Use of New Standards for Hand-Held Infrared Thermometer Calibration

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Use of New Standards for Hand-Held Infrared Thermometer Calibration (197.63 KB)

Historically, there has been a lack of standards for infrared (IR) thermometer calibration. This is true when it comes to determination of IR thermometry uncertainty budgets. However, recently there has been some progress in this area. The first standard to address this is from the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM). It is intended for high-end radiation thermometers using cavities as a calibration source. The second is a technical guide from Measurement Standards Laboratory in New Zealand. It covers hand-held IR thermometer calibration.

This paper combines ideas in these two documents to help the reader better calculate uncertainty for IR thermometer calibration. It gives the reader a standardized structure to present uncertainty for IR thermometer calibration. It discusses practical testing done to verify the uncertainty calculation discussed in these documents. The intended audience for this paper is any technician who calibrates IR thermometers.