Frequently Asked Questions

pictureAren’t all thermocouples the same, regardless of who makes them?

ANSWER: No. There are many variables depending on how they were manufactured and by whom. All thermocouples should be manufactured to ASTM specifications and should be made and tested to minimum standards. There are many interpretations of ‘SHOULD BE’.
A follow up question for you is;
Are your current purchased thermocouples manufactured to ASTM standards? Are you sure???

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How important is accuracy in a thermocouple? That is, does it really matter how accurate they are?

ANSWER: Ask your customer just how important their temperature specifications are! The reason that manufacturing and pyrometry ‘standards’ are written is to take the guesswork out of the importance of accuracy; it is specified for the manufacturer and the end user (you). Even if it doesn’t apply to your business it would be very informative to read ‘AMS 2750’, the Aerospace Material Specification on Pyrometry. This will explain the detailed attention that must be paid to temperature measurement and to the products used for that purpose.

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Why do you use an outside laboratory to certify your sensors? Why not certify them yourself?

ANSWER: While many manufacturers have ‘in-house’ certification labs we prefer using third-party, independent and unbiased laboratories for our certifications. These outside labs are accredited to ISO-17025 and do direct work for the largest aerospace manufacturers. We pay them for doing the certification work – they are not concerned about the results – they just report the FACTS – good or bad. It is because we use independent third-party labs that you can be assured of honest, accurate and unquestionable product certification.

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Why did you choose ‘PRI Registrar’ for your ISO and AS certifications?

ANSWER: PRI (Performance Review Institute) is wholly owned by SAE International. SAE Aerospace maintains the Aerospace specifications and is a very highly respected organization worldwide. PRI is also responsible for Nadcap certifications and training. People in the Aerospace industry understand this and respect us for choosing PRI as our registrar. We are the ONLY thermocouple manufacturer to have been certified to ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D, by PRI. We are very proud of this distinction.

 

Quality QUeSTIONS

Do I have to spend extra money to get ‘Aerospace Quality’ sensors if I don’t do work in, or for the Aerospace industry?

A: NO. If you can buy top quality for a competitive price why would you settle for less? Our Aerospace quality can give you longer sensor life as well as better accuracy and more dependable / repeatable results. . . and we may just save you more money than you can imagine!

With that in mind; below is a quote attributed to John Ruskin (1819-1900).
This is even more true today than it was 100 years ago

"There is hardly anything in the world that someone cannot make a little worse
and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price alone are that person's lawful prey.

It is unwise to pay too much, but it is also unwise to pay too little. When you pay too
much, you lose a little money, that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything because the thing you bought is incapable of doing the thing you bought it to do.

The common law of business balance prohibits paying a little and getting a lot... It can't be done. If you deal with the lowest bidder it is well to add something for the risk you run. And if you do that you will have enough to pay for something better."