Measuring Devices¶
The Measuring Devices sub-module extends Equipment Management with features specific to measuring instruments such as coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), optical measurement systems, and other precision devices. It adds calibration tracking, software and hardware information, sensor management, and the Etalon category for your company’s own reference standards (see Etalons). Measuring devices and etalons are named automatically after their serial number and model (see Names of measuring devices and etalons).
- menu
- Equipment Management ‣ Measuring Devices ‣ Measuring Devices
- shows
- The Measuring Devices list without a name column: Manufacturer, Product Family, Model, Serial Number, Customer, Product, Calibration, Next Calibration Date, Software Serial Number, Assignees, Activities, Tags and State.
- highlight
- The Calibration column (red frame).
- data
- Four measuring devices with mixed calibration statuses (valid, expiring, expired).
- module
- equipment_measuring
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the list.
Installation¶
Enable the Measuring Devices module from , by ticking Measuring Devices in the Equipment Types section, or install Equipment Management - Measuring Devices from the menu (remove the Apps filter to find it). The module requires the Repairs app, which is installed along with it: calibrations are recorded as repair orders.
Dedicated measuring views¶
Once installed, the Measuring Devices and Etalons menus appear in the Equipment Management navigation:
: shows only the equipment of the Measuring Device category. The list has no name column: each device is identified by its Manufacturer, Product Family, Model, and Serial Number, followed by the Customer, Product, Calibration, Next Calibration Date, Software Serial Number, Assignees, Activities, Tags, and State columns. Internal ID, Software Version, and Sensors are optional columns, hidden by default.
: lists all the calibrations of all measuring devices.
: your company’s own reference standards (see Etalons).
Creating an equipment from the Measuring Devices menu sets its Category to Measuring Device, and its name is built automatically (see Names of measuring devices and etalons). The Measuring Device and Etalon categories are also available on the equipment models, in (see Manufacturers and models): the Model field of a device only offers the models of its category.
Names of measuring devices and etalons¶
For the Measuring Device and Etalon categories, the name at the top of the form cannot be typed: it is built from the Serial Number, the Model, the Manufacturer, and the Product Family, and it is updated automatically when one of them changes, also when a model, a manufacturer, or a product family is renamed.
The name is built as follows, for example with the manufacturer Zeiss, the product family CMM, the model Contura, and the serial number CT-2019-0043:
with a serial number and a model: <Serial Number> - <Model>, e.g.,
CT-2019-0043 - Contura;with a serial number but no model: <Serial Number> - <Manufacturer> <Product Family>, e.g.,
CT-2019-0043 - Zeiss CMM, or the serial number alone if these are empty as well;without a serial number: <Manufacturer> <Model>, e.g.,
Zeiss Contura, or, without a model either, <Manufacturer> <Product Family>, e.g.,Zeiss CMM;with none of these: the Equipment ID, e.g.,
EQ/0042.
A name supplied in another way, for example in an import file, is replaced by the built name as well.
The equipment of the other categories, such as General or Printer, keeps a typed name. When an equipment is switched to Measuring Device or Etalon, its name is replaced by the built one; when it is switched back to another category, it keeps its last name, which can then be edited again.
As the name repeats the serial number and the model, the Measuring Devices and Etalons lists have no name column.
Measuring tab¶
- menu
- Equipment Management ‣ Measuring Devices ‣ (open a device) ‣ Measuring
- shows
- The Measuring tab of an equipment with the calibration section, the software and hardware information, and the technical description.
- highlight
- The Calibration section (red frame).
- data
- Measuring device "CT-2019-0043 - Contura" (manufacturer "Zeiss", model "Contura", serial number "CT-2019-0043") with a valid calibration.
- module
- equipment_measuring
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the tab.
When the Category of an equipment is Measuring Device, a dedicated Measuring tab appears on the form (etalons do not have it), with the following sections:
Calibration¶
Last Calibration Date: the calibration date of the most recent finished calibration of the equipment (repair order in the Repaired status). Cannot be edited directly.
