Calibration plans
A calibration plan defines the requirements for calibrating inspection equipment of a particular device model. These include the measurement template, location, required details, and preset reference devices. Manage plans under Settings → Master data → Calibration plans.
The measurement template describes measurement groups, points, and limits. The calibration plan supplements the template with requirements for carrying out the calibration. You then record the actual measured values when creating a calibration certificate.
An inspection instruction contains supplementary work instructions, a calibration procedure entered as text, and documents for the individual item of equipment. The calibration plan provides the structured requirements for a calibration run with a digital calibration certificate. Both can be used alongside each other for the same equipment.
Create a calibration plan
First create an active measurement template for the relevant Device master record. Only then does it appear in the selection for new calibration plans. A device master record can have several plans, for example for different locations.
Fig. 1: Basic details and requirements for a calibration plan
- Open Calibration plans and select Create calibration plan.
- Under 1 · Plan & requirements, enter a Name and select the Device master record (1). Memida shows the associated measurement template and its Revision.
- Select the Status. Use Draft to prepare the plan; Released makes it available for new calibrations.
- Set the Location. Add the recommended interval and further technical settings if needed.
- Open Continue to reference devices. Add reference devices for measurement groups and individual points if needed.
- Select Save. Memida creates a new plan revision.
A name and a device master record with a usable measurement template are required. The assignment to the device master record cannot be changed after creation. For release, the template needs at least one measurement group, and every group needs at least one measurement point.
Plan and requirements
Under Plan & requirements, enter the following details:
| Detail | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name | Plan name; up to 255 characters. |
| Status | Draft or Released. Withdrawn plans are no longer available for new calibrations. |
| Location | Calibration at the laboratory, at the customer’s premises, at a laboratory branch, at a customer branch, or at another location. |
| Recommended calibration interval | Optional positive integer with the unit Days, Weeks, Months, or Years. Without a value, the plan has no interval recommendation. |
Under Further technical settings, you can add the following requirements. Use Record during calibration (2) to select which details are required fields for each calibration:
| Detail | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Decision rule | Preset to Simple acceptance with a note. The evaluation takes the actual value, limits, and expanded measurement uncertainty into account. The description of the evaluation and VDI reference explains the rule used. |
| Inspection type | Select an inspection type from the Calibration category. |
| Calibration facility | Optional calibration facility with a stored address. Add missing addresses under Calibration laboratory. |
| Record during calibration | Temperature, Relative humidity, Air pressure, Warm-up time, Start, and End. |
Preset reference devices
In 2 · Reference devices, enter the intended reference devices or standards. You can assign several reference devices to a measurement group or an individual point. Memida applies these details when a new calibration run starts. During calibration, you can adjust the assignments to the reference devices actually used.
Fig. 2: Reference device and measurement range in the calibration plan
- Select Add reference device for the relevant measurement group.
- Under Reference device source, specify whether you are using Inspection equipment managed in Memida or an Externally managed reference standard.
- Under Select reference device (1), select the internal equipment, or enter External reference device and Justification for an external reference standard.
- Enter the Measurement range used (2).
- Select Apply assignment.
Repeat the assignment for each additional reference device in the group, then save the calibration plan. You can combine internal inspection equipment and external reference standards. The same reference device may appear only once in the reference device list of a measurement group or point.
The internal selection includes available individual items of equipment that require calibration. Equipment groups, drafts, and archived or deleted equipment are not available for selection. Suitability and the associated calibration evidence are evaluated only during calibration, for the actual calibration date.
To suggest different reference devices for an individual measurement point, open Measurement point exceptions and select Add reference device for measurement point. Select the point and add the intended reference devices one by one. These replace the entire reference device list of the measurement group for that point. If the point also needs devices from the group assignment, add those to the point as well. Without a measurement point exception, the group’s presets apply.
Presets are optional. For external reference standards, record the identity, measurement range, and justification in the plan. Add the calibration evidence and declared suitability period during the individual calibration. Apply or discard pending reference device entries before changing steps or saving the plan.
Assign inspection equipment and select a plan
A released plan can be assigned to inspection equipment with the same device master record:
Fig. 3: Inspection equipment assignment to a calibration plan
- On the plan, open More and select Manage assignments (1).
- Under Search inspection equipment (2), enter at least two characters of the ID number or serial number and select the matching equipment.
- Confirm the selection with Assign calibration plan (3).
The selection offers equipment that is not yet explicitly assigned to a plan. Existing assignments appear under Explicitly assigned. Use Remove assignment to remove an assignment. This does not delete the equipment or its inspection reports.
When starting a calibration:
- An explicit assignment serves as the suggested plan.
- Without an assignment, Memida automatically uses the device master record’s only released plan.
- If there are several released plans, select and confirm the plan for the individual calibration. An explicitly assigned plan also acts as a preselection in this case.
After assignment, Memida offers Start calibration or Open inspection equipment, depending on the available action. The procedure is described under Create calibration certificates.
Interval recommendation and actual due date
Fig. 4: Recommended interval in the plan and inspection interval on the equipment
The Recommended calibration interval (1) states the intended interval between calibrations under this plan. The effective inspection interval (2) and next inspection date continue to be maintained on the individual item of equipment. In the form shown, twelve months is entered as the recommendation; the equipment continues to use 13 months. Changing the plan does not overwrite existing equipment intervals.
When creating equipment that requires calibration, Memida may prefill the recommendation from the only released plan for its device master record. This happens only while you have not edited the interval yourself and no existing equipment interval is being copied. You can adjust the suggestion; a different value entered manually is retained.
If there are several released plans, enter the inspection interval yourself; Memida does not apply a recommendation in that case. A plan without an interval recommendation does not prefill a value either.
Changes and revisions
On the plan, open More → Edit. Each saved change creates a new revision. Previously used revisions are retained; existing calibration runs keep the requirements fixed when they started.
The plan is tied to a specific measurement template revision. If the template changes, Memida does not update this link automatically. To continue editing the plan, explicitly apply the current template using Deliberately update to current template revision …. Then check the measurement structure.
Changing the template revision resets the preset reference devices because the new revision has its own measurement groups and points. Add and check these assignments again in the second step. A plan using an older template revision can still be withdrawn.
If another user has saved the plan in the meantime, Memida reports an editing conflict. Your entries remain in the open form. Check them before saving again. If the current version cannot be loaded, try again later or reopen the plan.
Withdraw a plan
Before withdrawing a plan, check the explicitly assigned equipment. If this equipment should be assigned to another plan in the future, first remove the existing assignments through Manage assignments. This action is no longer available after withdrawal.
Select More → Withdraw and confirm the Withdraw calibration plan? dialog. The plan is then no longer available for new calibrations. Previously used revisions are retained.
A released plan cannot be returned to Draft status. A withdrawn plan cannot be edited or released again. Create a new plan if needed.