UV light applications are occurring at surprising levels especially for medical, disinfection, sterilization usage. Precise specifications demand absolute accurate measurements be adhered to from the initial measurement and each subsequent measurement over the years. Lives depend upon them.
So, here is some information not generally known by users for UV applications:
https://grlabs.com/uv-light-meter-measurement-specialists/uv-light-meters/finding-the-righ…ht-meter-for-you/
1. The standard is critical. The only universal specification accepted is the NIST standards. This standard provides a solid accurate base line reference point accepted worldwide. This absolutely should be the starting point for a calibration of UV probes or sensors.
Caution point: Europe, Asia and even some UV manufacturers in the US use an arbitrary standard developed for in-house usage. The problem is this. Every UV light meter must be re-calibrated periodically because of “normal wear and tear.” Therefore, you
the user, must send your unit back to that manufacturer to get re-calibrated. Only that company can match a calibration since it is their arbitrary starting point. Will the new calibration match the old one by </= 1%, 2% or 5%? Maybe! Will the re-calibration take 1 day, 1 week or 2weeks? Delays may create further problems. If the standard is not published it is arbitrary.
2. Repeatability is major key factor. Repeatability is composed of several parameters including does the manufacturer even do re-calibrations? You want to know what is the in-house specification, i. e., 1%, 2% compared to published specification? Another key question you should ask is the linearity percentage across the UV meter’s range, i.e., 1.0 mw/cm2 to 200.0 mw/cm2? And even the skill level of the person doing the calibration Is relevant.
3. Reliability is another important factor. One should consider length of life of the UV meter to be used. Key factors in reliability deal with both the exterior design and the interior electronic components design. Simply put will the UV meter’s life expectancy extend to 10 or more years? The linearity question from above and the calibration specification will give an indication of the quality of the electronics being use. The exterior design and materials for the exterior are self-evident. An important question is how many original UV meters produced by a company are still being use in production for measurements?
4. Conclusion is G&R Labs re-calibrates all types of UV meters from low-cost meters to higher cost meters. The result based upon 28 years of doing re-calibrations across the board, in low-cost UV meters should not be used for medical, disinfection, or sterilization applications.
Thank you for contacting us and we look forward to meeting your application needs.