Having spent a lot of money on your new Memmert chamber, it is important to have it regularly checked to ensure it is operating within the tolerances you need. For equipment of this type it is recommended that they are independently calibrated on an annual basis. So what are the options and what do they do?
Single point calibration
The most common approach will be to calibrate the chamber at its centre. This is done by placing a calibration probe in the centre of the chamber and comparing the temperature reading of the probe to that of the chambers display. Adjustments can then be made to the display and using this method, the chamber can be calibrated to get as close to your stated tolerance as possible.
Whilst this method gives you a good confidence that the chamber is performing at its centre, it does not tell you how the chamber is performing overall. For this you need to use multiple points.
Multiple point temperature mapping
If you need to understand how the chamber is performing overall, then the chamber can be mapped at up to 27 positions covering the top, middle and bottom of the chamber interior. With this method of mapping we recommend taking at least 60 readings (at a rate of 1 per minute) at each of the 27 positions. This is then used to calculate an average overall temperature at each point. Adjustments to the chamber which will even out heat distribution can be made in three ways:
- By mapping the chamber based on the target temperature at the centre
- By adjusting the centre temperature so that the whole chamber is within a temperature tolerance band
- By adjusting the balance to increase or decrease heat at the bottom of the chamber
In all instances, the chamber must be allowed to settle before and after each adjustment is made.
You can now purchase both the single point and multi-point calibration options online. If you would like to discuss your particular servicing requirements please contact our customer support team at sales@camlab.co.uk
