This section provides an overview for calibrator as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 50 calibrators manufacturers and their company rankings.
Table of Contents
A calibrator is a device or instrument used to calibrate a measuring instrument.
Calibration is the process of comparing the accuracy of a measuring instrument to a standard and ascertaining the deviation from the value that should be indicated. The deviation is called "instrumental error", and the instrumental error is like the individual difference of measuring instruments. As with any measuring instrument, there is a small amount of deviation, so it is important to understand the deviation.
Instrumental error also fluctuates depending on the environment and deterioration. Therefore, it is necessary to perform calibration on a regular basis. Calibration ensures the reliability of the results measured by the calibrator.
Calibration is performed by measuring the characteristics of the calibrators itself (eg, mass and dimensions) or the output from the calibrators (eg, current) using the calibrators to be calibrated. For example, an electronic balance weighs a weight or a micrometer measures a block gauge.
The difference between the measured value and the calibrator's assigned value is the instrumental error. Calibration is completed when the instrumental difference is known. Properly calibrated calibrators are the basis of the calibration operation.
Calibrators are used to determine the condition of the measuring instruments to be calibrated. Calibration is usually performed periodically.
However, the calibrators themselves also needs to be calibrated. Since it is burdensome to maintain calibrators, one option is to outsource periodic calibration to a specialist. On the other hand, there are cases where calibrators are used for self-inspection of measuring instruments, although this has a different meaning from the original calibration.
While daily inspections are conducted to ensure that there is no significant loss of accuracy, formal calibration can be conducted once every six months or so. In this case, the calibrators should still be calibrated on a regular basis.
Calibrators are standards used to calibrate measuring instruments. As a standard, it needs a reference to indicate the standard (proper value). That is, calibrators must be calibrated by a superior standard.
The higher level standard is then calibrated to another higher level standard, and so on, culminating in the highest standard in the country.
This connection to standards is called "traceability". This makes it possible to compare the results of the same type of measurement anywhere in the country. Each country confirms the interchangeability of its standards with the International Committee of Weights and Measures and other organizations.
Calibrators should be more accurate than the equipment to be calibrated. This is because it allows for more appropriate and practical control. In other words, if the magnitude of the discrepancy is determined with low accuracy, it will not be useful for measurement at the accuracy that the equipment to be calibrated can originally demonstrate.
As an example of calibration, let the micrometer be the measuring instrument and the block gauge be the calibrators.
The smallest unit of a micrometer is 1μ㎜ => "1/1000 mm of 1 mm". Since the condition of calibrators are to have higher accuracy than a measuring instrument, the smallest unit of a block gauge is 0.1μmm => "1/1000th of 1mm".
In this way, the calibrators, the block gauge, will have a higher accuracy. By calibrating the micrometer with the block gauge before and after measurement, the error can be known. Performing this before and after measurement provides the most reliable calibration results.
Depending on your measurement control policy, you may wish to calibrate your micrometer periodically instead of every measurement, and keep a record for reference. Periodic calibration allows for estimation of conditions during that period.
On the other hand, if measurements are taken without any calibration at all, the measured values are unreliable because the errors are not known. In addition, it is necessary to calibrate the block gauge, which serves as a calibrators, using calibrators that is even more accurate than the block gauge.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Sort by Features
Sort by Area
GTek Automation was founded in 1997 as Pacific Engineering and is headquartered in Lake Forest, California. GTek Automation is a technology-based distributor of pneumatic components, leak test and measurements systems. In addition to product distribution, GTek Automation offers product assembly and kitting services to assist our customers reduce the overall cost of component and system acquisition. GTek Automation specializes in the complete integration of the pressure or vacuum source, and all of the auxiliary pneumatic components.
Badger Meter, Inc. was founded in 1905 and based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Badger Meter is a manufacturer and marketer of flow measurement, quality, control, and communication solutions in the United States and globally. Badger Meter serves several industries including water treatment, water distribution, aviation, concrete production. Badger Meter offers utility water solutions and commercial & industrial solutions product segments. Together they include products such as meters, software, diagnostics, and quality monitoring.
