Service Form
When: |
August 25-28, 2008 |
Where: |
ORNL Metrology Laboratory Building 5510A |
Who: |
Calibrate, Inc. Technician |
What: |
Single- and Multi-channel Pipette Calibrations |
A
Calibrate, Incorporated technician will be available to
calibrate single– and multi-channel pipettes on-site in
the Metrology laboratory (in building 5510A) on August 25
- 28, 2008 for the ORNL community. The Quality Systems
and Services Division’s Metrology Laboratory is
coordinating this service to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of the pipette calibration program at
ORNL. This is program event is the result of a
successful pilot campaign that occurred in August.
Calibrate, Incorporated offers four distinct levels of
service for the repair and calibration of pipettes. The
table below summarizes the various levels of service and
what each level includes:
Features |
Level I |
Level II |
Level III |
Level IV |
New
Seals, Clean, Grease Pipette |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Functional Check |
X |
X |
X |
X |
Documentation |
Invoice Only Listing S/N's |
X |
|
|
|
Single Cal Certificate for Lot |
|
X |
|
|
Individual, Accredited Cal Report |
|
|
X |
X |
"As-Left" Data |
|
|
X |
X |
"As-Found" Data |
|
|
|
X |
cGMP
and GLP Compliance |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
|
|
Price per Pipette |
|
|
|
|
Single Channel |
$19.00 |
$22.00 |
$29.00 |
$34.00 |
8-Channel |
$29.00 |
$32.00 |
$39.00 |
$44.00 |
12-Channel |
$34.00 |
$34.00 |
$44.00 |
$54.00 |
Not
sure which level of service you need to ensure the
integrity of your research work? The Metrology
Laboratory will be happy to assist you in making that
critical decision.
Level I service is basically a rebuild and
functional check of your pipette, even though Calibrate,
Incorporated calls it a “calibration”. The
“calibration” portion of the Level I service includes
three tests at approximately maximum pipette capacity
and three tests at a single dispensing point near the
bottom end of the range. This “calibration” does not
meet the requirements for Calibrate’s accreditation
scope as endorsed by the American Association of
Laboratory Accreditations (A2LA). Level I service does
not include a calibration certificate nor does it
provide you with a calibration sticker on the pipette
(it does include a sticker which lists the “service”
date. There are no certified tolerances assigned to
pipettes calibrated in Level I. Level I service should
only be utilized if you are independently calibrating
your pipette elsewhere or performing a calibration
yourself prior to use using an acceptable procedure.
Pipettes “calibrated” using the Level I service should
be used only for dispensing when the dispensed
quantities are independently verified using another
technique.
Level II Service provides
all the services listed in level I plus a calibration
certification for the entire lot of pipettes which
states that the pipettes will, at the time of
calibration, perform to a stated set of tolerances.
The entire lot of pipettes will be listed on the
certificate by manufacturer, serial number and size. No
data will be reported. The level II service is not
accredited as a part of Calibrate, Incorporated’s A2LA
accreditation scope.
Level III Service provides all the
services of Level I plus it provides an A2LA accredited
calibration of each pipette after the pipette is
serviced. The calibration results are documented in a
calibration report meeting the requirements of ISO
standard 17025 with the report bearing the A2LA logo.
The calibration includes tests at several volumes over
the range of the pipette and consists of multiple tests
at each volume to provide a statistically-derived
uncertainty of each volume of the pipette. The data is
corrected for environmental conditions at the time of
the calibration. It should be noted that the
calibration occurs after the pipette is serviced
(“AS-LEFT” Data) and that no data is taken prior to the
servicing of the pipette; therefore, there is no
indication of the performance of the pipette prior to
the servicing. This provides no indication of the
performance of the pipette during routine usage during
the period immediately following the last calibration up
to the most recent calibration.
Level IV Service provides all the
services of Level III plus it provides an
A2LA-accredited calibration of the pipette prior to its
servicing. This “AS-FOUND” calibration provides an
indication of the performance of the pipette since its
last calibration. This indication can ensure that the
measurements made during its previous calibration
interval were within tolerances established for the
pipette or, if the pipette performed out-of-tolerance,
provides valuable tools for determining the impact of
the measurement deviations on the experiments for which
it was used.
Important Definitions
ISO
Standard 17025—
A standard developed by the ISO (International Standards
Organization) and by the IEC (International
Electrotechnical Commission) to govern the operations of
calibration and testing laboratories. This standard’s
purpose is to ensure the competency of a laboratory to
perform calibration and testing services for the
international community. The standard includes a
comprehensive set of requirements addressing the
management (quality) systems and technical requirements
for ensuring that a laboratory is competent to perform
testing and calibration services within their scope of
accreditation.
A2LA-Accreditation—The
American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (or
A2LA) is a accreditation body which performs assessments
of calibration laboratories to ensure compliance with
International Standards Organization’s (ISO) standard
17025. Additionally, laboratories compliant with the
requirements of ISO standard 17025 are also compliant
with the requirements of ISO standard 9001. A2LA is an
internationally-respected accrediting organization whose
accreditations are recognized world wide. Accreditation
by A2LA requires a rigorous on-site assessment of the
management (quality) systems, technical capabilities,
technician training, laboratory environments, business
systems and shipping and handling capabilities to ensure
the integrity of the calibrations performed and results
reported for those calibrations. Equipment calibrated
by an A2LA-accredited calibration laboratory is
recognized internationally as having the capability,
when used properly, of producing data which is
traceable, through a national laboratory, to the System
International systems (Le Système international
d'unités) of units. For additional information
regarding A2LA, please visit their web site at http://www.a2la.org/.
