Calibration laboratories for Master Calibrator’s i.e. Gauges are used to calibrate Vernier calipers instruments. These laboratories must be certified from Accreditation Bodies that has to be traceable with national metrology institute of country. Therefore National Metrology Institute for sixteen countries are discussed along with recognized Accreditation Bodies that can authorize laboratories to calibrate gauge blocks which are used for calibration of Vernier calipers, micrometers and other measuring instruments.
Proper calibration of vernier calipers and other precision measuring instruments is a necessary process for both users and manufacturers who must carry out calibration in multiple parts of the world. This is important to ensure the accuracy of the instruments is uniform throughout the world and can be traced to the national accreditation body of the respective country or region via the calibration laboratories. The 16 National Metrology Institutes and their respective Accreditation bodies are discussed below:
NMIJ-Japan:
The National Metrology Institute of Japan is the country’s authority on measuring standards. It comprises of a well defined structure composed of four research institutes, a quality management center and research promotion division which work together to circulate and regulate measuring standards globally. The accreditation body associated with them is JCSS.
SPRING:
SPRING is the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board based in Singapore and it is the metrology institute not only for Singapore but also for Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia. Its associated accreditation body is SAC-SINGLAS which was established in 1986 and aims to provide quality assurance for Singapores industries to help them compete worldwide.
SIRIM Berhad-Malaysia:
SIRIM Berhad was formed in 1996 as Malaysia’s national standards and quality organization. Its original name was Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia. It is a government body which not only develops and enforces standards but also carries out industrial research and works on public and industrial health and safety enhancement. The accreditation body working under it is the Department of Standards Malaysia (JSM).
NML-Taiwan:
The National Measurement Laboratory of Taiwan was established in 1987 and has been providing measurement standards in all aspects of industril technology. To date they have established national standards in 15 fields including Temperature, Length, Viscosity and others. It is a well reputed organization which is an active member of BIPM’s inter regional comparison programs as well. The accreditation body of NML is CNLA.
NPL-India:
The National Physical Laboratory is India’s national metrology institute created in 1947 to enhance the development of Indian industries. The organization aims to establish and improve the national standards of India and also carries out research in the field of physics as needed by the industries. The accreditation body associated with NPL is NABL, the national accreditation board for testing and calibration.
NIST-USA:
NIST is the abbreviation for National Institute of Standards and Technology which is the national metrology institute of USA. NIST consists of six laboratories which carry out metrology research in multiple fields and have been responsible for producing more than 1300 Standard reference Materials. The accreditation body of USA is A2LA which is a private body providing accreditation services to all kinds of American industries.
NRC-Measurement Science and Standards-Canada:
The NRC is the National Research Council of Canada which is a Canadian government body responsible for a large portion of research and scientific development in the country. The NRC Measurement Science and Standards is a part of this body and serves as the metrology institute of Canada. The accreditation body of Canada CLAS is also a part of the NRC. The Standards Council of Canada is also jointly responsible for offering accreditation to laboratories in the country.
CENAM-Mexico:
Mexico’s national metrology institute is the Centro Nacional de Metrologia (CENAM) which was formed in 1992 as the national reference laboratory for measurements. It is responsible for the development and distribution of reference materials in the country as well as metrology research in Electrical, Physical, Mechanical and Material engineering. The organization responsible for accrediting laboratories and facilities with these standards is the Entidad Mexicana de Acreditacion (EMA).
NPL-UK:
The National Physical Laboratory is UK’s national metrology institute with an experience of more than a hundred years. It is responsible for developing UK’s primary standards and also carries out research in a vast number of disciplines in its purpose built facilities which contain 388 cutting edge metrology laboratories. The national accreditation body for UK is the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) which is a government sanctioned organization which is responsible for checking organisations offering calibration and testing services.
NMi-Netherlands:
The National Measurements Institute is Netherlands leading organization for metrology. It is an independent body which is involved in testing and certification in various fields like utility measurement, oil and gas, industrial measurements and even online commerce and gaming. NMi is accredited by the Dutch Accreditation Authority (RvA) as a testing, inspecting and certification body according to ISO and IEC 17025 standards.
PTB-Germany:
The German national metrology institute is the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstaalt (PTB) which is a government controlled organisation and one of the most reputed metrology institutes of the world. It is involved in high level research regarding the fundamental units of measurements such as the Avogadro constant and the Kevin Boltzmann constant.
Additionally it is also responsible for keeping the official time for Germany thanks to its very precise atomic clocks. Its efforts are supplemented by DAkks, the national accreditation body.
METAS-Switzerland:
METAS is the Federal Institute of Metrology of Switzerland. It is the national metrology institute and the highest authority in the country regarding measurements and calibrations of all kind. METAS has a vast area of expertise ranging from weight, power and acoustics to nano technology. Its authority is further imposed through the Swiss Accreditation body SECO which is responsible for issuing certifications to laboratories according to their standards.
INRiM-Italy:
The national metrology institute of Italy is composed of two former institutes, the National Electrotechnical Institute (IEN) and the Institute of Metrology (IMG). The institute has thus become the frontier for scientific metrological research in Italy and is involved in research in measurement science, material science, nanotechnology and innovative fields like quantum information and artificial vision. Italy’s national accreditation body is Accredia which is also an amalgamation of older institutes like SIT-INRIM, SINAL and SINCERT.
SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden:
The SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden is the top research organisation of Sweden comprising of eight different companies joined into one. The institute carries out research in multiple departments including bioscience, structural and solid mechanics, environment safety, chemistry and Measurement and Calibration sciences. Its work is complemented by the Accreditation body of Sweden SWEDAC which makes sure the industries operate within the standards defined by SP.
INMETRO-Brazil:
INMETRO is the abbreviation of the National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology, which is the premier metrology institution of Brazil. INMETRO aims to improve the quality of Brazilian goods and industries. It works to implement the metrology policies which are set by Conmetro the National Council of Metrology. What makes Inmetro a complete authority is that they also have accreditation powers in Brazil.
INTI-Argentina:
The National metrology institute of Argentina is represented by the Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia Industrial (INTI) which comprises of a number of departments and offers technical expertise in metrology and other areas like network management and Automotive regulations. The institute is in growth phase and is expanding its fields of expertise to include electrical, dimensional, food and petroleum quality inspection and research.