Last Calibration Date (Manual): only displayed as long as the equipment has no calibration. Enter here the date of the last calibration performed before the equipment was recorded in the database; it is used as last calibration date until a first calibration is finished.
Next Calibration Date: computed as the last calibration date plus the calibration period. Read-only, and empty as long as one of the two is missing.
Calibration Period (months): how often the equipment must be calibrated. Set manually.
Calibration Status: a badge computed from the next calibration date every time the equipment is displayed:
OK (green): the next calibration is more than 30 days away.
Warning (yellow): the next calibration is within 30 days.
Overdue (red): the calibration date has passed, or there is no next calibration date.
Only measuring devices have a calibration status: it stays empty for every other category, etalons included.
Software¶
Software Modules: free-text description of the installed software modules.
Software Serial Number: the license serial number.
Software Version: the current software version.
Hardware¶
Hardware Keylock: the hardware keylock number (dongle/license key).
Characteristics¶
A rich text field for technical specifications, measurement ranges, accuracy specifications, and other characteristics of the measuring device.
Sensors¶
- menu
- Equipment Management ‣ Measuring Devices ‣ (open a device) ‣ Measuring
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- The Sensors inline list of the Measuring tab with three sensor lines showing name and serial number.
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- None.
- data
- Sensors "Touch Probe SP25M", "Optical Sensor", "Chromatic Focus Point".
- module
- equipment_measuring
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the sensor list.
An inline editable list of sensors attached to the measuring device:
Name: sensor name (e.g., “Optical Sensor”, “Touch Probe SP25M”).
Serial Number: the sensor’s serial number for tracking and warranty purposes.
Type: sensor type (free text, e.g., “Optical”, “Tactile”, “Chromatic Focus Point”); optional column, hidden by default.
Notes: additional notes; optional column, hidden by default.
To show an optional column, click the (settings adjust) icon at the far-right of the column titles.
Click the Sensors stat button to view sensors in a dedicated list view, with the same optional columns.
Calibration management¶
- menu
- Equipment Management ‣ Measuring Devices ‣ Calibrations
- shows
- The list of calibrations with the reference of the repair order, the certificate number, the equipment, the calibration date, the quality, the result, the customer and the status.
- highlight
- The "Certificate Number" column (red frame).
- data
- Six calibrations across three measuring devices, one of them cancelled (greyed out).
- module
- equipment_measuring
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the list.
A calibration is a repair order of the Repairs app on which the Calibration checkbox is ticked. It therefore follows the usual repair workflow (parts, operations, invoicing), and additionally carries the calibration data and a certificate number. The complete calibration history of each measuring device is made of its calibration repair orders.
Creating a calibration¶
- menu
- Equipment Management ‣ Measuring Devices ‣ (open a device) ‣ Create Calibration
- shows
- A repair order form with the Calibration checkbox ticked and the Calibration group: equipment, calibration date, quality and result badges, performed by, certificate number, certificate file, signature fields, work performed and notes.
- highlight
- The "Calibration" group (red frame).
- data
- Measuring device "CT-2019-0043 - Contura"; quality "Accredited"; result "Pass"; certificate number "4382".
- module
- equipment_measuring
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- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the form sheet.
Open the measuring device, and click Create Calibration in the header. The button is available on Active and Inactive equipment. A new repair order opens, with Calibration ticked, and the equipment, its product, and its customer filled in.
Alternatively, click New in , or tick Calibration on any repair order, and select the Equipment (only measuring devices can be selected, not etalons; type the device’s name, serial number, internal ID, or equipment ID to find it).
Fill in the Calibration group:
Calibration Date: the date the calibration is performed (defaults to today);
Calibration Quality: Accredited or Werks (required);
Result: Pass, Fail, Conditional Pass, or Conditional Fail;
Performed By: the person or organization performing the calibration;
Certificate: the calibration certificate file (PDF, etc.);
Signed By, Customer Signature, and Sign Date: the acknowledgment of the customer;
Work Performed and Calibration Notes.
