Almen Calibration Procedure

New Almen gages receive a "Certification of Conformity to J442 " when they are first manufactured to assure compliance with industry-accepted specifications.Ball and post placement locations are measured and recorded. Ball height and ball plane flatness are also checked. The analog or digital indicator is also exercised to demonstrate it has required accuracy. The data is archieved and then the gage is placed into finished goods inventory ready for shipment. Note: we offer both analog (TSP-Jr) and digital indicator (TSP-3) style Almen gages. These are configured to two different specifications.

• AMS-S-13165 is used for TSP-Jr gages.
• SAE J442 is used for TSP-3 gages.

What's the difference?
AMS-S-13165 requires inch resolution of .001
SAE J442 requires indicator higher resolution of .0001 inch.

Factory Calibration Procedure: By using a precision 9-hole template and special step blocks we can certify at Electronics Inc that the gage meets all of the construction requirements of SAE J442. This task can usually be done in 3-days. The 9-hole template and step blocks are inspected and certified annually by qualified a A2LA laboratory and traceable to NIST. If the balls are flat and need to be replaced the extra charge for gage head replacement is applied.

A2LA Calibration Available: Some customers require that all off-premise calibrations be performed by an accredited laboratory, such as A2LA certified. We can send your gage to an A2LA certified laboratory for an extra fee. However, unless you have a calibration procedure for the A2LA laboratory (you must supply the procedure) they will defer to the manufactures recommended procedure which involves use of the Electronics Incorporated calibration kit mentioned above. There is no industry standard calibration procedure for the #2 Almen gage. SAE J442 gives construction details but does not state calibration procedure requirements.

Do it yourself calibrations: You can perform your own calibration using our special calibration kit. The kit includes the same special 9-hole template that we use at Electronics Inc and it is certified to meet ball placement requirements of SAE J442. The kit also contains special step blocks manufactured for Electronics Inc. and covered under US Patent. These are used to exercise the indicator while still mounted on the Almen gage frame throughout its full range of operation to prove its accuracy capability. You can download the instruction manual for the calibration kit in pdf format.