Temperature Calibrators: Why They Are a Worthwhile Investment
There are generally two ways of calibrating temperature sensors.
You either give the temperature sensors to an external calibration service provider, who completes the calibration, or you invest in your own temperature calibrator and perform the calibrations yourself. But what is the best and most cost-effective solution for your individual calibration requirements? This is the question that we will try to answer in this blog post.
If you have only a few temperature sensors to calibrate, it may initially seem more cost-effective to have this done by a calibration service provider.
However, if you have more than just a few sensors, investing in your own temperature calibrator is likely to be the more economical option. You can use this Temperature calibrator cost-effectiveness calculator to establish how soon you will recoup the cost of acquiring your own calibrator for your specific requirements
Let’s consider a simplified example of a calculation for a set of temperature sensors:
You have ten temperature sensors to calibrate every year. For each sensor, your costs will amount to €180 (€150 for the external calibration and €30 for the handling costs).
Your outlay will therefore total approximately €1800 per year.
In our example, buying your own temperature calibrator would cost €3500. The cost of each calibration is €50. This results in a saving of €130 per calibration. In our example, the costs of buying the calibrator will pay off in just two and a half years. Assuming each calibrator lasts for 10 years, you will benefit from a huge cost saving in comparison to the external calibration option – even with just 10 sensors.
In addition to the economic advantages, investing in your own temperature calibrator offers further benefits. For instance, the duration of the calibration is limited to the calibration itself plus the removal and installation of the sensor. In the case of external calibration, the shipping times and waiting times at the service provider must also be included. The downtime of the sensor to be calibrated is therefore significantly shorter. Calibrations and quick checks can also be carried out at short notice.
Some sensors also have to be calibrated in the system or during the process. This means that they can’t be completely removed. In such cases, you can carry out the calibration on-site using your own mobile calibrator, while a service provider would have to visit your company to perform the calibration.
The following recommendation has been proven in practice: If sensors are easy to calibrate (temperature sensors, pressure sensors and electrical inputs), you are best to perform the calibration yourself. Sensors that require special calibration equipment, however, should be calibrated externally.
Take advantage of our cost-effectiveness calculator, and you will be surprised at how quickly you can recoup the cost of buying your own temperature calibrator.