Micro Quality Calibration Inc MQC) was founded in 1978 as a technology-oriented calibration, repair, testing, and first article inspection facility for precision measurement test equipment. MCQ follows in strict compliance of ISO-9000 (series 1, 2, 3, and 4) specifications. MCQ offers services in calibration, inspection testing, repair, database management, and analytics. Calibration services are often provided for automotive, electrical components, aerospace, and secure communications, for which MCQ is ISO 17025 accredited.
ASG is a division of Jergens, Inc., was founded in 1976, and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. ASG both manufactures and distributes solutions for assembly including precision torque and angle DC electric fastener systems. ASG is ISO 9001:2015 certified. ASG groups include ASG Express, ASG Precision Fastening, ASG Automation, and ASG Integrated Services. Together they specialize in electric and manual screwdrivers, production aides, tool accessories, air motors, pneumatic torque control tools, pulse tools, torque wrenches, current control tool systems, automation systems, auto feed systems, air grippers, torque arms, screwdrivers & nutrunners for automation, and peripheral automation equipment.
EdgeTech traces its roots back to 1965 in Massachusetts and currently operates both out of West Wareham, Massachusetts, and Boca Raton, Florida. The company is a manufacturer of underwater technology solutions including sonar, bathymetry, and other technologies. These solutions are often used in hydrographic surveys, retrieval situations, offshore energy, and underwater research applications. Among the company’s product lines are Sonar solutions, custom-engineered products, acoustic releases, and motion reference units. They can be used to survey pipelines, discover shipwrecks, measure river flow, and locate shallows among other uses.
Transducer Techniques was established in 1979 and is headquartered in Temecula, California. Transducer Techniques designs and manufactures a complete line of load cells, torque sensors, special purpose transducers and related instrumentation that are often used in industries such as process control and factory automation as well as other fields of science and industry. Transducer Techniques product segments include load cells such as button and beam load cells, torque sensors such as reaction and rotary torque sensors, instrumentation with load cell displays and signal condition, accessories, and software.
Ashcroft was founded in 1852 in Bridgeport, Connecticut to create instruments to protect steam-powered industry workers and today is a manufacturer in pressure and temperature measurement instrumentation.Ashcroft serves the chemical, food & beverage, metals & minerals, oil & gas, pharmaceutical & research, power, and water & wastewater markets. Ashcroft products include pressure instruments including pressure gauges, switches, sensors, and isolators; test instruments including calibrators, controllers, testers, and test gauges; and temperature instruments including thermometers, thermowells, RTDs, thermocouples, multipoint temperature sensors, and OEM temperature sensors.
Furness Controls was founded over 50 years ago and is headquartered near Paris, France, with offices in the United Kingdom as well as Indian Trail, North Carolina in the United States. Furness Controls is a distributor of differential pressure, airflow, gas flow, and leak detection and test instruments for use in quality control and process control applications. Furness Controls serves several industries including aerospace, automotive, food & drink, plumbing, and medical. Furness Controls also offers repair and calibration services at its ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certified laboratory in North Carolina.
Anger Associates, Inc. was established in 1957 in the Detroit, Michigan area where it stands to this day. Anger Associates specializes in consulting, sales and support of measurement and calibration instrumentation, dynamic signal analysis tools and software, and complete test systems. Anger Associates serves many industries including automotive, pharmaceutical, and steel manufacturing. Anger Associates focuses on vehicle. Powertrain test systems, production test systems, torsional vibration analyzers, dynamic signal acquisition and analysis system and tools, field calibration instruments, calibration laboratory instruments including primary and working standards, pressure/vacuum and flow sensors and transducers, and mass flow meters & controllers.