Click Confirm Repair, and then Start Repair. At that moment, the Certificate Number is issued from the Calibration Certificate sequence, so that it can be printed on the worksheet before the calibration is finished.
Click Print Worksheet to print the Calibration Worksheet.
When the calibration is finished, click End Repair. The equipment’s Last Calibration Date, Next Calibration Date, and Calibration Status are updated.
See Calibration repair orders for the details of the calibration fields on the repair order.
Important
The certificate number is a regulatory, gap-less numbering:
it is issued automatically, and can neither be entered nor modified manually;
a calibration with a certificate number cannot be deleted, reset to draft, or turned back into a regular repair. It can only be cancelled; cancelled calibrations keep their number and can be found with the Voided Certificate filter of the repair orders.
Tip
The starting number of the certificates can be adapted in developer mode on the Calibration Certificate sequence () before the first certificate is issued.
Search and filtering¶
In the repair order search, calibrations can be found by Calibration Quality, Certificate Number, and Equipment, filtered with Accredited, Werks, and Voided Certificate, and grouped by Calibration Quality.
Searching by Equipment also finds a device by its serial number, internal ID, or equipment ID.
Dedicated search filters¶
The equipment and measuring devices list views include specific search capabilities:
Calibration Due filter: measuring devices whose next calibration is within 30 days.
Calibration Overdue filter: measuring devices past their calibration date. Devices without a next calibration date are not included, although their status is Overdue.
Product Family grouping.
Software Serial Number search field, in the Measuring Devices list.
Note
There is no automatic reminder when a calibration becomes due: use the Calibration Due and Calibration Overdue filters, e.g., saved as a favorite, or schedule an activity on the equipment.
Etalons¶
The Measuring Devices sub-module also adds the Etalon category, for your company’s own reference standards, such as gauge block sets or setting rings. The category also exists on the equipment models (see Manufacturers and models).
- menu
- Equipment Management ‣ Etalons
- shows
- The Etalons list without a name column, showing the Manufacturer, Product Family, Model, Serial Number, Internal ID, Owner, Assignees, Activities and State columns.
- highlight
- The Owner column (red frame).
- data
- Demo company "YourCompany HU"; three etalons owned by the company (e.g., a gauge block set and a setting ring), one of them Scrapped.
- module
- equipment_measuring
- notes
- English UI, light theme, 1440px width, crop to the list.
lists the etalons only; they also appear in . As for measuring devices, the list has no name column: the etalons are identified by the Manufacturer, Product Family, Model, and Serial Number columns, followed by Internal ID, Owner, Assignees, Activities, and State. The Customer and Tags columns are optional, hidden by default.
The etalons can be searched by Name, Equipment ID, Serial Number, Internal ID, Owner, Customer, Manufacturer, Model, Product Family, and Tags, filtered by state (Draft, Active, Inactive, Scrapped) or with Archived, and grouped by State, Owner, Brand, Model, Product Family, or Tag.
An equipment created with New in this menu gets the Etalon category. For etalons:
Customer and Owner default to your company, also when Etalon is selected on a new equipment created from another menu, and when an import gives no customer or owner for an etalon. Both fields can be changed. If a new equipment is switched from Etalon to another category before it is saved, your company is removed from both fields again; a saved equipment keeps its customer and owner when its category changes.
The name is built automatically and cannot be typed, as for measuring devices (see Names of measuring devices and etalons).
The Model field only offers the models of the Etalon category.
There are no calibration features: no Measuring tab, no Create Calibration button, no Calibrations or Sensors stat button, and no calibration status. An etalon cannot be selected on a calibration repair order.
Tip
To keep track of the certificates of an etalon, attach them in its Documents tab, for example with the Calibration type and an Expiry Date: for an active etalon, a warning activity is created when the expiry date approaches (see Documents).