“AS-LEFT” Data—
Data taken immediately after a device has been repaired
and/or calibration adjustments have been made. This
data is an indication of the performance of a device
immediately following its calibration and can not be
used to ensure that the device will remain within its
performance specifications until the next calibration.
“AS-FOUND” Data—
Data taken from a device in its “as-received” condition
at the calibration laboratory. This data is taken prior
to any repair or adjustments to the device beyond what
would be normally performed in its actual usage (eg,
some devices in actual usage may require adjustment of
the zero prior to making a measurement, etc.).
“AS-FOUND” data is useful to demonstrate that a device
performed within specified limits during the period
immediately following its last calibration up until the
time the “AS-FOUND” data was taken. The data can also
be used to determine the impact of any measurements made
using the device should it be determined to be
performing out-of-tolerance during the “AS-FOUND”
test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: For my specific application, which service
level should I obtain for the calibration of my
pipettes?
Answer: Level I
and II services should only be used where you have a
program in place to independently verify the performance
of the pipette prior to each use or for those
applications where convenience dispensing of liquid
materials is being performed with no requirement for
accurately measuring the quantity dispensed. Level III
services should only be used when a pipette requires
repair and you wish to ensure that it is performing
properly following its repair. Level III services
cannot provide any assurance that the measurements made
using the pipette remain within specification limits
during its calibration interval. Level IV services
should be used when you require traceable measurements
which will be accepted both nationally and
internationally and for which you require assurance that
the measurement made with the pipette are within
specification limits during the entire calibration
interval.
Question: How much will the servicing and calibration
of my pipettes cost me in this campaign?
Answer: The cost
for servicing and calibrating your pipette will be as
shown in the above table. There will be no additional
charge levied against your account for any services
provided by the ORNL Metrology Laboratory.
Question: How do I get my pipettes calibrated in this
campaign?
Answer: First of
all, you need to determine which level of service you
need for your pipettes. Then, you can bring your
pipettes, along with a valid charge number, to the
Metrology Laboratory in building 5510A between the hours
of 7am and 3:30pm any time the week of August 21st (or
before). They will be calibrated to your requirements
and made available for pickup later in that week. You
will be notified when your pipettes are calibrated and
ready for pickup via e-mail. When you bring your
pipettes to the Metrology Laboratory, Metrology
Laboratory personnel will be available to answer any
questions you have and provide a brief tour of the
Metrology Laboratory and discuss its capabilities and
services it provides to the ORNL community.
Should
you be unable to bring your pipettes to the Metrology
Laboratory, Laboratory personnel will be available to
pick up your pipettes and safely transport them to the
laboratory for servicing and calibration. Following the
calibration, Laboratory personnel will transport them
back to you along with documentation per the service
level you have selected. For questions concerning
pickup/delivery please call Katherine Sellers (241-4406) or e-mail Katherine at
sellerska@ORNL.gov.
Question: Do I need to do anything special to my
pipettes prior to bringing/sending them to the Metrology
Laboratory for calibration?
Answer: Prior to
bringing/sending your pipettes to the Metrology
Laboratory, you should ensure that they are free from
any hazardous materials. This includes
hazardous/reactive materials, radioactive materials,
bio-hazardous materials, etc. Pipettes located in rad
areas should be surveyed by Health Physics prior to
being brought/sent to the Metrology Laboratory. Of
course, prior to bringing/sending the pipettes to the
Metrology Laboratory you should look around their
storage location to ensure that all parts of the pipette
are brought/sent.
Question: My pipette needs repairs beyond what is
mentioned in the standard service levels. Are the
additional repairs going to be available during the
campaign?
Answer: The
Calibrate technician will have parts available to
perform additional repairs on your pipette. Those
repairs will be charged at Calibrate’s standard repair
rates and will be billed to the account number provided
with the pipette. If desired, you can be notified of
and approve the estimated repair cost prior to their
performing any actual repair.
Question: How will I know when its time to service and
calibrate my pipettes again?
Answer: Metrology Laboratory personnel will contact you to
discuss the recommended time between servicing and
calibration of your pipettes. With your approval and at
no cost to your organization, the Metrology Laboratory
will enter your pipettes into its calibration tracking
database. This database will monitor the calibration
status of your pipettes and advise you via e-mail when
they are due for servicing/calibration based on the
calibration interval determined during the above
discussions. This will ensure that the pipettes
continue to perform within specifications and relieve
you of the responsibility of remembering to have your
pipettes serviced/calibrated so that you can focus your
attention on your research/analytical experiments.
Questions: Will this service be offered again in the
future?
Answer: Plans
are for this service to be offered periodically as
necessary to maintain ORNL’s pipette performance to meet
the needs of the research community, provided there is
sufficient participation. The actual interval between
campaigns will be determined after discussions with
users to determine the acceptable calibration intervals
based on the pipette usage, accuracy requirements, etc.
For
questions concerning the pipette calibration campaign,
please contact any of the following Metrology Laboratory
staff members:
Mike
Duncan, Manager ORNL Metrology Laboratory 574-7349,
e-mail: duncanml@ornl.gov
Bill
Wright, Metrology Laboratory Technical Manager,
574-7249,
e-mail: wrightwe@ornl/gov
Greg
Strickland, Metrology Laboratory Operations Manager,
241-4403,
e-mail: stricklandga@ornl.gov
“Ensuring Scientific Integrity through excellence in
measurements”
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