Sterling Sterlco was founded in 1916 and distributes under M&M Control Service, Inc. is a specialist in industrial control units. Industrial control units are in two basic varieties: steam control family and temperature control units. Steam Control units include steam traps, Y strainers, temperature control valves, hand radiator valves, boiler feed pumps, condensate pumps, and centrifugal pumps. Temperature control units include portable chillers, central chillers, and water and oil temperature control units. Additionally, Sterling also manufactures pump tanks.
AppMet, Inc was founded in 1993 in North Charleston, South Carolina. AppMet is a calibration and testing company offering dimensional, physical & mechanical, and electronic & electrical calibration services in climate-controlled laboratories as well as on-site calibrations when possible. AppMet is ISO/IEC 17025 as well as Full Service ISO-99001 certified. Electronic calibrations are made with all types of electrical and electronic test equipment from analog multimeters to RF spectrum analyzers. Physical and mechanical calibrations and tests are performed with equipment ranging from analytical balances to vacuum gages. Dimensional calibrations are performed with equipment ranging from 1-2-3 blocks to angle plates to thickness gages.
Tri-State Instrument Laboratory was established in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 159. Tri-State is a distributor and provider of calibration and related services. Tri-State also manufacturers voltage dividers, motor rotation indicators, and phase sequence indicators. Calibration services include calibration of various types off multimeters, clamp meters, electrical and resistance testers, power recorders, loop, process, and temperature calibrators, infrared and contact thermometers, and analog and digital panel meters. In addition to calibration services, Tri-State specializes in meggers, process calibrators, clamp meters, thermometers, multimeters, and other products such as digital counters, ,hour meters, and hard cases.
Tacuna Systems was founded in 2011 and centered in Golden, Colorado. Tacuna Systems provides in-house custom designs for signal conditioners, amplifiers, and other strain gauge load cell technology used across numerous industries. Tacuma Systems’s load cell products include load pins, planar beams, tension links, torqure transducers, load cell kits, and load cell calibration services. Additional products include calibration weights, scale parts and accessories, summing junctions, and other hardware, accessories, and wireless components. Tacuna Systems also provides services including load measurement consulting, system calibrations, custom signal conditioning & electronics, and custom scale design.
HealthStar was founded in 1983 in Braintree, Massachusetts. HealthStar is a distributor of manufacturing equipment, specializing in processing and packaging. HealthStar specializes in blow-fill-seal, in-line and rotary liquid & power filling, secondary packaging, tablet & capsule processing, sterile & aseptic filling, processing, && packaging, granulation & blending, tanks & reactors, and terminal sterilization. HealthStar services include blow-fill-seal rebuilding, partial to full plant liquidations, auctions, and appraisals, surplus equipment purchasing, equipment exchanges, and equipment search and referral.
ARCO Engineering was founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1954. ARCO Engineering, Inc. is a distributor of Pressure, Temperature and Liquid Level instruments, instrument valves, heat trace, comfort heaters, and safety relief valves. ARCO Engineering specializes in products for the natural gas, process, chemical, power, wastewater and OEM markets. ARCO Engineering offers many types of parts including calibration instruments, hand valves, thermocouples, digital meters, drive pressure gauges, respirators, jet pumps, and pressure relief valves.
Kinequip, Inc. was founded in 1946 in Buffalo, NY as a distributor of industrial parts, accessories, and kits. Today these offerings have grown to include motors, compressors, blower systems, clams, pumps, various fittings, gauges, and sensors, as well as pneumatic and high-pressure devices. Kinequip also serves as a distributor for individual device and parts manufacturers. Kinequip additionally offers custom-designed solutions ranging from R&D to unique components and special-made parts, as well as value added designs on demand.
Worldwide Chuck Services, Inc. is based in Aurora, Ohio. Worldwide Chuck Services is a distributor of new, used, and rebuilt lathe chucks, parts, and accessories. Worldwide Chuck Services also offers service, support, and repair of old, worn lathe chucks and actuators to meet or exceed original OEM specifications. Worldwide Chuck Services has product lines in addition to chucks such as jaw force gages, micrometers, cylinders, and grease. Worldwide Chuck Services also purchases used lathe chucks.
