FAQs - General

Instron has full documentation meeting or exceeding the requirements of our accreditation bodies and ISO/IEC 17025. Our field staff carry all relevant documentation in an electronic format on CDROM or on their laptop PCs for immediate accessibility.

Instron is fully insured for liability. For the USA, see our current certificate at http://www.marsh.com/moi?client=0367. For Europe, please contact your local Service office who can provide you with details of our liability insurance cover.

Instron has a comprehensive training program that includes regular testing and auditing of the calibration personnel. All calibration staff have to be approved before undertaking calibration tasks. Thereafter, staff are independently monitored and audited on a regular basis to maintain our high operational standards. This is possible because of our size and regionally structured organisation - something that smaller calibration organisations are not able to resource. This approch to managing our worldwide calibration business is often positively commented upon by our accreditation bodies.

Whilst Instron has developed calibration products designed to meet the needs of a wide range of industries, quality organisations and regularatory bodies we are also flexible and have the expertise & equipment to work with you if you need something special. Our aim is to best meet your needs, so please contact us to see how we can help.

Instron does this routinely.

Instron offers a wide range of calibration & verification services. This includes force, strain, torque, temperature, velocity, displacement, impact, creep, hardness & alignment. In providing field calibration services for over 40 years, Instron also has experience in calibrating other manufacturers testing machines. This can be a benefit to customers in minimizing the number of calibration vendors needed to look after a laboratory at the same time providing economies and easier overall management.

All measuring instruments used for calibration carry documentation that shows traceability to national or international standards (eg. NIST in the USA, NPL in the UK, etc.).

Instron service engineers are trained to repair and adjust Instron equipment. They also carry a significant inventory of spare parts with them.

Instron's uncertainty calculations are available, and all uncertainties listed can be backed up with sound engineering and metrology principles.

Each Instron service engineer is supported in his region by an experienced technical staff. Instron has a large engineering staff experienced in the design and calibration of materials testing related instruments, as well as expertise in metrology. Instron staff are proud to be active participants worldwide on ISO and ASTM committees that write the standards on calibration.

Instron Service engineers are factory trained to be able to set up Instron equipment to meet and exceed these standards. Many of these engineers are also approved calibration staff equipped with calibration standards to verify equipment on-site to the exacting ASTM and ISO standards.

Instron has been accredited to NVLAP (Lab Code 200301-0) since 1997. In Europe, Instron has been accredited by UKAS since 1969.

Instron software verification documentation, accreditations and certificates can be viewed and downloaded here

The uncertainties of measurement listed in Instron's Scope of Accreditation represent those that can be achieved in the field with the equipment being used by our Service Engineers.

It is the customer's responsibility to arrange for the off-loading, unpacking and transportation of the equipment to the test site. This includes all insurance and safety responsibilities. If installation is included with your system, please allow the Service Engineer to open boxes and verify all parts and contents. This helps to avoid the possibility of losing small pieces or parts.

You have four options: 

1. Purchase a System Support Agreement. This provides you with priority in the call queue, remote access to our engineering staff, discounts and additional services for one full year. 
2. Sign-on to our Consultation Service line. This Fee based support provides you with priority in the call queue for those times that you just specific help. 
3. Limited Free Technical Support on a call back basis. 
4. Schedule a Field Service Engineer to visit your site.

Instron has over one hundred fully qualified engineers across the U.S. that are available on short notice to fill in for each other if necessary. Across Europe, Instron has over 50 accredited calibration staff located in 14 countries, able to communicate and support customers in their own language.

The scope of accreditation defines exactly what the calibration service has been accredited under ISO/IEC 17025 to do. Frequently, a calibration service will have accreditation for some of its calibrations, but not all. A calibration lab's scope of accreditation can be found on the accrediting agency's website. View Instron's accreditation certificates and schedules of calibration.

Most communication errors can be solved by powering down all equipment, including machine frame, control tower and computer. They should then be powered back on in the following sequence: machine frame, control tower and computer. This should result in communication being re-established. If not, check all cables and connections and perform the restart that was described above. If this does not fix your problem, then please call Instron Tech Support at 1-800-473-7838. Please make sure that you have all relevant serial and model numbers at hand when calling.