The Most Accurate Temperatures – Measured in: Fulda
Based in Münsterfeld, Klasmeier has stood for maximum precision in calibration and measurement technology for over 40 years
Did you know? Fulda is home to Germany’s most accurate privately managed temperature calibration laboratory. In practical terms, this means that for many standard brand-name devices—whether it is a clinical thermometer, a washing machine, an oven, the temperature display in an aircraft’s on-board computer, or a car’s dashboard display—there is a connection to Fulda, specifically to Klasmeier GmbH. Our services ensure that the temperature measured or displayed in the device actually corresponds to the real temperature according to national and international standards.
Measurements with Chemical Elements such as Zinc, Aluminum, or Gallium
Anyone entering the bright and spacious laboratory of Klasmeier GmbH at Flemingstraße 12-14 first notices the pleasantly cool air: the room temperature here is kept at a constant 22°C to ensure optimal functioning of the state-of-the-art calibration facilities. The numerous calibrators are designed quite differently and offer the right solution for every calibration task: there are block calibrators, calibration baths, or calibration furnaces—and measurements are taken using a wide variety of chemical elements, from high-purity water to silver, mercury, zinc, or tin, through to less common elements such as argon, gallium, or indium.
In-house Manufacturing for eXacal Precision Thermometers
Directly opposite the laboratory is the in-house manufacturing facility, where eXacal precision thermometers are carefully handcrafted. “We eventually reached a point where we could no longer find custom-made, accurate reference thermometers on the market for our measurements. So, in 2015, after four years of development work, we began manufacturing thermometers ourselves that can be used for precise temperature measurements or as laboratory standards in a temperature range from -200°C to 1200°C,” explains Managing Director Thomas Klasmeier.
Broad Customer Base from Industry and Research
The graduate engineer took over the management from his father, Peter Klasmeier, five years ago. Since then, Thomas Klasmeier has continuously expanded the portfolio: in addition to the distribution, maintenance, and service of calibration equipment, the family business now also offers calibration services, the manufacture of precision thermometers, and training seminars. Customers include industrial companies from the automotive, aerospace, and electronics sectors, as well as research institutes and universities, all of whom rely on the precision-driven experts from Fulda.
Company Founded in 1986 by Peter Klasmeier
“It all started in 1986 when my father set up his own business as an engineer, developing and implementing customized calibration technologies for companies. Previously, he had been responsible for the development of thermometers at a larger company in Fulda and had been exploring the question of how precise thermometers actually work,” says Thomas Klasmeier, looking back at the birth of the company. At that time, the term ‘calibration’ did not even exist: “Back then, checking whether thermometer specifications actually met the standard was carried out by so-called state weights and measures offices, which no longer exist in that form today.” Since then, Klasmeier has continued to grow—and with it the number of employees, from a single office worker at the beginning to a team of 15.
Accredited and Manufacturer-Independent Laboratory
“We have long been a national leader in temperature calibrations; no one does it as well as we do,” says the graduate engineer with pride. But what actually is a calibration? “Put simply, in a calibration, we check the accuracy of the thermometer in question, for example, using a higher-quality reference thermometer.” For this, the Klasmeier laboratory issues a calibration certificate with an accreditation symbol. “In our accredited and manufacturer-independent laboratory, we calibrate temperature standards with the lowest measurement uncertainties in the DAkkS—which stands for the German Accreditation Body. To achieve this, we undergo a virtually permanent, expensive, and complex accreditation process that is valid for five years and must be reviewed every 18 months. In addition to this national accreditation, we also hold the globally recognized accreditation from ILAC MRA, an international association of accreditation bodies,” adds the graduate engineer.
Comparison and Fixed-Point Calibrations with Maximum Precision
“We perform either a comparison calibration in the temperature range from -196°C to 1200°C using high-precision reference thermometers or a fixed-point calibration in a temperature range from -189°C to 961°C,” says Thomas Klasmeier, providing insight into the secrets of thermodynamics. Fixed-point calibration? “Temperature fixed points are fixed, unchangeable temperatures on which the temperature scale is based. Anders Celsius already did this with the Celsius scale, establishing, for example, that the temperatures at which water changes from a solid to a liquid state or from a liquid to a gaseous state are 0°C and 100°C,” says Thomas Klasmeier. Such fixed points also exist for other chemical elements, such as aluminum, which has a freezing point of exactly 660.323°C.
First Provider in Germany for Temperature Seminars
“And for those who like it a bit more technical: in addition to temperature measurements with the two fixed points of melting and freezing, there are also so-called triple points, where three different states of matter are reached at the same time. Such measurements are even more accurate, but naturally also significantly more complex and cost-intensive. When we perform a measurement using the triple point with high-purity water, another component must be added—pressure, because in our normal atmosphere, water does not exist in the simultaneous states of liquid, gas, and solid. This only succeeds at 0.01°C and approximately 6 millibars,” explains the graduate engineer, who, incidentally, conducts a large part of the training himself in the Klasmeier GmbH seminar room. “The knowledge we impart here is so highly specific that it is generally not part of an engineering degree. Accordingly, participants come not only from industry but largely from research, such as universities.” Since 1994, Klasmeier has been the first provider in Germany to organize seminars in Fulda—since then, around 1,600 participants have received their training certificates.