Hello BOM is an online electronic component storefront designed to bridge customers and suppliers. Customers supply Hello BOM with their bill of materials (BOM) and Hello BOM uses smart analysis via AI data matching to quickly find precise matches that customers need. This is accomplished via Hello BOM’s growing component stock and product information database to grow increasingly accurate and fast, while also simplifying the process of R&D and purchasing for customers. Products include semiconductors, resistors, capacitors, diodes, inductors, connectors, transistors, and sensors.
Compressed Air Systems was founded in Tampa, Florida in 1963. Compressed Air Systems supports customers in a wide array of industries including food & beverage, medical applications, industrial, electronics, fleet maintenance, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, plastics processing, CNC machine shops, and woodworking. Compressed Air Systems sells air compressors, railcar gate openers and various related products. Compressed Air Systems also offers services including audit, leak compressed air leak elimination, compressed air rentals, and turnkey packages for industrial equipment systems.
Endress+Hauser Group is based in Switzerland and has over 15,000 employees worldwide. Endress+Hauser manufactures measurement instrumentation and provides services for industrial process engineering. Endress+Hauser’s customers come from various industries including chemical, life sciences, energy, and water. Endress+Hauser’s products include those for level measurement, pressure measurement, software, industrial communication technologies, and liquid analysis. Endress+Hauser also offers services including project and commissioning, support and education, maintenance, and performance optimization. The company has an assortment of online tools to assist customers in services such as product selection.
MOD-TRONIC Instruments Limited was established in 1972 in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. MTis a distributor of industrial sensors, transducers, heaters, controls, and instrumentation, primarily made in the USA as well as Japan, Switzerland, and Germany. MT’s customers are primarily in the aerospace, building automation, manufacturing, medical, military, oil and gas, and water treatment industries but also serves individuals. MT offers an above industry standard 5-year warranty and technical support on every product sold.
MSI-Viking Gage, LLC was founded over 50 years ago and is headquartered in Duncan, South Carolina. MSI-Viking provides manufacturing support to the automotive, aerospace, metals, plastics, medical, energy, food & beverage, and machining industries. MSI-Viking product offerings include 3D scanning systems, 3D additive manufacturing, air gages, bore & hole gages, calipers, CMMs, computed tomography, data collection, depth gages, fixture systems, indicators, laboratory equipment, vision systems, and thread gages among others. Services include calibration, metrology, repair, embedded services, training, and metrology pre-op services.
B&B Instruments (BBI) was incorporated in Indiana in 1972 and still operates out of Indianapolis, Indiana today. BBI is an authorized stocking distributor for manufacturers of measurement, control & calibration equipment for pressure, temperature, flow, humidity, & level instrumentation serving both startups as well as Fortune 500 clients in industries such as utilities, metals, food, process, industrial, OEMs, and technical. BBI’s product categories include calibrators, controllers, meters, flow, gauges, humidity, level, meters, pressure, switches, temperature, and transmitters. Featured products include Autrol Transmitters APPT-3100 Differential Pressure Transmitter, Barksdale’s UDS7 Series Solid State Pressure Switches, Kytronic’s actuator positioner, and Monarch DataChart’s DC1250 2-Channel Paperless Recorder.
bisco industries was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1973 and now is headquartered in Anaheim, California. bisco industries is a distributor of electronic components and fasteners used for production in aerospace, communication, computer, fabrication, industrial equipment, instrumentation, marine, and military industries. Some of bisco’s product offerings include fasteners such as nuts and washers, hardware such as casters and bearings, door and access hardware including handles and hinges, electronic connectors including circular connectors and terminal blocks, enclosures such as cabinets and rack components, and wires and cables including wire and cable management including sleeving and tubing.
Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. If you are a resident of another country, please select the appropriate version of Metoree for your country in the drop-down menu.