ATP Swab reading machine calibration
Hi All
I have just been advised that one of the sites within our group use 3M ATP machines that require an annual calibration & this is time programmed into the machine so if you don’t get it calibrated by that date it won’t work until you do!
I know the machines need to be calibrated before first use to correlate the RLU with TVC but this is the first I have heard of an annual calibration – the site has informed me that this is 1000€ a year for both machines.
Seems a little excessive to me or is it really something that needs to be done?.
If anybody using the 3M machines your feedback would be very useful.
AT my last post we had this machine installed, and as far as I remember, it does need a 3M calibration yearly---------------BUT this should have been incorporated in the purchase, 3M is usually really good about this sort of thing
Best advice, call your local 3M directly yourself and ask, but I wouldn't be surprised it the system won't work until calibrated, but now that I think about it, since its wired in, calibration should be able to be performed remotely....
Good luck, just make sure you ask to speak to a Tech----they won't try and sell you anything new
Scampi - many thanks for your help with this - do you know WHY a calibration is required?.... if the calibration can be performed remotely what is the unit being calibrated against?...
I have always ensured readers are calibrated before use but I'd like to know why an annual calibration is required.
Many thanks
There are test plates that arrive with the machine to perform internal calibration, to ensure the reader is counting the right number of colonies. I would image the 3M calibration is the same but on a more precise scale.....and I would imagine that the calibration plates would need replaced from time to time
OR (devils advocate here) 3M has realized that processors have to follow the manufactures recommendations for calibration as per all GFSI and regulatory schemes (or i may just be jaded lol)
Hi All
I have just been advised that one of the sites within our group use 3M ATP machines that require an annual calibration & this is time programmed into the machine so if you don’t get it calibrated by that date it won’t work until you do!
I know the machines need to be calibrated before first use to correlate the RLU with TVC but this is the first I have heard of an annual calibration – the site has informed me that this is 1000€ a year for both machines.
Seems a little excessive to me or is it really something that needs to be done?.
If anybody using the 3M machines your feedback would be very useful.
Hi lesley,
In the absence of ATP / TVC data any "calibration" between the two aspects for a generic food system would seem a mathematical impossibility.
Not to mention that for numerous food systems there is no correlation between ATP and TVC data.
I suspect the "calibration" may be related to this respective kind of ATP or TVC System application feature -
ATP control kit.pdf 311.62KB 33 downloads