Coherent has become the first major, commercial manufacturer of laser power and energy measurement instruments to achieve a certificate of accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 at its Wilsonville, Oregon calibration laboratory. Certification to ISO 17025 demonstrates technical competence in the field of calibration, and verifies operation of a conforming laboratory quality management system.

The scope of accreditation applies to the company’s portfolio of pyroelectric laser energy sensors, thermopile laser power sensors and meter electronics.  ISO 17025 certification is a formal recognition that a calibration laboratory is using valid and appropriate methods and is competent to carry out specified tests or calibrations. 

This certification is especially valuable to organizations in government regulated industries (such as medical, military and aerospace) where system builders must document the traceability and performance accuracy of their own products. Additionally, since Coherent has been independently verified through ACLASS, a brand of the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board, and recognized internationally by ILAC, APLAC and IAAC, this certification will often eliminate the need for customers to perform costly and time consuming supplier auditing.

ISO 17025 governs a laboratory’s quality management system, such as auditing and corrective action processes, and requires adherence to rigorous technical requirements. These requirements include methods for determining measurement uncertainty, validating the appropriateness of test methods, and providing calibration data to customers in an approved format.  The outcome of these efforts is that customers can have confidence that a laboratory achieves verifiably correct results, and that these results will be reported in an unambiguous manner.

“Achieving full ISO 17025 compliance was a complicated and lengthy process, but one our current and prospective customers have been asking for us to provide.  Coherent is proud to continue to be on the forefront of laser measuring products, technology and services as the only commercial company offering this valuable compliance capability,” notes Michael Cook, Vice President of Coherent’s laser systems and measurement business unit. 

For more information, visit http://www.Coherent.com/