First accredited calibration laboratory for test sieves with metal woven wire cloth in Germany

Test sieves are test and measuring devices which, according to DIN EN ISO 9001, must be certified, and regularly monitored and checked in operation. For this reason, Haver / Boecker as a manufacturer of this measuring equipment provides test certificates conforming to standards for ongoing regulation-compliant quality assurance. (analysis sieves), it is also necessary to be able to check such measurement equipment.  

For decades we have been measuring analysis sieves and metal woven mesh according to norms in our factory laboratory. Here aperture size and wire diameter have been documented. In order to provide proof that these measurements were carried out correctly, the Wire Weaving Division have gone a step further. The Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle GmbH – DakkS - (German Accreditation Office) has confirmed that Haver / Boecker may operate its laboratory as an accredited calibration facility. Accreditation was carried out according to the DIN EN ISO / IEC 17025 norm called “General requirements for the competence of calibration and testing laboratories”. The company offers the first accredited calibration laboratory in Germany in accordance to this norm.

This means the increasing demands for product and service quality from consumers, companies, and authorities are being met. Analysis sieves are impacted in two ways: 1) their manufacturing process is subject to tightly defined and normed tolerances, and 2) they are used as test instruments for quality-relevant positions within the production process for goods. Thus the check of analysis sieves is becoming increasingly important. In practice there are various checking scenarios. In general the idea that it is better to have the test instrument analysis sieves checked before its first time use, and then checked regularly (mostly on an annual basis), has more or less become standard practice. The requirements placed on the quality of these sieve checks are often not particularly well defined. The selection of the necessary test is further complicated by a series of designations like “inspection”, “certification”, “calibration”, especially when the applicable norms do not clearly differentiate these from each other. Often every-day practice is the only criterion with which the user distinguishes the differences between each individual test procedure.

In order to be able to fulfill the DIN EN ISO / IEC 17025 norms, the laboratory of the Wire Weaving Division has implemented comprehensive measures. Among them is a newly established management system for the calibration laboratory. All work processes were newly formulated and documented in the process and work instructions. Modern measurement technology operated by highly specialized experts in completely acclimatized rooms, and an optimized training system were other milestones along the path to accreditation.

The calibration certificates for wire-mesh analysis sieves issued by Haver / Boecker serve as proof of conformance to national norms and are recognized internationally by the signatory states within the scope of conventions (EA, ILAC, etc.).