How Does Calibration Work for Rental Sensors?

How often are rental accelerometers calibrated? ANSI/ISO/IEC 17025:2000 states that the end user (the renter) is responsible to determine the appropriate calibration interval by considering the requirements of their own quality system. With this in mind, most rental equipment, including accelerometers, are shipped with calibration certificates that specify a “calibrated on” date, but leave the “calibration due” date blank.

Many times, organizations determine that the answer to “How often should I calibrate this sensor?” is yearly. When rentals are shipped, the team considers the customer’s expected return date when selecting equipment so that the calibrated on date will be within the past year when the equipment is returned. For example, if the rental period is 3 months, the last time the equipment will have been calibrated is within the past 9 months.

In general, rental accelerometer calibration is NIST traceable and ISO 17025/A2LA accredited from at least 10 Hz to upper 5% point (TMS: MCS-A001 or PCB: ACS-1). Calibration to additional standards (e.g. Z540 or specific FAA requirements) may be available, and there may be an additional charge for these services.