Custom calibration management software for laboratory equipment
Appfront builds software for laboratories that need to keep their equipment calibrated and checked: balances, pipettes, pH meters, thermometers, refrigerators, incubators and analysers. For each device, it covers external calibrations with certificates, the daily or periodic checks carried out by the lab itself, and the current status. A device that is not in order is blocked from analyses, and if a calibration shows a deviation, you can see which results were produced with that device.
What is calibration management software for laboratory equipment?
In a laboratory, the reliability of every result depends on the equipment. Balances, pipettes, pH meters and analysers are calibrated externally at regular intervals, and the lab also checks them itself, sometimes every day. Refrigerators and incubators must stay within a temperature range. For accreditation and audits, you must be able to demonstrate that each device was in order at the moment it was used.
Calibration software for measuring equipment in general already exists. A laboratory involves more: the daily check sits in a paper logbook next to the balance, the refrigerator temperature is on a different screen, and the external calibrations are in a folder. Whether a pipette was allowed to be used only becomes clear when someone looks up the logbook. And if a calibration shows a deviation, you need to work out which analyses have been carried out with that device since the previous calibration.
We build custom software because laboratories differ: which instruments, which controls and with which limits, which LIMS you use, and which requirements your accreditation sets. What the standard or your accreditation asks of you is for you to determine with your quality officer; the software records what that requires and links it to the place where analyses are carried out.
Calibration and checks together
For each device, the external calibrations and your own checks, with limits and history.
No analysis on a device with a problem
A device that is not in order is blocked in the LIMS or work instruction.
Impact of a deviation
When a calibration or check shows a deviation, an overview of the results produced with that device.
How we build your calibration management software for laboratory equipment
We start with your lab: which devices, which checks, how these are recorded now, and which LIMS you use.
Your devices, calibrations, checks, limits, LIMS and accreditation requirements.
Devices with calibrations and checks, and recording of checks against the device.
Status per device, and blocking or notification in the LIMS when there is a problem.
Results per device when there is a deviation, a file for audit, and ongoing management afterwards.
What calibration management software for laboratory equipment does in practice
The components below feature in almost every laboratory. Which ones you need depends on your equipment.
Devices
Devices with location, type and use.
Calibrations
External calibrations with certificates and measurement uncertainty.
Checks
Own checks with limits, recorded against the device.
Temperature
Temperature of refrigerators and incubators.
Block
No use of a device that is not in order.
Impact
Results per device when there is a deviation.
Who we build calibration management software for laboratory equipment for
The software is intended for laboratories with a lot of equipment and checks.
Medical laboratories
Accreditation and high analysis volumes. The impact on results is central.
Food and environmental labs
Many balances and pipettes. The daily checks matter most.
Industrial labs
Quality control of products. The blocking is what is needed.
Research labs
A wide variety of equipment. The register per device is central.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about calibration management in the laboratory. For measuring equipment in general, see our page on calibration software; for laboratories, see our page on laboratory software; and for laboratory stock, see our page on laboratory inventory management. Read about our approach at building software with us.
Why choose Appfront for your laboratory equipment calibration management software?
If a result came from a device that was not in order, it has to be retrieved, and that costs more than the calibration itself. That is what we build on: calibrations and checks together, a block before use, and an overview of the impact should anything deviate.
No doubts at audit
For each device, you can see that it was in order.
No use when there is a problem
The block stops a device from being used.
Quickly know what has been affected
Results per device are ready to hand.
Security and privacy in laboratory equipment calibration management software
The software holds data on equipment, calibrations and integrations with analysis results. The results themselves stay in the LIMS; the software refers to them. Access is set up by role, and every entry is logged.
The software runs in a European data centre or in the laboratory's own environment, with encrypted storage, daily back-ups and sign-in with a second factor.
Frequently asked questions about laboratory equipment calibration management software
Questions laboratories ask before getting started.
It keeps track of external calibrations and internal checks for each device, records temperatures, shows the status, blocks a device that is not in order, and, when a deviation occurs, shows which results were produced with that device.
General calibration software manages measuring instruments, deadlines and certificates. In a laboratory, daily checks, the temperature of fridges and incubators, the block in the LIMS and the impact on results are added to that. This software is built around them.
At the device, on a tablet or screen, with the value and the limit. A check outside the limit triggers an alert straight away and marks the device as not in order, so it is not used until the issue is resolved.
Yes, provided the LIMS has an interface. The status of a device is passed to the LIMS, so an analysis cannot be started on a device that is not in order, and the LIMS records which device was used for which result.
The software shows which results have been produced with that device since the last satisfactory calibration. What you do with those results is decided by your laboratory according to your procedure; the overview is ready for you.
The software records what an audit often asks for: per device, the calibrations, checks, status and history. Which requirements apply to your accreditation is for you to determine with your quality officer.
Check that first. Some LIMS have equipment management, and that is enough if your checks fit within it. Custom software makes sense if calibrations, checks and temperatures currently sit in different systems, or if you want to see the impact on results.
Every device demonstrably in order, for every result?
Tell us what equipment your laboratory has, which checks you carry out and which LIMS you use. We will show you what the register, the checks and the impact analysis look like.