The Science Behind Instrument Calibration Services

Instrument calibration services are a vital component in today's technology rich world. To learn more about what goes into the process behind an instrument calibration company, explore some of the enlightening information below.

What Exactly is Instrument "Calibration?"

Calibration is the comparison of measurements between a known scale system and another that's used to make the same measurement that is unknown. The device that shows the correct measurement is the standard device for measurement and any other device or instrument that, by opinion, is used to produce almost similar results under the circumstances is the test unit.

Calibration standards are different between countries depending on the industry standards set, or manufacturers, application of the device and the frequency of use of the calibration device. Calibration services are performed when: testing a new device, before taking critical measurements, when the results seem questionable, or in cases when equipment has been exposed to serious condition or shock waves. These instances can cause the device to have unreliable readings, making instrument calibration services vital.

How Calibration Works

The purpose of calibration is to evaluate and adjust the accuracy of a measuring instrument. Some times measuring instruments produce bias or exaggerated results due to errors in calibration. Calibration should be carried out once in a while depending on the instruments so as to ensure you get proper reliable data that can be used to make decisions.

In order to correct the error, you must have the standard reference with known values and get the measurements using the instrument in question and compare. You will notice the functional correlation between the figures that is normally least squares; you correct them by taking the inverse from the calibration curve.

Common Processes of Calibration Company

Calibration processes vary from one instrument to another; however, the general process among most is the same. The first step in calibration is taking the measurement of the test instrument. The instrument should be the correct size and measurement so as to fit in the calibration device. The results of the instruments are compared and a relationship is found. The calibrators, which are the known correct readings, are used to train the sample so that it can produce similar results.

Calibration uses at least a number of calibrators in order to check the accuracy of different points of the instruments. The best way to get the most desirable results is by using the calibrators from the manufacture. This will completely remove the errors. OQ International, a calibration services company in Illinois, offers a high level of expertise in a wide range of instrument calibration needs. In fact, OQ International as the set the standard among calibration companies throughout the world.

Instruments that Require Calibration

Calibration is used to correct the inaccuracies of pressure, temperature, electrical signals and many others. Digital thermometers require calibration when you begin to notice irregularities in the readings. For instance, if a thermometer has an error, three more other more thermometers used will reveal inconsistencies. In cases like these, the instrument should be taken to a lab for calibration and fixing.

Another instrument is the oscilloscope, this is a device used by engineering, science and medical industry to maintain special electrical equipment and lab work. They operate by observing electric signals and voltage over time that is displayed on a calibration graph.

Infrared pyrometers that is used to measure very high temperatures, are calibrated using the black box. The measurement of the pyrometer is noted and that of the black box and then the controls of the pyrometer is adjusted until the difference is zero.

If you like to learn more about instrument calibration services, visit OQInternational.com, a leading calibration service provider that offers both service and consulting programs.

Walz Scale: A World Leader in Mining Scale Solutions

When it comes to large-scale mining scales and industrial weighing solutions, Walz Scale is a global leader in manufacturing industrial weighing solutions and large scale mining scales. The company provides customized solutions to its clients from the mining industry in order to help them maximize production on their mining sites.

Walz Scale produces a large range of scale solutions, from weighbridge scales and loader scales, as well as software solutions to make the weighing more efficient such as payload management software or 3D load scanning software. The diverse weighing solutions provided by Walz Scale help reduce mining costs and increase productivity.

Walz Scale Truck Scales 

Unlike other manufacturers of weighing equipment that are specialized on a narrow range of products, Walz Scale produces custom weigh solutions for a diverse range of needs. The manufacturer customizes its service programs and products for specific requirements of the customers' project.

Walz Scale produces weighing solutions for rail, freight, trucking and retail operations, ranging from pallet scales for shipping or retail operations and floor scales to custom design truck scales for industrial or sale applications and large scale axle scales.

