Industrial Metrology

The Industrial Metrology Laboratory (IML) is an arm of the ITI that provides great support to National quality infrastructure (NQI) system in Sri Lanka by delivering internationally competitive  calibration and measurement services to local and foreign industries, BOI companies, public sector regulatory authorities and test laboratories in the spheres of thermometry, mass, electrical, pressure, dimension, volumetric and force with traceability to SI units. Calibration services provided relying on International standards and units, which helps to meet today’s challenges in healthcare, environment, and manufacturing processes, ensuring product quality and facilitates trade based on agreed measurements and tests. These services confirm to international standards, and the level of technical excellence provided by the laboratory is reflected in the accreditation the laboratory received from the Swedish Board for Accreditation and Conformity Assessment (SWEDAC) in September, 2004 for mass and thermometry and subsequently in the areas of electrical, dimension and volumetric in August 2007 as per ISO/IEC 17025:2005 standard. and Sri Lanka Accreditation board(SLAB)   in April 2012 for Volumetric-piston operated apparatus and Pressure areas. In 2016 transferred all methods of SWEDAC accreditation to SLAB. Later extended scope of accreditation according to ISO17025:2018 for Mass in micro balances, scales upto 200kg,  Dimension in Digimatic caliper, Digital dial gauge, Digital Micrometer  and volume micro pipettes from 1µl in 2019. Scope of accreditation extended in 2022 for Capacitance, Inductance and frequency.

Reassessments and Surveillance audits are carried out annually by technical assessors from SWEDAC or SLAB. Competency of laboratory evaluated for  all accredited calibration methods in Dimensional, Mass, Volumetric, Temperature and Electrical to ensure the accuracy of methods and systems adopted at the laboratories. Gauge block calibration, Micro balance calibration, E2 class weight calibration, power analyzers with harmonics and Omicron 100 calibration are niche areas of IML.

IML also provide non accredited calibration services using ITI metrology facilities  with international traceability to industrialists as well as testing laboratories in the areas of mass, thermometry, electrical, dimension, volumetric, pressure. Internationally competitive accredited calibration services used as predictive maintenance for to remove technical barriers to trade.  In manufacturing Industry accurate measurement of mass, dimension related quantities and  process and storage conditions with temperature, humidity and pressure calibrated and maintained to keep the quality of products to minimize rejects and  to successfully trade their products to international market. IML involve to fine tune Industrial process by providing accurate and reliable calibration services and improving comparability of process measurement results and facilitate international trade activities. It will help to industrial development directly and thereby boost in economy. Calibration services in the digital era will developed to provide digital calibration certificates/machine readable calibration certificate to industry 4.0 environment  to improve reliability and accuracy of industrial processes online. Technical staff trained at Korea Research Institute of Standards & Science(KRISS), Standards and Industrial Research Institute Malaysia (SIRIM), and PTB, Germany.

Every new technology or science breakthrough, industrial development, or commercial success depends on one form of measurement or another.  In these modern times,  practically measure everything encounter: the weight of vegetables, the volume of fuel, the distance between two points, temperature, pressure, humidity, light, current, voltage, power, speed, energy, etc. Good measurement relies on the integrity of the measuring equipment used. Reliable measurement is very important to the industry for quality products for better life. Unfortunately, no matter how sophisticated measuring equipment is, it degrades with time due to thermal, mechanical, electrical, and environmental effects.  This degradation is called drift, and it is unavoidable.  However, the effects of drift on the reliability of the measurements can be offset by the process known as calibration, comparing unknown measuring device with the reference standard with uncertainty under stated conditions.

To keep pace with the increasing demand for calibration by industry, ITI has upgraded the metrology capabilities with the assistance of UNIDO Integrated Industrial Development Support Program and PTB Strengthening quality infrastructure project. The ultimate goal of the IML is to empower Sri Lankan industries by providing sophisticated calibration support they need to engage in more technologically intensive activities that demand measurements and tests conducted with precision and accuracy to provide better life for the nation.

The laboratory has been equipped with a highly sophisticated air conditioning system to achieve the required humidity and temperature conditions acceptable by international standards .

The temperature and humidity conditions in each laboratory can be controlled to the desired levels during the calibrations. All laboratories are maintained at humidity 50±10% and varying temperature conditions according to requirements since stability of the room temperature is highly important for high accuracy of measurements.

