Atlas Weathering Services Group Announces The World's First ISO/IEC 17025 A2LA Accredited Lab For Radiometer Calibrations
Miami, FL - Atlas Weathering Services Group (AWSG) has been awarded the first ever A2LA ISO 17025 accreditation for technical competence in calibrating radiometers used for solar and various light source irradiance measurements. AWSG also meets the requirements of ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994 and additional program requirements in this field. Many industry quality and test standards, like ISO 17025, require the use of a calibrated radiometer to accurately measure the amount of solar radiant energy in a given application.
Prior to the availability of AWSG's accredited lab, radiometers have been sent back to the original manufacturer for calibration. Because these calibrations were not accredited to ISO 17025, a waiver from the accrediting body was required. This waiver process will no longer be necessary now that AWSG can provide accredited radiometer calibration services.
"We can now offer our clients an ISO 17025 accredited source for the calibration of all solar radiometers in use today," said Jack Martin, President of Atlas Weathering Services Group. "This effort confirms Atlas' continued commitment to quality and leadership in the weathering industry."
AWSG uses ISO and ASTM standards in performing calibrations of radiometers. All AWSG solar radiometer calibrations are traceable to the World Radiometric Reference (WRR), a reference measurement that depends on the measured values of solar irradiance determined by a group of absolute cavity pyrheliometers maintained in residence by the World Meteorological Organization at its World Radiation Centre in Davos, Switzerland.
AWSG's absolute cavity radiometer, located at its DSET Laboratories facility in Phoenix, Arizona, is one of the most completely referenced absolute cavities in the world. In fact, the change in the WRR reduction factor for SN17142 from IPC V (in 1980) to IPC IX (in 2000) is only 0.2% (or 2.0 W/m2 out of a typical solar irradiance of 1000 W/m2), one of the lowest of any radiometer participating in these IPCs.
The traceability of AWSG's ultraviolet radiometer calibrations is established through the traceability of the standard of spectral irradiance used to calibrate our solar spectroradiometer. This traceability is to primary standards of spectral irradiance, or standard lamps directly traceable to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
For more information about AWSG's Radiometer Calibration Services, a Technical Bulletin is available on the AWSG website, visit our web site at www.atlaswsg.com. Or, you can contact a Client Services Representative at (623) 465-7356 or via email at info@atlas-mts.com for pricing and availability information.
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