The mining scales and weighing solutions provided by Walz Scale can optimize the efficiency of any retail or industrial operation that demands accurate payload and weighing management. Onboard weighing solutions for mining equipment, heavy duty trucks and other machinery provide optimal output and efficiency because they are designed to measure weight directly on the equipment or vehicle itself.

Walz Mining Scales

Walz Scale stands out form other competitor providers of mining scales because it offers the possibility to integrate scale systems on a wide variety of equipments, from onboard rail scales to conveyor belt scales.

The standard features of the mining truck scales by Walz Scale are:

• Ultra Class Capacities Available
• Field Serviceable
• High Capacity Load Cells
• Redundant Load Cell Technology
• Waterproof Electronics
• Heavy Duty Design
• Portable Design
• Built-In Diagnostic Technologies

The Walz Scale permanent and portable mining scales allow effective management of the truck’s onboard payload scale systems in mining operations in order to deliver accurate weight measurements.

The customized mining scale solutions provided by the manufacturer help reduce operation costs, increase production and enable target payloads to be managed across the entire truck fleet.

Among some of the most popular mining scale solutions provided by Walz Scale are included:

• AXM Series – are mining scales that provide high performance and accurate weighing. The AXM Series is a heavy duty, high performance weighing solution that offers the advantage of requiring only a low maintenance.
• AXM-P Series – are onsite weighing solutions designed for super heavy-duty operations. They can be used with all type of mine site equipment, from shovel and drag line buckets to heavy duty mining trucks.
• AXW 45T Axle Scales - are portable axle scales designed to provide accurate weights for heavy-duty off-road vehicles. This wheel scale solution is suitable for applications that require weighing in off-road conditions and weighing large tires.

Walz Scale produces multiple configurations of mining scales in order to match customer’s fleet of haul trucks. Permanent and portable scales provided by Walz Scale are available to meet any specific site requirements. The advanced data collection and reporting functionality operates on wireless networks.

Tips to Safeguard Your Apple Computer from Viruses

Almost every discussion regarding the concept of security in Apple computers leads to a debate. It is important to understand that the debate does not arise from the manufacturer’s concern to protect products from any external threats, but an undertaking of "ethical" and "good" practice from the brand.

It is worth mentioning that Apple systems have witnessed few security issues. However, if you're a Apple computer user, there are a few ways you can safeguard you Mac for more sustainable and lasting performance.

Think You Mac is Invulnerable? 

According to industry experts, it would have been strange if high profile hackers had developed malware to affect the Apple computer platform. It would also have been awkward if Apple had developed some necessary measures to prevent the customers from being compromised. However, major advancements in technology and regular threats from hackers have made Mac users skeptical about security issues.

In 2012, the global share of Apple computers in the desktop market was about 6%. With such a lower share, it would not have been a great idea to create expensive malware for Mac. Moreover, there were not feasible means to protect Apple computers from repair and viruses that are seemingly rare and barely existent.

Still, if you think that there aren’t any viruses that affect Apple systems, you might be on a tight leash. In terms of security, it may lead to confusion and financial losses. Here are five effective tips to safeguard your Mac from viruses.

5 Tips to Protect Your Mac

1. Apple Computers are Not Invulnerable

A lot of Mac users don’t take any steps to protect their computers from viruses. They think that Apple system are invulnerable. However, this is not true. In order to keep your computer from being infected, you need to understand this unequivocal truth.

You need to notice if your Apple system has been causing lags or behaving unusually. It’s possible that your Mac is trying to hide the problem instead of detecting it. The virus may force the computer to work against you. If you think your Mac is behaving unusually, you need to look for possible threats, and run a scan.

2. Third Party Antivirus Software

Regardless of your Mac OS version, it is better to install a third party antivirus for your computer. When it comes to protection, malware infecting your computer can overcome Apple’s own protection. With more antivirus programs in the market, hackers keep trying new things to infect computers. A third party antivirus will keep your Mac protected against any virus threats.

