A quality weighing process is crucial for manufacturing applications. It helps ensure consistency, maintain product quality & safety guidelines.

Analytical balances are high precision instruments that should be handled with care. Excessive shock can damage the instrument and cause inaccurate readings.

For best results, tare the balance using standard weights before placing your sample. For applications that don’t require precise accuracy, Direct Weighing is an efficient and cost-effective method.

Accuracy

Accuracy refers to how close your measurements are to a known value. For example, if you weigh the same substance five times and get different readings each time, your results aren’t accurate. Precise, on the other hand, refers to how close your measurements are to each other.

A digital weighing system’s accuracy depends on the accuracy of its components. Load cells (also called load sensors or transducers) bend with mechanical force and convert that bending into an analog output signal that the controller can read. The sensor’s bending is measured by strain gauges bonded to points on the load cell.

Choosing quality components that are suited to your application and installing them properly can go a long way toward improving weighing accuracy. For instance, choose a load cell with an impressive worst-case specification and take steps to prevent external factors like vibrations from affecting your measurements. Also, keep moisture away from your weighing system, as humidity can wreak havoc on its performance.

Efficiency

In a production environment, accurate weighing is critical for meeting recipe specifications & quality requirements. From weighing raw ingredients as part of the incoming goods inspections to final product dispensing or formulation, consistent measurement accuracy helps produce uniform batches. Frequent out-of-specification results can be costly in terms of time & resources.

Regularly performing sensitivity tests helps avoid sensitivity drift, an inaccuracy that occurs over time. This is especially important at the higher end of the weighing range, as sensitivity is the dominant contributor to overall measurement uncertainty. It’s also a good idea to periodically perform cornerload & eccentricity tests, as they can also contribute to inaccurate measurements.

Safety

Weighing systems are used in a variety of industries and workplaces to perform quality control tasks that help ensure product consistency and maintain safety guidelines. METTLER TOLEDO’s quality control weighing systems are designed to deliver the best possible results in any scenario with an emphasis on contamination control.

Weighing by difference is the preferred method for accurate measurements when there is a high level of contamination concern. This involves taring the balance (the initial reading is zero) by placing an empty container such as a beaker on the weighing pan then adding the sample to obtain the mass displayed.

Be sure to keep the weighing chamber doors closed during the weighing process and use forceps or pipets that are clean and free from oil. Also, avoid touching the weighing pan or other parts of the instrument with bare hands as this could lead to cross-contamination and erroneous readings. Additionally, the location of the weighing device should be taken into account as vibrations and air currents can influence weighing measurements.

Maintenance

Weighing systems help companies increase efficiency & decrease deviation from a set standard. They also make data tracking effortless. Whether you’re looking for a quality control system or a production scale, Michelli can create a solution to suit your needs.

A simple way to keep track of balance drift is by weighing a check-weight on a regular basis (before and after a calibration). The check weight should be an object that remains constant in size & has a known mass. The calibration should be done at the current ambient laboratory temperature to avoid errors due to changes in the balance’s environment.

Always clean a lab balance thoroughly after weighing chemicals or other substances that can leave debris behind. Even a small amount of dust or dirt can cause inaccurate readings. If possible, use a damp, lint-free microfiber towel to wipe down the glass draft shields & stainless-steel weighing platforms.