World's first DAkkS/DKD accreditation for tactile contour measuring instruments

Axel Burscheid, Director Global Service, describes what Mahr has achieved as a "small sensation": The Mahr laboratory in Göttingen is the first calibration service provider ever to qualify to calibrate contour measuring devices at DAkkS/DKD level. This means that Mahr is now authorized to calibrate its own contour measuring instruments in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 and can issue correspondingly traceable calibration certificates. The company offers this option as a service for contour measuring systems of the MarSurf CD/VD and MarSurf LD/UD series already on the market. In future, however, Mahr customers will also be able to purchase these measuring instruments directly with a DAkkS/DKD calibration certificate if they so wish.

The new accreditation offers users a plus in reliability – this is especially important for critical processes with high precision and low tolerances. It also offers a major advantage for companies in the automotive industry: Mahr is now able to meet the requirements of IATF 16949 for measurement laboratories and service providers. The standard requires that testing and calibration services comply with ISO/IEC 17025. Since no provider has been able to meet this requirement, there has been no alternative to the manufacturer's factory calibration certificate until now. "We are proud and pleased to be able to offer our customers such unique added value," says Burscheid.

Contour metrology: a discipline floats free
It took around three quarters of a year to obtain the new accreditation. Not an easy path, because for contour metrology – a relatively young discipline that only came into being about 40 years ago – there had previously been no templates for accreditation according to ISO/IEC 17025. For a long time, the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) had referred to other measurement methods. "First, we had to do quite a bit of convincing at the PTB and show that contour metrology has a corresponding raison d'être," reports Matthias Reitemeyer, who is responsible for product development in the area of surface metrology at Mahr and was closely involved in the project. "Contour measuring devices can measure certain features – such as small radii or transition radii – much faster and more effectively than other methods. They are also easier to use and attractively priced." According to the two experts, the effort was definitely worth it. "We were able to further expand our service portfolio with the accreditation," Burscheid sums up. Reitemeyer adds: "And we have ultimately also contributed to contour metrology breaking free and establishing itself as an independent discipline."

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