3. Always Install Updates

As soon as updates are released, you need to install them on your computer. This is even more important for third party applications running on your computer. It will make sure your Apple computer is updated from viruses.

4. Take Care of Files You Run

Websites like Twitter, Facebook and other social networking platforms can be a major source of malware. The same is true for email attachments from files downloaded from Point to Point programs and unknown senders. You should only run and download files from reliable sources.

5. Disable Problematic Software

Flash and Java are two technologies with a long history of exploits and bugs. In order to disable these technologies, you should visit the Security Panel of the Safari browser, and disable Java Module. Depending on your browser version, you can even click Manage Website Settings.

It is important to understand that Apple computers are indeed vulnerable to security threats. Therefore, it is very important to keep them protected from viruses and other threats. You can use the tips mentioned above to make sure your Apple system is safeguarded.

In worse case scenarios, you can use a trusted remote virus removal service to help eliminate such threats. Given the nature of Apple computer viruses, remote virus removal is often doable without any complications. This provides a highly convenient means to tackle such issues.

The Value of Business IT Consulting & Support Services

As information technology (IT) is the back bone of well-performing business, every company wants to introduce IT in their operations to meet the challenges of the present dynamic marketplace. The value of business IT consulting and support services is abundant, mostly because of the amazing technology that expands the potential for greater efficiency, organization, and output.

Advantages of Business IT Consulting & Support

Some of the striking advantages of business IT consulting and support services are outlined below.

• IT Consulting companies can take the business to almost each and every individual of the world
• Customers will not be limited to a particular country but they will be worldwide
• The demand of the products will instantly shoot to its peak thereby giving a huge profit to the organization
• The services and products of a company will reach to each and every corner of the world which will directly impact the reputation and annual turnover of the company
• Business IT is not just about extending business but it will also secure huge business data with sophisticated cutting edge technology
• The valuable data are 100% secured with highly user friendly interactive software. They are very easy to operate and convenient to retrieve the date any time
• Business IT Consulting companies not only give business software solutions but also train the staff to use the technology conveniently
• Business It Consulting service means one name with many solutions. It will introduce IT in existing business, train employees to use the latest technology, integrate greater computer network security protocols, and help to expand the business to reach its ultimate potential customers

What Companies Can Get out of Business IT Consulting Services?

So, what can companies get out of professional IT consulting services? The answer is as simple as the question. Present world is governed by digital technology and no company or individual can say no to digitization (and thrive in the long-term.)

With the introduction of information technology, the future prospects of the company seem to be highly positive and the IT that's integrated becomes a powerful facet to the company's operations. The benefits of business IT in present world are outlined here in a nutshell:

• IT helps companies to study the demand of market accurately and quickly
• The possibilities of reaching the business objectives become double
• The product and services of the company will not be limited to certain sections of the people but will reach to the mass audience
• Huge resources which were used to advertise the product and services of the company will be saved

How IT Consulting Services can be a Boon for Present Business World?

IT Business Consulting services provide software solution which ideally goes with the present structure of the business. Such technology services can also serve to train your staff and bring dynamic changes according to the need of the business every time without changing the core functionality of the organization.

IT Consulting services make the business more strong and competitive to face the present challenging and dynamic market successfully. No large-scale change in the present work flow is needed as It consulting services companies take care of all the aspect of the company without disturbing the core value of the organization.

Many companies, like Facet Technologies, Inc. specialize in offering these services. If you're interested in IT consulting as means to help support and grow your business, take into consideration the following points that define quality services.

