You would have noticed that the latest standards and technologies used by devices under test require extremely higher levels of accuracy than a decade ago. Since modern calibration equipment needs to test and maintain these high levels of standards for test equipment that are already extremely accurate and precise, these need 
to deliver performance many times greater than the equipment being tested. Adith Vishwa, manager – repair and calibration, Rohde and Schwarz, explains, “Equipment required for calibration has to be up to four times better that original equipment.”
“Calibration equipment is the ideal instrument preserved under standard ambient conditions in labs,” says Abhijit Shah, assistant manager – service and calibration, Testo India Pvt Ltd.
Comparing this with regular measurement instruments, “These experience several shocks and drifts in atmospheric aspects, as these are carried to several locations with different conditions,” he adds.
Since calibration instruments are kept in their ideal state, these are more accurate and precise as compared to measurement equipment. Vishwa adds, “Standard has to be maintained in these equipment, hence these are kept under stable environments.”
T&M riding the smart wave
Other than maintaining optimum temperatures for highly sensitive calibration-standard equipment, these are now becoming smart devices, too. Hiren Thaker, head – service, Rohde and Schwarz, explains, “The devices are now becoming intelligent.” This is most certainly a welcome step towards the smart wave. “Equipment today have features for self-test and calibration,” he adds.
This also makes the equipment interesting, as once the measurement begins to waver from the actual value, the device would either give an alarm so that proper measures can be taken, or self-calibration would bring the measured value close to the actual value.
Featuring safety. At a primary level during the development stage precautions should be taken to make the instrument more robust and resilient, so that it can resist external impacts and the sensors can also be kept safe.
Protection caps (plastic or metal, depending on equipment and requirement) are also incorporated in calibrators to ensure safety during measurement. “Avoiding human interface with proper coating ensures that the body is rugged and reliable,” explains Shah. “These equipment are now more rugged compared to before,” adds Vishwa.
