Tag: ISO 10012

What’s the difference between ISO 10012 and ANSI Z540.3?

“What’s the difference between ISO 10012 and ANSI Z540.3?”  This is a question that gets raised when folks are trying to determine which calibration standard is best for them.  And it’s also generated by those of you trying to decide what standard is your best replacement for the old MIL-STD-45662.  Let’s take a look at each of these important calibration standards to see how they’re similar and different from each other.

First of all, let’s review the ISO 10012, “Measurement Management Systems – Requirements for Measurement Processes and Measuring Equipment.”  This standard provides “generic requirements and … guidance for the management of measurement processes and metrological confirmation of measuring equipment…”  You’ll use it to show that your equipment complies with specific tolerances (metrological requirements) and that your management system supports your calibration system.

The ISO 10012 covers the topics of management responsibility, resource management, metrological confirmation and realization of measurement processes and the analysis and improvement of your measurement management system.  There’s also an informative Annex A that gives you an overview of the metrological confirmation process.  The 26-page document also includes specific guidance throughout the body of the text, boxed information that clarifies various procedures.

The ANSI Z540.3, “Requirements for the Calibration of Measuring and Test Equipment,” is much more focused on calibration itself rather than the management of the same.  So your sections (apart from the usual scope, referenced documents and definitions that both standards have) include information on:

  • General Requirements
  • Calibration system implementation
  • Calibration system assessment and improvement

Detailed information is provided on such topics as records and data control, competence and training, calibration equipment and personnel, and so on.  And as a final note on the document, the ANSI Z540.3 is the successor document to the old ANSI Z540.1.

Now we’ve taken a look at both the ISO 10012 and ANSI Z540.3.  To wrap the discussion up, the ISO 10012 standard is more of a management overview of one’s calibration system whereas the ANSI Z540.3 is a focused document with specific requirements for the control of accuracy for calibrating measuring and test equipment.  Either or both will make suitable replacements for the MIL-STD-45662, the old Mil Standard on calibration.  You’ll want to choose between them based on your specific needs.

And where can you get your copies of either of these standards?  From Document Center Inc., of course!  We’re an authorized standards distributor based in Silicon Valley with over 30 years of  experience in working with this type of conformance information.  Use our online webstore, www.document-center.com, to order your standards publications when you need them.  And here’s a link to the order page for ISO 10012 and the order page for ANSI Z540.3.  Or contact our staff by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com) when you need assistance.  We’re your Standards Experts!

 

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.