In addition to the above the luminance, air velocity and noise levels are also maintained to accepted international levels.

Dimensional Laboratory Temp : 20±0.3 ºC		Mass Laboratory Temp : 23±0.5 ºC		Volumetric Laboratory Temp : 20±0.5 ºC
Electrical Laboratory Temp : 23±1 ºC		Pressure Laboratory Temp : 23±1 ºC		Temperature Laboratory Temp : 23±1 ºC

Accredited Calibration Services   

The Industrial Metrology Laboratory has established the facilities to provide accredited calibration services as per ISO/IEC 17025 in Mass, Temperature, Dimension, Electrical, Pressure and Volumetric Areas.

Calibration services are provided to local industrialists, BOI companies, government organizations, medical and other testing laboratories on their request to maintain their quality systems as per the international standards and obtain certifications.

Mass

The mass laboratory is equipped with higher precision comparator balances and set of class E1 weights traceable to international kilogram. The calibration measurement capability (CMC) of the laboratory provides a higher level of accuracy for the customers and undertakes the accredited calibration services to

• Micro balances
• Analytical/Electronic Top Loading Balances
• Weighing scales
• Weight classes of E2, F1, F2, M1, M2 & M3 and industrial weights from 1mg to 20kg

Thermometry

Temperature measurements are very cruisal in Apparel and construction industries and medical sectors. The following accredited calibration services which are traceable to international standards are offered.

• Liquid-in-glass thermometer
• Digital/Dial thermometer
• Platinum Resistance Thermometer (PRT)
• Thermocouple
• Temperature indicator and controller

Performance tests on

• Block calibrator
• Oven/Incubator
• Stirred Liquid Bath
• Autoclave
• Muffle Furnace

Dimension

Dimension measurements are critical for several BOI companies, ship building industry, construction companies and manufacturing sector. Grade K gauge block set traceable to international standards is used for Calibration. We undertake the following accredited calibration services in length measuring equipment.

• Gauge blocks
• Meter rulers
• Vernier calipers
• Micrometers
• Depth/Height gauges
• Dial gauges

Volumetric

Accurate Volumetric measurements are very significant for medical sector, chemical & microbiological laboratories and other testing laboratories where the volumetric measurements are critical for their day to day work. We undertake following accredited calibration services of volumetric glass and plastic ware.

• One Mark Pipette
• Graduated Pipette
• Burette
• Volumetric Flask
• Graduated Measuring Cylinder
• Micropipette
• Dispensers

Electrical

IML undertakes accredited Calibration of Digital Multimeters up to six and half digits in the following parameters

• AC/DC Voltage
• AC/DC Current
• Resistance
• Capacitance
• Frequency
• Inductance

Non Accredited Calibration Services

We also provide non accredited calibration services on request of the customer with traceability to SI Units through primary standards.

The laboratory undertake following non-accredited calibration services with international traceability for –

• Oscilloscopes
• High Voltage Testers
• Energy meters,
• Power analyzers with harmonics,
• Current transformers, Micro ohm meter, Omicron 100

The laboratory provides on-site calibrations to meet customer needs in time and effectively, as well as considering the practical difficulty in transportation of heavy equipment to the IML lab from factory locations.

Temperature enclosures, temperature sensors, weighing scales, analytical balances, pressure gauges, proving rings & tensile testing machines etc. can be calibrated at the industrial premises.

Training on Metrology

• The metrology laboratory provides Metrology Training in the following areas on the request of customers
• Industrial metrology
• Maintenance/Calibration of Laboratory Reference Standards, measuring/ test equipments
• Management of Metrology/calibration laboratory according to ISO 17025:2018
• Industrial process equipment according to standards

Customized test services

We also undertake request from customers/industries, where they are unable to make precise measurements or get unpredictable results(eg: rejects)  due to process equipment and produce customized test report.

UNIDO Assisted Calibration in Pakistan

IML offers its SWEDAC accredited calibration services to overseas clients as ITI has been recognized as a quality service provider by the UNIDO and other international agencies.
47 analytical/top loading balances and 52 analytical/top loading balances in 10 testing laboratories located in different cities in Pakistan including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad were calibrated during 2009 and 2010 respectively under a United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) project for 10 Testing laboratories in Pakistan.

Calibration performed in Pakistan under UNIDO grant