Calibration and Repairs

We can calibrate new & existing equipment for you.

Driving compliance

Our state of the art, in-house UKAS accredited calibration laboratory provides Standard (RS), or UKAS accredited (BS EN ISO 9001:2008 & ISO/IEC 17025:2005) calibration on many instruments.

Calibration from new

We calibrate many of our instruments from new. To buy a calibrated instrument, simply order the RSCAL or UKAS version as required and we will calibrate it for you before dispatch. Please allow an extra 2-3 working days for delivery.

Our calibration service gives you:

• Collection from your local RS Trade Counter
• A reliable and high standard service
• UKAS accredited technical expertise
• Equipment and certificate delivered to your specified location

Re-calibration

If you have a unit you wish to have re-calibrated, our dedicated team can help you with this.

What do I need to do?

• Contact our Customer Service Calibration team at RIECalibration@rs-components.com and request a quote for the recalibration of your unit
• Please provide us with the make and model number of the unit

Our Team will acknowledge your request and come back to you within 2 working days with your quotation.

What if I want to proceed with my quote?

• Just respond to the quote that our Customer Service Calibration team has sent you at RIECalibration@rs-components.com and they can process your re-calibration request.
• Send your items back to us at the below address. Please ensure this address is clearly marked on the parcel.

Calibration Department
Radionics Ltd
Glenview Industrial Estate
Herberton Road
Rialto
Dublin 12

Repair

RS may offer a repair service on some Test and Measurement units*

What do I need to do?

• Contact our Customer Service Calibration team at RIECalibration@rs-components.com and inform the team of the unit issue.
• Please provide us with the make and model number of the unit

Our team aims to respond to your request within 24 hours.

Please note repairs can take anywhere between 2-10 week for repair depending on the nature of the fault.

If your unit is under warranty, we must sent it to the manufacture to be inspected before replacing to ensure the fault is covered under the warranty.

What if I want to proceed with my repair?

• Just respond to our Customer Service team at RIECalibration@rs-components.com and they can process your re-calibration request.
• Send your items back to us at the below address. Please ensure this address is clearly marked on the parcel.

Calibration Department
Radionics Ltd
Glenview Industrial Estate
Herberton Road
Rialto
Dublin 12

*we only offer a repair service on specific units

Calibration FAQs

What is calibration?

Calibration is the process of comparing the accuracy of an instrument reading to known standards. The standards may be maintained by a national or international organisation.

What is UKAS?

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) is the sole national accreditation body recognised by government to assess, against internationally agreed standards, organisation that provide certification, testing, inspection and calibration services.

An organisation gaining UKAS accreditation has demonstrated its competence, impartiality and performance capability.

RS Calibration achieved UKAS accreditation in 1990. As a UKAS accredited laboratory the RS Calibration service is very closely monitored by UKAS to ensure that it is end-to-end compliant.

What is UKAS calibration?

When you request the UKAS level of service you will receive a certificate carrying the UKAS logo, recognised as the industry mark of quality.

This gives you confidence that the calibration has been carried out to the high standards required by UKAS and that all measurements can be traced back to UK national standards.

What is RS standard calibration?

When you request RS standard calibration, the measurements reported on the certificate are also carried out using equipment with values traceable to national standards. All procedures employed and results reported are in compliance with the requirements of the International Standard ISO/IEC 17025:2005.

Equipment calibrated to RS standard will gain an RS approved certificate.

What's the difference between UKAS and RS standard calibration?

From a technical perspective, there is no difference between UKAS and RS service levels. All calibration is carried out in the same laboratory by the same personnel using the same calibration procedures and equipment.

From an accountability perspective, many businesses require the UKAS endorsement in order to maintain compliance.

Can I get an electronic version of my calibration certificate?

Yes, RS Calibration can supply certificates electronically. Just request this when you order.

Why calibrate a new product?

There are four key reasons to calibrate from new:

• UKAS certification

Under UKAS rules, customers holding a UKAS certificate must have all new test and measurement equipment related to their service provision, calibrated to UKAS standard.

• ISO 9001:2008 requirement

Customers who are ISO 9001:2008 registered must have a traceable record of calibration for finished products. Calibrating new test and measurement equipment to a minimum of RS standard is recommended.

• Shelf life

Although, in general, new test and measurement products are accurate when leaving the manufacturer, they may have been stored or in transit for some time before being sold, which could affect accuracy of readings. Calibration of the new product is therefore recommended.

• Benchmarking

Calibration when new gives a benchmark against which to gauge future performance.

Why is regular calibration important?

