Tag: Requirements for the Calibration of Measuring and Test Equipment

ANSI Z540.3 on Calibration has been Reaffirmed

ANSI Z540.3 (ANSI/NCSL Z540.3), “Requirements for the Calibration of Measuring and Test Equipment,” has been reapproved.  The document was reviewed and reaffirmed as is on March 26, 2013.  This means that the technical content is still valid.

The new copy of ANSI Z540.3 has changes on 2 pages.  The document number on the upper right hand corner of the cover is now ANSI/NCSL Z540.3-2006 (R2013).  Then the inside front cover (page i) again has the new number in the upper right hand corner and the reaffirmation statement below the original approval date in the lower left hand corner.

Your only reason to purchase the document would be to assure your compliance auditors that your copy is indeed the latest edition.  However, in practical terms, since there are no changes to the technical content there is no compelling rationale to buy this item.  Our notifications to our customers on the reaffirmation date is on a FYI basis only.

The ANSI Z540.3 is the primary American National Standard on Calibration.  It is often referenced at the same time as the ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 10012 standards.  It provides the user with the requirements for a calibration system that will ensure the accuracy of measuring and test equipment.

The standard has replaced a number of other documents.  The document traces its roots back to the old MIL-STD-45662, “Calibration System Requirements.”  The MIL Standard was  originally replaced by ANSI Z540.1.  Over time, NCSL determined that the ANSI Z540.3, released in 2006, would be the successor for the Z540.1.  The two documents existed side-by-side for some time, until the Z540.1 was withdrawn in favor of the Z540.3 in 2008.

Document Center Inc. has been a distributor of the ANSI standards for quite some time.  You can purchase the ANSI/NCSL Z540.3 at our web store, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re here to assist you in making informed decisions about the standards you use.

What ever happened to MIL-STD-45662?

MIL-STD-45662 was one of Document Center’s all time best selling standards, bar none.  It was the quality standard for calibration until Mil Spec reform took over in the mid-90’s.  So what ever happened to the standard and what should you be using now?

MIL-STD-45662A was cancelled by Cancellation Notice 2 on Feb 27, 1995.  The cancellation notice provided superseding information for the standard, so there are 2 documents which can be used instead of the now obsolete MIL-STD-45662.

First is ISO-10012, “Measurement management systems — Requirements for measurement processes and measuring equipment.”  In 1995, the document was divided into 2 parts, ISO-10012-1 and ISO-10012-2.  The ISO-10012-1 was the first replacement for MIL-STD-45662, but is now obsolete due to the cancellation of this document in 2003 with the release of the replacement ISO-10012.

The story is much the same for the second replacement document, ANSI-Z540.1,” Calibration Laboratories and Measuring and Test Equipment – General Requirements.”  The document was revamped in 2006 as ANSI-Z540.3, “Requirements for the Calibration of Measuring and Test Equipment”, and officially superseded by the new standard in 2008.  So you’ll need to use ANSI-Z540.3 now.

One of the sad results of Mil Spec reform is the fact that expensive industry standards, like the two documents above, have replaced the inexpensive (or free) military documents that companies around the U.S. used to reference extensively.  Because of the high cost of industry standards, many of our customers have reduced or eliminated standards from their business practices.  We’re a big supporter of standards and the standards process, so if you have some suggestions on how to get these companies back into standards, please send me a comment!

The obsolete standards referenced above, and the current quality standards for calibration, can be purchased from Document Center Inc. at our website www.document-center.com.   Please note:  you’ll have to get a quote first for all obsolete documents so that we can confirm that you really want a cancelled item before the order is processed.

Feel free to contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com) as well for ordering or any questions you might have about this posting.  We appreciate your feedback.