Issue Details

When I purchase a device or use NI's Calibration Services, I get a Certificate of Calibration that has many different dates and pieces of information. What do those mean?

Solution

The Instrument Certificate that NI provides is divided into four main sections, as shown in the image below:

Section A: Your Device

The first section of the document refers to your device. (For example: NI USB-6341). This section contains the information regarding the calibration status of your product. You will find here:

• Certificate Number: Unique tracking number for the device's certificate of calibration.
• Date Printed: Date on which the certificate was generated. Note: This date is not the Calibration date.
• Serial Number: Enlists the unique serial number of the product.
• Part Number: Enlists the part number of the product. This part number also helps track the version of the hardware that was tested.
• Description: The name of the product. An easier way to know which product this document refers to, without needing to look up the part number.
• Calibration Date: Date in which the device was calibrated using NI standards and procedures.
• Calibration Due Date*: The customer is responsible for establishing calibration due date for their instruments. Refer to section C for details. 
• Recommended Calibration Interval: The amount of time that NI recommends between device calibration sessions.
• Temperature: The temperature at which the device was tested.
• Humidity: The humidity at which the device was tested.

Section B: Standards Used

NI lists information about the instruments used to test your device to assure you of the validity of our calibration testing: instrument manufacturer, model, tracking number, calibration date, and calibration due date.
 

Section C: Calibration Due Date Calculator

This section contains a table to help the customer determine whether their product should be calibrated again based on the date the customer received the product and the recommended calibration interval. It also provides instructions on how to help track that calibration due date. You will find here:

• Calibration Date: The actual calibration date. This date is the same as the calibration date described in section A.
• Product Received Date: The date the customer received the product.
• Customer Calibration Interval: Calibration interval established by the customer based on their requirements and other relevant considerations. Recommended calibration interval may serve as an input in the decision-making process.
• Calibration Due Date: The formula depends on whether the product is new or previously used as follows:
  • New products: Calibration Due Date = Product Received Date + Customer Calibration Interval.
  • Previously used products: Calibration Due Date = Calibration Date + Customer Calibration Interval.

Section D: Additional Notes

Besides the hard data provided, NI includes some texts with explanations and disclosures regarding your device and the information we present. This section includes notes that are relevant to you and the calibration auditors when interpreting the numbers shown in the document.

Additional Information

• Some NI devices or modules do not need to be calibrated and therefore do not have a Calibration Interval. Any NI device or module that has Warranted Specifications will need to be calibrated, and should have a Calibration Interval listed in the Specifications or Datasheet.
• If your device does not have Warranted Specifications and does not require calibration, then neither the Specifications nor the Datasheet will define a Calibration Interval. Similarly, if your device does not require calibration and you use the Instrument Certificate Generator, no Calibration Date or Calibration Interval will be listed in the Board Information.
• Shelf life is no longer specified on the NI Certificate of Calibration, instead, it is stated in the Blue Section that "For new products, the calibration interval begins when the customer receives the product".