What does monitoring of measurement equipment entail?
he goal of a test equipment management system is to ensure the quality of measurements of products and processes. Toward this end, two major issues must be observed:
- The quality of the measurement processes, i.e. how well the measurements are performed,
- The quality of the test equipment, i.e. how well the test equipment is adapted to the measurement task.
To ensure the quality of test equipment, the following must apply:
- Test equipment is clearly labeled
- Equipment performance requirements are stated
- Test equipment is regularly inspected for compliance with defined requirements, i.e. it is calibrated regularly (and adjusted if necessary), (see also Calibration Interval)
- Test equipment used for calibration can be traced to national or international standards (or to documented calibration foundations if no such standards apply)
- Test equipment is treated in such a way as not to compromise its functional properties.
To meet these requirements, a test equipment management system must be introduced which is also compatible with other company goals.
Companies must have test equipment at their disposal for every measurement required, i.e. for every physical unit of relevance. Toward this end, an overview of all test equipment available to the company is needed.
Correct performance of measurements is conditional on all test equipment used being properly calibrated.