1. In-house infrastructure development for accurate measurement
Yosuke Shinzawa
Calibration and traceability, which are essential for measurement instruments used in manufacturing, service, and research, and also are required by ISO 9001, are widespread as a matter of course. Although their necessity is widely appreciated, not many people have a deep understanding of the purpose of calibration or of what the company should be doing, how it should be doing it, and at what level. We give an overview of these matters with some examples.
2. A new calibration facility for achievement of a highly stable measurement environment
Shigeki Shoji, Seiji Kato, Ryota Dazai
To obtain correct results from a measuring instrument we follow the correct procedure for its use but, depending on the type of measurement, we must also pay attention to the measurement environment. Many measuring instruments are very sensitive to temperature and humidity changes. Therefore, it is very important to stabilize the measurement environment when verifying that a measuring instrument is operating correctly （i.e., in calibration）. In this paper, we discuss the importance of a stable measurement environment for correct measurement and describe the capabilities that Azbil is attempting to realize through the new calibration facility currently under construction.
3. Development of a humidity generator for reliable low dew point calibration
Naomi Nakagaichi
Even before the Japan Calibration Service System was established, Azbil had constructed humidity measurement equipment for conditions near normal room temperature and humidity and was able to ensure traceability. When the specification range of our humidity products was expanded, we also introduced measurement equipment for low humidity （about 10% or lower relative humidity at room temperature） and ensured traceability. However, our first humidity generator, which was purchased, did not achieve its target performance, preventing high-precision calibration. Consequently, we developed a new generator for accurate and efficient calibration.
4. A noncontact distance measurement technique using a phase grating
Hisatoshi Fujiwara, Masashi Furuya,
Eri Fujii
We developed a distance measurement technique that solves some of the problems of the triangulation method of optical noncontact distance measurement. In this technique, the wavefront of diffuse reflection from the measured object is split into two by a phase grating and the generated interference fringes are received by a photodetector. Our technique seeks the radius of the curvature of the wavefront from the interference fringe spatial frequency, which is to say, the distance to the measured object. Compared to the triangulation method, this method is characterized by a better ability to cope with curved surfaces, dents, and other features of the measured object’s shape. In addition, the effects of strong reflected light from the measured object are reduced. As a sample evaluation, the surface profiles of a metal pin gauge were measured by the triangulation method and the novel method, and the effectiveness of the latter was confirmed.
