Building-up a Double Accredited CRM Production Laboratory in an Industrial Environment: A Description

Abstract

Over the last three years Sigma-Aldrich has built-up a competence centre for CRM (Certified Reference Material) production in Buchs, Switzerland. The new facility is accredited following both ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO Guide 34. The commercial availability of a broad range of different CRMs is of highest importance with respect to the realisation of metrological concepts in practice. This article describes the process of the production and certification of inorganic CRMs of highest quality. This comprises the comprehensive characterisation of the starting materials, the high precision weighing of the compounds, homogenisation and special packaging of these new CRMs.