• This services will bring transparency in the company and as such the decision making procedure will become simple and easy.
• The IT experts will understand the need of the company and provide the best possible IT solution in most user friendly and cost-effective way.
• The introduction of IT business can act as support and security measure in case things go astray. For instance, if data and digital information gets deleted or lost, professional IT consultants can often trouble shoot the issue and offer data recovery services.
• IT business found out to very handy even for non existence companies. A group of individual can have a company which does not exist practically but they can earn millions with IT solution .
• The most important part of any organization is it valuable data as based on this data the company takes its crucial decision. IT business solution not only 100% secures the business data but also place it in a convenient manner which seems to highly effective in taking correct and quick decision instantly.
• IT consulting service is a complete package for digitalizing the organization, taking the business to the entire world, boosting the number of customers and training the existing employees to use the technology conveniently

In the present digital world no company can say No to IT. And as result various IT consulting services have emerged with IT solutions for the companies. Without digitization no company can achieve its targeted goal and there is every possibility of losing valuable information without digitization.

YieldPro Harvest Mangement Software: Advanced Agricultural Technology

YieldPro is one of the most advanced harvest management software platform that provides farmers with in-depth reporting options. This powerful software helps agricultural producers and farmers to manage their yield weight data of their harvest, and organize and optimize production output in a more efficient manner.

YieldPro is specifically designed to be used by agricultural producers - the software comes with modifiable specifications that allow farmers to monitor, track, and maximize their productivity and make accurate analysis of their farm yield data.

With the help of the YieldPro harvest management software, farmers can easily input moisture data per load in order to ensure optimal accuracy on harvest management. It's intuitive and easy to use platform enables farmers to interpret, access and evaluate key production data during a harvest process.

YieldPro's Advanced Analytical & Reporting Features

With the use of the YieldPro harvest management software, farmers can easily segment and track specific data per farm, per bin basis and per field. The tracking system offers good monitoring capabilities that enables farmers to locate and troubleshoot aspects that are problematic in a farm.

YieldPro software comes with surveillance features that help agricultural producers to get an advanced reporting of their farms. A farmer can use this software to calculate wasted resources, poor labor use and also pinpoint bottlenecks that might be causing poor yields harvest from a particular farm.

The harvest management software helps the farmer to oversee activities of employees in the farm and this helps an agricultural producer to make good plans based on the surveillance. YieldPro is compatible with most tablet computers and smartphones of today's most recent technology. Agricultural producers can use this software to track and monitor harvest data from their preferred convenience device. A farmer who rarely visit his desk can use the YieldPro software on his mobile device to track data.

With the use of the YieldPro harvest management software, a farmer can accurately estimate moisture levels of a selected harvests per bin. This feature helps to minimize miscalculations and errors when estimating different crop prices. A good estimation helps the farmer to lower insurance premiums and make good calculation of the harvest data.

YieldPro's advanced reporting options helps users to generate driver reports, field and farm reports which help them to dynamically optimize some particular aspects of their farms operations. This software is a great tool for farmers and agricultural producers who love to experience technological advancements in the agricultural field. YieldPro is the best software for handling harvest management issues in a commercial farm.

An In-depth Look at Instrument Calibration

The calibration process starts at the design phase of the instrument that will at some point in the future need to be calibrated. The design of the instrument should be able to hold a calibration through its own calibration interval. Or in other words, the design should provide the proper measurements (which are within engineering tolerance when it is used) so that the instrument will provide an accurate reading.

Instrument calibration serves the following purposes.

1. It ensures that readings from a specific instrument are consistent with those of other measurements.

2. It determines the accuracy of the instrument`s readings.

3. It establishes instrument`s reliability.

In most cases of large scale manufacturing plants, instrument calibration is performed by companies that provide calibration services. Companies like OQ International of Illinois specialize in instrument calibration services for a wide range of industory and sector applications.

Tolerance and Calibration Intervals

The precise mechanisms used to assign tolerance values differ by country and also industry type. Instrument manufacturers generally assign the measurement tolerance, suggesting calibration interval and specifying environmental ranges of storage and use. Additionally, they are also responsible for the actual calibration interval. This is dependent on the likely level of usage of the particular measuring instrument.

