Understanding the importance of tool calibration

To help operators understand the importance of calibration, the experts at Chicago Pneumatic have published a new blog on their website: ‘Tools calibration: why is it important?’

Eva Marie, Global Brand Communications Manager for Chicago Pneumatic, stated: “Measuring accurately in tightening jobs is crucial to efficiency, productivity and the health and safety of the tool operators and end-users, and calibration is essential to maintain tool’s accuracy and repeatability over time. It’s an area that can often be overlooked, but an important one never-the-less, so we offer free advice and support to our customers to help them make sure they fully understand how to get the best results from their tools.”

The blog defines calibration and explores why it is so important. It explains the basic principles of calibration and how it should be performed, as well as showing an example of how the torque of a BlueTork nutrunner, which is used to tighten the bolts on truck wheels, can vary over a few years under normal operating conditions.

There is no standard that outlines how often calibration should be carried out, as it depends on several factors including the use of the tool and the environment. The blog concludes with four points to consider when determining the calibration period and frequency.

Marie continued: “Ultimately, it is up to the maintenance manager to specify a reasonable calibration interval as they understand their job and the tools’ application better than anyone else, and our experts are always on hand to help. Calibration may need to be carried out as often as daily, or as little as yearly; for example, manual torque wrench calibration is recommended once a year or every 5,000 cycles, whichever comes first.”