Calibration control
When an instrument goes to site past its calibration date
Out-of-calibration instruments reach site because the calibration list and the issue counter live apart. Track each flaw detector, probe, yoke, meter and reference block by serial number with its certificate and due date, warn the planner when a lapsed unit is assigned, and filter timesheets by serial to trace the jobs it touched.
Instruments and reference blocks with their calibration window. Overdue items raise a warning when someone assigns them to a job.
- Overdue: UT thickness gauge, UV-A lamp.
- Due soon: Phased array unit, Electromagnetic yoke.
- Assigning an overdue instrument to a job raises a warning until the new calibration certificate is attached.
Panels in the preview: Certifications, Calibration, Reports, Jobs, Sales & cash. Names and statuses are sample data.
How lapsed instruments end up on inspection jobs
Calibration rarely fails in the lab. It fails at the issue counter. The equipment coordinator keeps a calibration list, the storeman hands out kit from the shelf, and the crew leader grabs a spare thickness gauge from the truck on the way out. If the list and the shelf are not the same record, a flaw detector with a lapsed certificate leaves the building looking exactly like one that is current.
The gaps multiply with the inventory. Probes and wedges get swapped between kits. UV-A meters, light meters and densitometers carry certificates nobody thinks about until a PT or RT auditor asks. Calibration blocks and step wedges are treated as furniture. Rented units arrive with paperwork that goes into an inbox, and a conditional result with a range limitation is noted on a PDF that nobody re-reads.
Then the question arrives from a client or a third-party inspector: show me that this serial was within calibration on the date of this report, and who calibrated it. If answering means opening email threads and asking technicians what they carried, the problem is not the lab. It is that the instrument's history is not kept in one place.
Sticker checks at the gate
The client's inspector spots an expired label on site before your own office does, and the crew waits while a replacement is found.
Certificates in inboxes
Calibration certificates arrive by email from the lab and get filed wherever the recipient happens to put them.
Ancillary kit forgotten
Light meters, UV-A meters, densitometers and reference blocks are missed because the tracker only lists the expensive instruments.
Unknown holder
Nobody can say for certain who has a given gauge or which job it was on last week, so recalls depend on phone calls.
Conditional results ignored
An instrument that passed with a range limitation is issued for work outside that range because the limitation never left the certificate.
The bill for a report built on a lapsed instrument
Re-inspection at your expense
Results produced with an out-of-calibration instrument may have to be withdrawn and the work repeated, usually without the client paying for the second visit.
Lost site time
A crew stood down at the gate while a calibrated unit is couriered in burns paid time and the client's patience together.
Audit exposure
Calibration traceability is among the first things a quality auditor samples. An expired or missing certificate behind a signed report is a finding, not an oversight.
Credibility with the client's inspector
Third-party and authorised inspectors remember the contractor whose kit failed the check, and they look harder at the next job.
Give every serial number its own calibration history
The Asset Management app keeps one record per serialised item: type, asset tag, firmware, accessories, current holder, condition and lifecycle stage such as active, in calibration or in repair. Each record carries a calibration frequency and status. Every calibration event is logged with the provider, certificate number, standard used, range, stated uncertainty, whether the lab is accredited, the result, including conditional passes, and the next due date.
A certificate register stores each PDF with the lab's accreditation number and a valid, expiring or expired status, and calibration alerts reach the equipment coordinator with your own recipients, look-ahead and resend settings. When a planner assigns a serial to a job in Team Assignments, a lapsed calibration produces a warning before mobilisation. Issue and return run through supervisor and manager approval, with condition recorded at both ends, so you always know who had what.
Be clear about the limits. The system warns; it does not physically stop someone lifting a gauge off a shelf, and it does not decide whether past results stand. If an instrument is later found out of tolerance, filtering timesheet lines by its serial lists the jobs and reports it touched, and your Level III and procedures decide what has to be re-examined.
Register the whole pool
Import the equipment list by serial, including probes, wedges, meters, calibration blocks and step wedges, not just the headline instruments.
Load certificates and due dates
Attach each current calibration certificate with lab details and next due date, so status and alerts are right from the first day.
Issue against approval
Kit leaves the store on an approved issue request with its condition recorded, and comes back the same way.
Warn at planning time
Team Assignments flags an assigned serial whose calibration has lapsed while there is still time to swap it or send it to the lab.
Trace when tolerance fails
Filter timesheet lines by serial to list every job an instrument worked on since its last acceptable calibration.
Before and after
| Without a system | With Atlantis NDT |
|---|---|
| Calibration list on one laptop, kit on a different shelf. | One serial record holding status, holder and certificate together. |
| Lab certificates scattered across email threads. | A certificate register with the PDF, lab accreditation number and status. |
| A lapsed unit discovered by the client at the gate. | A warning shown to the planner when the serial is assigned. |
| An out-of-tolerance finding followed by guesswork. | A timesheet filter by serial that lists the affected jobs. |
The modules doing the work
Each module is part of the same platform, so a certification, an instrument, a job and a report are linked records rather than files in different places.
- Asset Management
Serial register with calibration events, certificate register, issue and return approvals, reservations and movement history.
- Team Assignments
Blocks double-booking of a serial and warns when an assigned instrument is out of calibration.
- Timesheets
Records the equipment serial on each line, giving per-job usage evidence for traceability and billing.
- Purchase
Types calibration labs as vendors with accreditation details and links order lines to the serial being sent.
Questions owners ask
What should we do if an instrument is found out of calibration after use?
Identify every job it was used on since its last acceptable calibration, then let your procedures and Level III decide which results need review. Recording the serial on each timesheet line is what makes that list quick to produce.
Does the software stop a lapsed instrument going out?
It makes it hard to happen by accident: status sits on the record, alerts go out ahead of the due date and Team Assignments warns the planner. The final check still belongs to your people and procedures.
Can we track calibration blocks and reference standards?
Yes. Any serialised item can carry a calibration frequency and certificate history, including reference blocks, step wedges, light meters, UV-A meters and densitometers.
Is this integrity software for our clients' plant?
No. It manages the instruments and accessories your company owns or rents. Your clients' vessels, piping and tanks belong in their own integrity systems.
How do we see it with our own kit?
Bring your current equipment spreadsheet to a demo and we will show how it maps onto serial records. Pricing is quote on request.
See it on your own records
Bring a sample of your certifications, equipment list or reports and we will show the workflow configured to how your company runs. Demo on request.
Speak to an ASNT NDT Level III
Discuss your inspection requirements with Atlantis NDT. Include the asset, method, location and documents you need reviewed.