The Mechanical, Metrology and Testing Branch falls under the Metrology and Testing Division at the Bureau of Standards Jamaica. This department consists of five (5) Metrology laboratories and two (2) testing laboratories. The Metrology laboratories are: Mass Metrology, Flow and Volume Metrology, Force and Pressure Metrology, Dimensional Metrology and Relative Humidity Metrology. The Testing laboratories are: Metallurgy and Product Testing. The laboratories within the branch operate under the requirements of ISO: IEC 17025:2005 and provide measurement traceability for Jamaica’s measurement system to the International System of Units (SI) through its calibration services.
The Mechanical Metrology and Testing Branch also has a Mechanical Workshop which manufactures and supplies Jamaica’s petroleum industry with devices called dipsticks and T-Bars. In other territories, T-Bars are known as fuel tanker dipsticks. T-Bars devices are used to determine the level/volume of fuel stored in the compartments of petroleum tanker wagons while dipsticks are used to determine the level/volume of fuel stored in stationary fuel storage tanks (usually installed underground).
Calibration
The Mass Laboratory is accredited by DAkkS according to ISO/IEC 17025. The accreditation is valid only for the scope listed in the annex of the accreditation certificate D-K-17061-01-00.
It is the Caribbean Reference Laboratory (CARL) for Mass.
This laboratory provides the following services:
- Determination of mass of dead weights and pressure balance components
- Determination of the density of weight pieces
- Determination of the conventional mass of weight pieces
- Calibration of Balances
The Flow and Volume Laboratory is accredited by DAkkS according to ISO/IEC 17025. The accreditation is valid only for the scope listed in the annex of the accreditation certificate D-K-17061-01-00.
This laboratory is the Caribbean Reference Laboratory (CARL) for Volume.
This laboratory provides the following services:
- Calibration of volumetric test measures used in the petroleum trade
- Calibration of small and large capacity volumetric containers
- On-site calibration of Petroleum meters at loading racks
- Calibration of water meters and other types of flow meters for entities in the hospitality and tourism, paints and coatings, bauxite and brewery industries and the municipal water provider
- Calibration of pipettes and micro-pipettes
This laboratory provides calibration of equipment used to measure force, torque and pressure in industries such as aviation, manufacturing, construction and health.
Some of the services offered are:
Pressure:
- Calibration of high-accuracy pneumatic pressure and vacuum gauges and transmitters
- Calibration of high-accuracy hydraulic pressure gauges
- Calibration of manual sphygmomanometers (blood pressure machines)
- Calibration of pneumatic pressure gauges
- Calibration of hydraulic pressure gauges
Force:
- Calibration of compression testing machines used in the construction industry to test concrete
- Calibration of load/proving rings that are used in CBR and Marshall stability testers to test soil and asphalt.
Torque:
- Calibration of torque wrenches and torque screwdrivers
This laboratory provides traceability services for Length measurement to the various service and manufacturing industries in Jamaica and the CARICOM region.
The laboratory provides calibration services for:
- Gauge Blocks
- External Micrometers
- Can-seam Micrometers
- External Calipers
- Dial Gauges
- Depth Gauges
- Feeler Gauges
- Steel Rules and Tape Measures (Coming Soon)
It also provides verification for ultrasonic thickness testers/gauges used in manufacturing and non-destructive testing.
This laboratory provides traceability services for relative humidity measurement to the various service and manufacturing industries in Jamaica.
The laboratory provides calibration services for:
- Hygrometers / data loggers
- Laboratory Environment Monitors (LEMs)