Measurement of pressure and vacuums

Pressure and vacuums determine the safety, quality and performance of many technical applications. Using high-precision reference measurements, METAS creates the basis for reliable, traceable and internationally comparable pressure measurements.

Measuring pressure and vacuums in daily life

Many technical and medical applications are based on accurate pressure measurements. The right tyre pressure improves safety and efficiency on the roads, blood pressure measurements enable reliable diagnoses, and pressure controls ensure the operation of heating, air conditioning and refrigeration systems.

A vacuum is a basic prerequisite for numerous modern technologies: It facilitates the coating of materials, the operation of vacuum packaging in the food industry, medical applications such as drainage and suction systems, and processes in semiconductor and vacuum technology. Reliable pressure and vacuum measurements therefore contribute directly to safety, energy efficiency and product quality in many areas of life.

To ensure that pressure and vacuum measurements can be reliably compared, measuring instruments are calibrated regularly. At METAS, we provide the necessary references and calibration options and generate pressure and vacuums with high-precision primary standards.

Typical use cases for pressure and vacuum measurement

The measurement of pressure and vacuums is used in various areas:

• Automotive industry: Tyre pressure, brake systems, injection pressure for internal combustion and fuel cell engines
• Aerospace: Cabin pressure, barometric height measurement, engine test benches
• Industry and process engineering: Process pressures in plants, pressure vessels, vacuum coating, the packaging industry
• Semiconductor and research industry: High and ultra-high vacuums for coating and analysis processes

Our services in the field of pressure and vacuums

To ensure that measuring instruments can be used reliably, METAS offers comparable and trustworthy measurement results through calibrations with international traceability.

Calibration of pressure and vacuum gauges

METAS calibrates pressure and vacuum gauges for industry, research and testing centres. Our offer includes:

• Calibration of pressure gauges
• Calibration of vacuum gauges
• Advice on high-precision pressure measurements
• International comparative measurements

We calibrate pressure gauges in absolute and overpressure (relative pressure) according to the DKD-R 6-1 guideline. We calibrate vacuum gauges using our primary methods across the vacuum range.

We can also determine the effective piston-cylinder cross-section of pressure-maintaining valves. We calibrate across the entire measuring range in absolute pressure and above 1 Pa, including in relative pressure.

Is the service you are looking for not listed on the website? Please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can work together to find a customised solution to your problem.

Measuring methods and technologies

Our measuring equipment relies on highly developed primary processes that are used and combined depending on the pressure area. These include:

• Pressure compensators (piston manometers) for realizing pressure over a wide range
• Primary pressure standards for low pressures and vacuums
• Method of static expansion for the realization of vacuums
• Transfer standards (e.g. quartz or capacity gauges) for field and laboratory calibrations

These methods enable calibrations over a measuring range of 10⁻⁵ Pa to 0.5 GPa with low measurement uncertainty.

Quality and expertise

You can find information on the quality of our services on the “Integrated Management System” page.

Enquiry and contact

Laboratory Mass, Force, Pressure and Vibration
Federal Institute of Metrology METAS
Lindenweg 50
3003 Bern-Wabern

T [phone]
[e-mail]

FAQ

• How often does a pressure or vacuum gauge need to be calibrated?

  How often a pressure or vacuum gauge needs to be calibrated depends on the use case, the measurement uncertainty requirements and the stability of the gauge. We would be happy to advise you individually on the appropriate calibration interval.

• What measurement uncertainty does METAS achieve for pressure measurements?

  The measurement uncertainties that METAS achieves in the field of pressure and vacuum are internationally recognised as Calibration and Measurement Capabilities (CMC) within the CIPM MRA framework and are publicly available in the BIPM database (KCDB).

• Do you also offer on-site calibrations?

  Depending on the measured variable and requirements, calibrations are possible both in the laboratory and on site at the customer’s premises. Contact us for more information.

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