What Is VCAP?
VCAP provides a level of assurance to manufacturers that weighing devices perform to certified standards in specific environments. VCAP stands for Verified Conformity Assessment Program. The certification standard is NTEP, National Type Evaluation Program.
A History Lesson on VCAP
A need for accurate weights and measures goes back to ancient Egypt and China and was a subject of significant interest to the founding fathers of the USA. In 1901 the National Bureau of Standards was founded and became NIST, the National Institute of Standards and Technology in 1988. The purpose of NIST was to assist industry in the development of technology needed to improve quality and to modernize manufacturing processes, to ensure product reliability, and to facilitate rapid commercialization of products based on new scientific discoveries. Determining the accurate weight or volume of an object was a fundamental requirement to NIST accomplishing its purpose. NTEP has been around since 1994. VCAP was developed to ensure load cells were produced under audited quality management system and were tested to verify compliance with the environmental requirements.
VCAP and ISO Management Standards
VCAP is more than ISO 9001:2015 certification. ISO 9001 certifies the management systems. VCAP certifies the manufacturing and testing process for load cells and weighing devices. Having an ISO management system does not meet the requirements for VCAP. The company must have a separate audit to VCAP standards.
Moving forward with VCAP
If you would like some help implementing VCAP, please feel free to contact Technacon Company Inc. at technacon1986@sbcglobal.net or call (708) 814-3685.