or VDI/VDE 2646 for torque transducers. A similar hierarchy of calibration standards is available for other sensor types.

Which type of calibration to choose mainly depends on your requirements and needs.

The options

Attractive price/performance ratio

Calibrations per VDI/VDE 2646 (torque) or DAkkS-DKD-R 3-3 offer an excellent price/performance ratio and require measurement in one mounting position only. This type of calibration provides guaranteed proof that your torque or force sensor is traceable measuring equipment, as required by ISO 9001. The calibration certificate specifies various key parameters such as the exact output signal for each calibration step.

All details

However, if you really want to know “everything” about your sensor, calibration per ISO 376 (force) or DIN 51309 (torque) is considered the first choice. This type of calibration requires that the sensor is measured in three varying mounting positions. In other words: The sensor is rotated by 120° in the machine in each case - i.e. the transducer needs to be mounted and dismounted three times.

Besides many additional characteristics (such as repeatability and reproducibility for one and for varying mounting positions for each calibration step, creep behavior, and return to zero) this type of calibration of course also provides proof that your transducer is traceable measuring equipment.

Working standard calibration

We also offer working standard calibrations. Our recommendation, in most cases, is to opt for calibration per DAkkS-DKD-R 3-3 or VDI/VDE 2646, because it provides you with more information, at comparable cost.

The HBM calibration laboratory at a glance

The choice of calibration facility also needs to be well considered. HBM’s calibration laboratory has been outstanding for its formidable equipment and performance since 1977:

  • Enormously wide calibration ranges for force transducers (2.5 N to 5 MN) and torque (from 0.2 N·m to 400 kN·m) as well as many other calibration services available for pressure and mV/V voltage ratio.
  • Calibration of complete measuring chains (also of third-party products) - at no additional cost.
  • Decades of experience (since 1977) in the calibration of force transducers, force sensors and force measurement chains
  • From the cost-effective calibration of industrial sensors to the transfer standard that meets the highest demands. 

You will find more information as well as sample calibration certificates and examples of HBM calibration machines here.