STANDARDIZATION IN THE INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH-AND-DEVELOPMENT LABORATORY

Within industrial thermal analysis applications there is an increasing requirement for more rigorous standardisation to ensure that the data obtained can be reproduced within any other laboratory, using the same procedures. Fundamental to all Quality Accreditation programmes is the need to generate 'equivalent data'. The paper highlights TA applications where this is not achieved despite the use of standard calibration procedures, where true calibration is difficult to establish due to hardware/software design limitations or the absence of proven and traceable reference materials. Lack of standardisation can have important commercial or legal consequences for both instrument manufacturer and end-user.