INSTRUMENT CALIBRATION AND QUALIFICATION

All analysts need to be able to obtain the correct test result and proof that their results are correct and fit for purpose. Reagecon are committed to ensuring that our customers can achieve these goals. One of the fundamental components of our program to meet these goals is our extensive Instrument Calibration & Qualification Service.

Instrument Calibration

Our Calibration Service covers a comprehensive list of analytical instruments, including all makes and models of electrochemistry instruments currently used for laboratory, field and on-line analysis. This means that Reagecon can provide a one-stop service for instrument calibration.

To have full confidence in your analytical measurements it is essential that you can demonstrate that each component of the measuring system is functioning to specification. Reagecon’s Technical Services Department have developed a calibration service that meets all of these requirements. This service comprises:

• Use of certified, traceable electrical simulators and standards to verify that the meter is processing input signals correctly.
• Comparison of the temperature probes performance with a certified reference thermometer.
• Calibration of the sensor using certified, traceable standards.
• Verification of the correct performance of the sensor using certified, traceable control standards. The values of the control standards used can be selected to reflect your typical measurement ranges.

Instrument calibration should be performed at least once a year; but for critical applications, a greater calibration frequency will be required to provide the required confidence in the analytical measurements.

Instrument Qualification

To have proven confidence in analytical measurements, each component that contributes to the overall quality of the result must be identified and quantified. Instrument Qualification is a fully documented process that demonstrates that the measuring instrument is working correctly and hence does not have a detrimental effect on the quality of the analytical results.
Reagecon’s Technical Services Department are qualified to perform Installation Qualification on an extensive range of instrumentation systems. This service consists of 3 components:

• Installation Qualification (IQ) - all of the instrumentation components are identified and checked against the manufacturer’s component listing.
• Operation Qualification (OQ) – each of the instrument’s function are checked to ensure that they conform to the manufacturer’s specifications.
• Performance Qualification (PQ) – the performance of the instrument for its routine analytical use is checked to ensure that this complies with its specification.

Instrument Qualification should not be viewed as a one-off event – confidence in analytical results is required for the whole of the instrument’s working life. To ensure that this confidence is retained, the instrument qualification process should be repeated at regular intervals during the instruments operational life.

Reagecon offer a Re-Qualification service that meets these requirements. The difference between our Installation Qualification and Re-Qualification services is that IQ is omitted for the Re-Qualification service. Re-Qualification should be performed at least annually and should be performed more frequently for applications whose test results have critical implications.