Pipette Servicing FAQs

Alpha Lab Service and Calibration can be carried out by a Sartorius Service Technician at your premises or you can opt to post your pipettes into the dedicated service and calibration laboratory.

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Yes, you must have a minimum of 15 single channels OR 5 multichannels in need of servicing for on-site clinic, if you have less than this amount you will need to post your pipettes in.

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There are two different service levels to choose from: ‘Service with Standard Calibration Certificate’ and ‘Service with UKAS Calibration Certificate’. These are available for both single and multichannel, electronic and mechanical pipettes, as well as dispensers.

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The Standard Calibration is recommended for pipettes in general use in the laboratory. It is based on the primary method recommended for pipette calibration, the gravimetric method, as outlined in part 6 of the ISO 8655 Standard. Adherence to this standard ensures a high level of competency and data integrity.

Alpha Laboratories’ Pipette Service is delivered in partnership with Sartorius, a fully ISO/IEC 17025 accredited calibration and testing laboratory. UKAS calibration of instruments, carried out by a UKAS accredited service provider, ensures compliance for regulated environments that require full traceability to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard.

The uncertainty of measurement provides reliable information about the quality of a measurement result. It indicates the range of values in which the true measured value lies. The lower the uncertainty of measurement, the narrower the range within which the true value lies. Accredited calibration certificates issued by Sartorius state the uncertainty of measurement in an easy-to-understand way and provide confidence in interpreting your measured values.

As Found readings or Pre-Calibration readings show how pipettes have performed since their last service and calibration. This is important for GLP or GMP environments as it demonstrates that equipment and instrumentation is being used in accordance with strict procedural and performance criteria between services.

Calibration levels are derived from a number of gravimetric weighings taken at different volumes.  Alpha Pipette Service offers six different calibration levels for both Standard and UKAS certification.

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The gravimetric method is a reference measurement procedure, in which the mean of no less than 10 weighings of a liquid dispensed by a pipette, is used in the determination of uncertainty in gravimetric volume calibration. The measured result in mass is converted into volume, taking into account the environmental factors of temperature, humidity and pressure. The random and systematic errors associated with the measurements are then calculated. This method is outlined in EN ISO 8655-6:2003 Piston Operated Volumetric Apparatus – Part 6: Gravimetric methods for the determination of measurement error.

For variable volume pipettes it is recommended that weighings be taken at the nominal (maximum) volume, the mid-point (50% of nominal) and the minimum volume (10% of nominal). Weighings can also be taken at the maximum and minimum volumes only, or even at just the mid-point volume. For fixed volume pipettes, weighings can only be taken at the fixed volume.