A2LA-certified metrologists serving Midwest manufacturers since 2024.
Zach founded Surface Plate Calibration after spending years in the calibration industry and seeing the same problems come up over and over — QA managers burned by vendors who miss appointments, show up with uncalibrated instruments, or hand over certificates that auditors reject on sight. The horror stories were not rare. They were routine.
So we made it our mission to fix that. Our focus is singular: making sure facilities get the NIST-traceable, ISO/IEC 17025 accredited calibrations they need, performed on-site by people who know what they are doing.
A surface plate is not just a table — it is the reference plane for every measurement you take. When that reference degrades, every inspection, every quality check, and every certification built upon it becomes suspect.
ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard that specifies the general requirements for the competence, impartiality, and consistent operation of laboratories. When a calibration provider holds this accreditation, it means their processes have been independently audited and verified.
This is not a certificate on a wall. It guarantees:
For your quality management system, using an accredited provider simplifies audits and provides documented evidence that your equipment is maintained to the highest standard.
Every technician on the job is individually A2LA-certified — meaning their personal competencies have been verified, not just their employer's lab credentials. That distinction matters when an auditor is reviewing your calibration records.
Every service begins with a thorough cleaning using a waterless granite cleaner to remove oils, coolants, and particulates. The technician then performs a hands-on inspection to identify chips, cracks, or deep scratches that affect calibration accuracy.
Using Hilger-Watts Autocollimators, the technician maps the entire surface. Measurements follow the standardized Union Jack pattern to capture flatness data across all axes. This is where most shops discover their plates have drifted further than they assumed.
If the plate is out of tolerance, our vetted technicians use the wet lap method to restore it on the spot. Unlike dry lapping, the wet process uses an abrasive slurry that eliminates harmful silica dust. The result is a harder, more durable surface that holds tolerance longer between service intervals.
After resurfacing, the plate is re-measured to verify it meets the required grade per Federal Specification GGG-P-463c (AA, A, or B). A formal calibration certificate with all measurement data is generated and handed to you before the technician leaves your facility.
Every calibration we perform is NIST-traceable, documented with full measurement uncertainty on your certificate.
Optical instruments for precise angular measurement during surface mapping. The industry standard for granite plate work.
Precision measurement stands for consistent, repeatable readings across the full surface area.
Call us or fill out the form and we can discuss scheduling a calibration for your facility.