Our New Product Numbering System & Open “Date Put Into Service” Certificate Simplifies the Purchasing & Inventory Control Process
Mitutoyo America Corporation is launching a new feature to make ordering a comprehensive list of Calibrated Products faster and easier while improving inventory control for your distribution center. These Calibrated Products include an ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited Certificate of Calibration packaged with the product. The Certificate of Calibration is fully endorsed and includes the accreditation symbol, A2LA certificate 0750.01, from the Mitutoyo America Calibration Laboratory in Aurora, Illinois. The accredited certificate represents the best practice in calibration and is a requirement in many industries.
These calibrated tools will have a new, single part number with its own bar code and can be a part of your normal inventory. When a customer orders one of these calibrated tools, the tool can already be in your inventory, ready to ship to the end user faster. The open Date Put Into Service date gives the product a longer shelf life for distributors and end users, and customers can determine their own calibration intervals based on when they enter the calibrated products into service.
Answers to Question You May Have:
Is the “Date Put Into Service” really permitted?
This calibration concept is called “Delayed Dating” and is described in detail in NCSLI LM-19 Implementation of a Delayed Dating Approach to Calibration (www.ncsli.org). It is used effectively by many leading organizations to control calibration costs.
Do Calibrated Products require special storage?
In order to use the Date Put Into Service, the Mitutoyo products must remain in their original packaging and be stored in an environment between 15°F and 140°F.
Can I use a “Date Put Into Service” for all my measuring equipment?
Delayed dating can only be used in certain circumstances based on either manufacturer recommendations or on historical results observed by an organization. Delayed dating works for Mitutoyo products due to the high quality of the products.
Does the calibration certificate include the date of calibration?
Accredited calibration certificates always include the date the item was calibrated. The Date Put Into Service is in addition to the calibration date.
Is there a limit on the time between the date of calibration and the date put into service?
In theory, most Mitutoyo products can be stored with a valid calibration for 10 years or more prior to being put into service; however, the following limits are recommended:
- 5 years for small measuring tools (e.g. micrometers, calipers, and indicators)
- 3 years for major measuring instruments (e.g. laser scan micrometers and linear height gages)
- 3 years for gage blocks and other reference standards
- 1 year for Grade 00 gage blocks
What is the recommended calibration interval for my Mitutoyo products?
In accordance to all modern quality systems, the calibration interval must be determined by the end user based on the historical performance of the measuring equipment; however, the initial calibration interval can be based on manufacturer recommendations. Many Mitutoyo customers find that a 1-year interval is sufficient. Under heavy use, or in certain industries, calibration intervals may need to be reduced to 6-months or 3-months. Under light use, or when carefully maintained, the calibration interval could potentially be extended to 18 or 24 months or longer. Industrial specific quality requirements may dictate calibration intervals.
What is the value of an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited calibration certificate?
There is a reason many industrial supply chains require accredited calibrations. Accreditation requires independent technical audits of all aspects of the management and quality system of a calibration lab. Accreditation is also the best method to ensure traceability of your measurements. Some manufacturers of measuring equipment state their products are certified or include certificates of traceability to NIST or they just include a manufacturer certificate. None of those certificates have the same level of authority and respect as an accredited calibration certificate.