Multiple industry standards specify calibration requirements for aging test equipment, covering international, national, and industry-specific fields, to ensure the accuracy and compliance of test data. These standards not only stipulate calibration cycles but also clarify calibration items, technical parameters, and implementation specifications.
1. International Standards
ISO/IEC 17025:2017 "General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories" requires that all equipment used for testing and calibration must be calibrated or verified periodically. The calibration cycle should be determined based on performance verification, frequency of use, and historical data, and is generally recommended to be at least once a year.
ISO 4892-2:2006 "Plastics – Laboratory light source exposure test methods – Part 2: Xenon arc lamps" explicitly stipulates that xenon lamp aging equipment must have its irradiance, temperature, and humidity control systems calibrated periodically to ensure consistency of test conditions and recommends system verification before each major test.
ASTM G155, "Standard for Xenon Arc Lamp Equipment for Exposure of Non-metallic Materials," requires that xenon lamp aging chambers be calibrated for spectral output, irradiance control points (e.g., 340nm), black panel temperature sensors, and spray systems to ensure the realism of the simulated environment.
2. Chinese National Standards (GB)
GB/T 2423 series, "Environmental Testing for Electrical and Electronic Products," covers various aging test methods including high temperature, low temperature, damp heat, and salt spray. It requires that test equipment be within its calibration validity period before critical tests, with a recommended calibration cycle of 6-12 months.
GB/T 3512-2014, "Accelerated Aging and Heat Resistance Tests of Vulcanized Rubber or Thermoplastic Rubber in Hot Air," stipulates that the temperature control system of the thermal aging test chamber should be calibrated periodically to ensure that the temperature deviation does not exceed ±1℃, and that temperature uniformity should be recorded.
GB/T 7141-2008, Test Method for Thermal Aging of Plastics, requires equipment calibration and recording of temperature control accuracy and chamber uniformity. The recommended cycle is 12 months, which should be shortened to 6 months for high-frequency use.
GB/T 8427-2019, Textiles-Tests for Color Fastness-Color Fastness to Artificial Light: Xenon Arc Lamp, explicitly requires calibration of xenon lamp aging equipment for spectral matching, irradiance (usually set to 0.55 W/m²@340nm), blackboard temperature, and humidity control to ensure test comparability.
3. Industry and Professional Standards
YY/T 0681.1-2018, Guideline for Accelerated Aging Tests of Sterile Medical Device Packaging(Pharmaceutical Industry), clearly states that equipment used for accelerated aging of medical devices must be calibrated, and a calibration certificate must be provided in the validation report to ensure traceability and repeatability of aging conditions.
HG/T 3867, "Test Method for Ozone Aging Resistance of Rubber Products," requires the ozone aging test chamber to be calibrated with ozone concentration (range 10~1000 pphm), temperature (25~70℃), and humidity control systems to ensure dynamic testing stability.
GB/T 2951.21-2008, "General Test Methods for Cable Insulation and Sheath Materials," specifies that cable materials should be tested for 1000 hours at an ozone concentration of 50 ppm and a temperature of 25±2℃, requiring the equipment to have high-precision concentration and temperature control calibration capabilities.
JJF 2051-2023, "Calibration Specification for Ozone Aging Test Chambers," fills a domestic gap, clarifying that the ozone concentration indication error should be controlled within ±5%, temperature uniformity ≤ ±2℃, and relative humidity accuracy up to 0.1%RH, serving as the core basis for calibration by metrology institutions.
4. Equipment Manufacturer and Third-Party Practices
Although not a mandatory standard, mainstream equipment manufacturers (such as Q-Lab and ATLAS) and CMA/CNAS certified laboratories generally implement stricter requirements:
A comprehensive calibration is recommended every 6 months, especially for xenon lamp, UV, and temperature/humidity equipment; Specialized calibration is required before high-frequency use or critical project testing; Calibration must be performed by a qualified organization that issues a traceable calibration certificate.
Summary: From international to industry standards, multiple standards specify calibration requirements for aging test equipment. ISO/IEC 17025, GB/T 2423, GB/T 3512, and JJF 2051-2023 are core guidelines. Companies should scientifically set calibration cycles and items based on standard requirements and their own usage intensity to ensure that test results are widely recognized.
