Precision that can be verified and pass auditing is critical for many ventures. Manufacturing uses
many different varieties of equipment to achieve the results needed when making, mixing,
dispensing, filling, and many other actions that are all part and parcel of critical, precise
measurements.
And, like any other piece of equipment in regular use, things get off measure, seals wear out,
and parts get worn. If you are dealing with a large measurement unit, the tolerances are not as
specific or critical. However, when dealing with those in the thousandth or ten thousandths and
beyond, precise, certifiable results are crucial.
A pipette is a common and critical piece of laboratory equipment often seen in manufacturing
applications, particularly in medical, pharmaceutical, and food manufacturing. Both manual and
machine pipettes are affected by use and the liquids they measure and dispense, leading to
changes far too minute for the human eye to discern and many scales to register, but far and
away enough to seriously affect the outcome, quality, and compounding of what they are being
used to create or dispense. It takes very little of some liquids to change or alter a formula into
something else, or even make them dangerous.
State and federal regulators often audit plants and laboratories where pipettes are used for
compliance to exact weights and measure standards. Pipette calibration is taken very seriously
due to the critical role it plays especially in the manufacture and dispensing of drugs and
medical products such as tinctures and prescription drugs. It is therefore very important for
manufacturers and labs to engage with a certified pipette calibration service to provide
calibration, repair, and maintenance service for their equipment.
When pipettes are in need of adjusting, repair, or replacement, a certified lab is needed with
experienced staff that has extensive knowledge of scientific laboratory equipment. Often this
lab is ISO certified, an international business and manufacturing service with very rigorous and
difficult to achieve standards that companies seek to earn as it implies the highest quality of
work and products as their end result.
Many of the compounds and formula dispensed via pipette are extremely costly. Even small
errors and variables in dispensing can be an expensive error affecting the overall job or per unit
price of a final product. Keeping pipettes in good working order is a wise investment for any
business utilizing them.
There are a number of things that need inspected and possibly serviced when pipettes need
calibrated. First, they need checked for leaks, and probably need cleaned. Residuals from liquids
often cannot be seen by the human eye, but are present in enough quantity to alter the
amounts dispensed or cause contamination. The actual amounts measured out via the pipette
need checked. The big issue in a pipette, or any glassware, is the affect of the meniscus or
surface of the liquid being measured. It is hard to accurately read, let alone adjust to, a minute
dispensed quantity. Calibration checks this interaction. Calibration testing and adjustment also
involves comparing “as found” and “as left” data, i.e. before and after measurements, to see
how much the pipette was out and how close it is, or “degrees of deviation” usually measures in
“mu”. It is especially important to get cleaning that can be certified when the pipettes have
been exposed to DNA containing or toxic materials.
Not all pipette calibration services are equal. Some do quick cleans, with questionable degrees
of accuracy on recalibrating pipettes. Others are thorough and complete, and offer varying
levels of certification including those geared to the highest standards and carrying ISO
certification. Often those companies offer varying levels of service, occasionally on-site services,
and might even have loaner equipment to keep your plant or lab up and running while your own
equipment is being serviced.
Be in compliance and offer the best quality blending, testing, and manufacturing you can. Use a
certified pipette calibration service for all your pipette maintenance needs.