Over time, instrument readings may change. Reasons for this include wear and tear or exposure to temperature variation. To test for accuracy, our technicians apply a variety of known values to the instrument and record the actual value displayed. Any variance is recorded on a calibration certificate. You can then interpret accurately the reading shown by referring to the certified information.

Regular calibration is essential to maintain compliance, whatever your industry.

Maintaining accuracy of test equipment will:
• Have legal implications in many businesses
• Reduce risk to health and safety
• Reduce costs associated with non-compliance and insurance claims
• Provide peace of mind for organisations with whom ultimate responsibility rests

Why is supplier selection important?

Over time, instrument readings may change. Reasons for this include wear and tear or exposure to temperature variation. To test for accuracy, our technicians apply a variety of known values to the instrument and record the actual value displayed. Any variance is recorded on a calibration certificate. You can then interpret accurately the reading shown by referring to the certified information.

Regular calibration is essential to maintain compliance, whatever your industry.

Maintaining accuracy of test equipment will:
• Have legal implications in many businesses
• Reduce risk to health and safety
• Reduce costs associated with non-compliance and insurance claims
• Provide peace of mind for organisations with whom ultimate responsibility rests

Why is supplier selection important?

Choosing RS Calibration as your UKAS accredited supplier ensures that you are making a confident and informed choice about the quality and reliability of the service you will receive. UKAS accreditation is an assurance to businesses that suppliers meet internationally recognised requirements for integrity and competence through conformity assessment.

RS Calibration has gained an enviable reputation for technical excellence in its field since becoming UKAS accredited. You can be confident that calibration of your equipment has been carried out to the high standards required and that all measurements can be traced back to UK national standards.

How long does calibration of new & existing equipment take?

Ordering a brand new calibrated unit can take up to 5 working days to be delivered, depending on stock availability.

Please note recalibration of a unit can take anywhere between 2-4 weeks to be processed.

To ensure we can calibrate your existing item please contact us first.

What are the risks of using non-accredited services?

There are companies who will provide calibration certificates for what appears to be a low cost and immediate solution. If these companies are not accredited by UKAS or cannot demonstrate that measurements are traceable to UK national standards, their certification will not always be widely accepted.

Risks may include:
• Rejection of tenders
• Loss of contracts
• Limited market access
• Damaged reputation
• Loss of market share
• Potential legal action
Certification generated by RS Calibration's UKAS accredited laboratory will demonstrate to your customers that your quality management is best in class and compliance has been maintained.

What is the RS Calibration address?

Calibration Department
RS Components
Glenview Industrial Estate
Herberton Road
Rialto
Dublin 12

What is SYSCAL?

A 'SYSCAL'is a SYStem CALibration, essentially it is a calibration which includes more than one item i.e. creates a system. In our case the system in question is that of a temperature indicator and the probe that will be used for the temperature measurement.

What is ILAC?

From February 2013 our UKAS calibration service will have a symbol alongside to demonstrate an international agreement for the acceptance of the quality of calibration performed. The laboratory is able to use this mark, as it is an approved ILAC signatory, approved by our national accredited signatory body, UKAS.

The International Laboratory Accreditation Co-operation (ILAC) was established with the aim of developing international co-operation for facilitating trade by promoting the acceptance of accredited test & calibration results around the world. The ILAC arrangement has developed a global network of accredited testing & calibration laboratories, which can be relied upon to provide accurate results.

The arrangement provides significant technical underpinning to international trade. Prior to the ILAC there had been no international mutual recognition agreement between accredited laboratories. As the accreditation of laboratories have to be assessed and recognised as competent by an ILAC signatory accreditation bodies, which in the United Kingdom is UKAS, a level of quality and proficiency has to be attained by all laboratories. All ILAC signatory bodies are in turn peer reviewed to show that they in turn meet ILAC's criteria for competence. This ensures that all accredited laboratories that meet their national accreditation bodies standards (which are signed up to the agreement) are all equivalent to each other. This enables global acceptance of test & calibration results worldwide, i.e. the calibration results performed in the UK are done to the same standards required by any other accreditation body within the ILAC agreement, making the results transferable to any of these markets, where previously they would have required re-testing.

Who is signed up to ILAC?

To date the list of accreditation bodies counties signed up to ILAC Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) are: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, People's Republic of China, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay and Vietnam. Therefore a calibration performed to a UKAS standard in the UK is transferable worldwide to the countries listed as equivalent to the calibration standards within that country, making them trusted and usable, without the need for re-testing.

What does this mean?

This service will aid our customers by calibrating their equipment to the required standards and clearly stating on the calibration certificates that the results are accepted within a global network.

Want to know more?
https://www.ilac.org/