Pipettes are some of the most essential pieces of equipment to keep your lab moving. Without them there are very few procedures that you can do. Due to the halt in productivity when you don’t have your pipettes, some labs prefer not to send their pipettes away for calibration, opting instead for onsite calibration. Onsite calibration does sound appealing, your pipettes never leave the premises and may even be ready for same day pick up. However, this comes at a cost.
When calibrating a pipette there are several steps that need to be taken. Each pipette must undergo disassembly, seal & O-rings replacement, greasing the piston, calibration weighing and calibration data must be recorded. All of this is carried out on each pipette and can take some time to complete accurately. This basic overview leaves out other variables, such as per channel calibration for multichannel pipettes, or more complex repairs that may be due to pipette damage and can take more time and attentiveness to complete correctly.
A significant issue with onsite calibration labs is that, with many pipettes to calibrate onsite in one day, they inevitably spending very little time on each pipette. This time and attention constraint can lead to inevitable issues or inaccuracies with your pipette later on. They are also making large profits on each pipette – an average price for onsite calibration is $25 per pipette, based on our estimations. However, the time spent on each pipette can be as little as 6 minutes. The American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) has even determined that there is a greater range of error on measurements recorded from onsite calibration.
While it may seem inconvenient to have your pipettes sent out for calibration, the benefits of offsite calibration will always outweigh the disadvantages. Offsite calibration ensures that every facet of the calibration process can be accounted for and carried out in the controlled environment of a calibration lab which controls for temperature and air flow and uses reliable lab equipment for calibration. Taking the little bit of extra time and effort needed to examine, calibrate and repair (if necessary) a pipette thoroughly in a controlled environment translates to accurate calibration and reliable results
At Pipette.com we’ve been calibrating pipettes for over 20 years. Our team’s dedication to accuracy and precision, combined with our state of the art facility, is why we have over 20,000 satisfied calibration customers, and this number is growing constantly. To provide our customers with the best possible calibration experience we have customizable service plans available so that together we can configure your service plan to best meet your needs. This flexibility also means that you don’t pay for services you don’t need, helping you save on the calibration of each pipette. As an added bonus for our customers, we have a free pipette management system which helps you to manage, track, and simplify your pipette calibration. To learn more about our pipette calibration service, visit our website or call us at 800-243-3232 or emails us at info@pipette.com today.
