Welder calibration

Date 05-06-2005 16:10

Brian,
I just went through our Audit and started looking at the cost of calibrating these meters each year. We send them out to be verified and checked annually(volt meter/amp clamps). I found that our local welding supply will come out and use their equipment to verify our welding equipment annually for half the cost of sending our equipment(meters) off annually and keeping current certs on them.
Just a thought,
John Wright

By CHGuilford (****)

Date 05-06-2005 16:18

Because we work to AWS D1.5, we have to check our welding machines every 3 months with a meter that is recalibrated annually. I am due to send my meter out soon, but last year the calibration was $65 and has NIST traceability. The meter is sold by Extech and calibration is done by them as well. I don't know if that price is still current but will find out soon.

Chet Guilford

By bmaas1

Date 05-06-2005 17:06

I currently have a Miller Digimeter 1500 amp that you hook directly to the welders terminals and part.

Can be cumbersome.

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 05-06-2005 17:16

Best part of having the welding supply do this for me is I don't have to mess with it, they go to every machine check it out, place a sticker on it and give me a written report to file with all the serial numbers and readings on it traceable back to NIST standards, they schedule it and do it all. All I do is OK their invoice and I don't mind when it is half of the cost of keeping up our meters.
John Wright

By bmaas1

Date 05-06-2005 17:17

Can't beat that.

Brian

By mksqc

Date 05-06-2005 17:22

Just a thought I rewrote our calibration manuel to state we have a third party come out yearly and cal.our machines. I use to have to cal inhouse monthly which was a real pain. but our purrent probe is made by Fluke 1000DC

By johnll Date 05-29-2005 05:27

I was at that launching also.

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http://anydwg.com

By qcmike

Date 05-16-2005 19:33

Fluke 335 is a great meter that measures AC/DC Volts and Amps all in one. I think it was around $200.

D1.5/AISC requires calibration every 3 months.

Good idea to use the welding supply company.

Mike

By texf4i Date 05-27-2005 00:45

waht is the recalibration thing? I dotn work in a shop, I just work out of my garage.

Do these welders not perform at teh same volts/amps all the time? What is teh purpose of checking the voltage?

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 05-27-2005 11:25

The auditors want to ensure that the welder(person doing the welding) is in fact working within the parameters shown on the wps and to do that the machine must be verified(calibrated) with a volt meter and amp clamp simply to prove that the meters on the machine are somewhere close to actual.
John Wright