What's Involved in an Infrared Thermometer Calibration?
You use your IR thermometer so frequently that it's easy to take it for granted. The reality is that your device is only as accurate as its last calibration, and the calibration is only as accurate as the equipment used in the process. Infrared thermometer calibration requires several specialized instruments, each of which must be professionally calibrated for a high degree of accuracy.
- Thermal Radiation Source: This device provides the heat that will be used to calibrate the infrared thermometer, and is itself calibrated to a specific set of standards. Temperature readings are taken at a set of specific points dictated by a governing body or your own specifications
- Transfer Standard: This instrument is used to calibrate the heat source, and must be traceable to BIPM through NIST or another national metrological governing body
- Ambient Temperature Thermometer: The temperature of the room in which the calibration takes place is an important factor in accounting for uncertainty, so the ambient temperature thermometer must itself be highly-accurate if the resulting IR calibration is to be accurate
- Mount: There are several options for mounting the IR thermometer during calibration, but it is critical that the thermometer maintain a constant location in all three dimensions ‚ any movement in any direction alters the spot-to-distance (S:D) ratio, which is another important part of the calibration calculations
- Distance Measurement: The distance between the IR thermometer and the heat source is one half of the S:D ratio, and must be measured by a precisely calibrated device if the IR calibration itself is to be accurate