Defining the Calibration Process

The next step is to the define calibration process. Selection of standards or a standard is one of the visible parts of the calibration process. The standard, ideally, has less than a quarter (1/4) of the measurement uncertainty of a particular device which is being calibrated. After this goal is achieved, accumulated measurement uncertainty of the entire standards involved is considered insignificant when the final measurement is also made with the 4:1 ratio.

It is difficult to maintain a 4:1 accuracy ration with modern equipment. Test equipment which is being calibrated can just be accurate like the working standard. In case accuracy ratio is below (less than) 4:1, calibration tolerance is made smaller to compensate. Only exact match between the device which is being calibrated and the standard is entirely correct calibration when 1:1 ratio is reached. Reducing the accuracy of the device which is being calibrated is another common way for dealing with the capability mismatch.

An Example of Instrument Calibration

Here is an example. A gage which has three percent (3%) manufacturer stated accuracy can actually be changed to four percent (4%) so that a one percent (1%) accuracy standard can be used at 4:1. In case the gage is used in an application which requires sixteen percent (16%) accuracy, reducing the accuracy of the gage to four percent (4%) will have no effects on the final measurements accuracy. This is known as limited calibration.

If the final measurements are requiring ten percent (10%) accuracy, then the three percent (3%) gage can never be better than 3.3:1. The better solution is to adjust the gage`s calibration tolerance. If calibration is done at one hundred (100) units, then one percent (1%) standard would be anywhere between ninety nine (99) and one hundred and one (101) units. Acceptable calibration values where the test equipment is at 4:1 accuracy ratio would be ninety six to one hundred and four (99 to 104) units, inclusive.

Changing acceptable range to ninety seven (97) to one hundred and three (103) units would actually remove potential contribution of the entire standards and preserve a 3.3:1 ratio. Further changes to the acceptable range to ninety eight (98) to one hundred and two (102) restores more than a 4:1 final ratio.

There can be precise connection techniques between the device which is being calibrated and the standard which may affect the calibration. An example is the electronic calibrations which involve analog phenomena. Impedance of cable connection can influence the results directly.

In conclusion, this is a general process of doing calibration on instruments together with 3 main purposes of instrument calibration.

"Total Control" Home Automation Technology from URC

The Total Control home automation system from Universal Remote Control (URC) is designed to streamline control over various aspects of your home. Some of these aspect that URC home automation systems can handle include your home's lighting, temperature (heating and cooling systems) and entertainment (such as home audio system.)

URC Total Control is made possible by consolidating the basic electronics and devices used to manage these systems into a universal remote. However, beyond the remote provided by URC, you can also take "total control" of this home automation platform by using the universal menu interface on other devices like tablets and smartphones.

Elements to Take "Total Control" Over Your Home

Although URC delivers a complete spectrum of electronic solutions designed to make life easier, their home automation systems are second to none. Homeowners can customize their very own home automation system to include:

• cable or satellite TV
• blu-ray and DVD players
• music and stereo devices
• speakers and home audio systems
• heating and cooling (AC) systems
• lighting fixtures and systems
• home security and monitoring

And the list goes on and on. When working with the right home automation company, the possibilities to customize your very own home automation system using the URC Total Control platform are virtually endless.

Features and Value of URC's Home Automation Systems

The wide variety of features that URC's home automation systems deliver offer a new way of living around the house. For example, you can:

• control the dim and brightness of lights
• drop down window shades
• turn on music (from CD, Pandora, etc) and regulate the sound volume
• start a movie from the kitchen while making popcorn
• kick-on the AC when the house gets hot
• video monitor areas of your home (like the doorstep or baby crib) from your device
• lock doors in specific areas of the home

When URC named its home automation system "Total Control," they meant it. All of these functions can be achieved from your smartphone or tablet, even if your thousands of miles away on vacation.

To learn more, visit UniversalRemote.com to discover the possibilities of URC's home automation system.