In manufacturing industries, accurate weighing processes ensure that ingredients are added in the correct order and proportion. This helps maintain product consistency and quality.
The weighing process should always begin with the balance being “warmed up”. This minimizes variations in weighing results caused by environmental and thermal fluctuations. It also eliminates contamination issues.
Accuracy
Accuracy is critical for process control optimisation and operational excellence in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, food processing, and manufacturing. Precise measurements are required for assembling parts, monitoring material usage, and conducting quality checks. This is why companies prioritize weighing accuracy to maintain product consistency, comply with regulatory standards, and uphold production capabilities.
When selecting a lab balance, consider the accuracy and readability parameters that are most important for your application. For example, a laboratory scale’s response time can impact the accuracy of its results. Adam’s Solis, Equinox, and Luna lab balances are designed with a draft shield to decrease interference from air currents and vibrations, which can affect readings.
Additionally, choosing a scale with a robust load cell and calibrating it regularly using certified calibration weights helps ensure the highest accuracy levels in bulk materials handling applications. These factors can also help reduce operational costs through minimizing material waste and improved resource utilization. Efficient weighing processes can also save time and increase labor productivity.
Time
For food manufacturing processes, the precise weighing of ingredients is essential. Inaccurate measurements can affect the end product, resulting in products that don’t meet production specifications and causing costly delays. The time needed to complete the weighing process can vary widely depending on the accuracy required for each measurement, and the methods used to minimize sources of error.
It pays off to build quality into your weighing process from the start, rather than discovering problems only when it’s too late. Routine testing of your balances and scales by the user is one of the easiest ways to uncover inaccuracies that could otherwise go undetected until the next service calibration.
For example, a sample of powder can be transferred from the weighing paper onto a volumetric flask by placing a clean spatula on the balance and pressing down until the desired weight is reached. Then, a weighing paper is placed back on the balance and the difference in mass can be calculated to determine the exact powder mass that went into the volumetric flask.
Cost
Weighing systems shouldn’t be considered as just a technical tool, but rather an investment in operational efficiency and competitiveness. They influence the way goods move through production, how invoices are created, and how information flows across departments. When they are streamlined and efficient, they can reduce human error and boost productivity.
Incorrect weighing can lead to production inconsistencies that impact product quality, cost and profitability. However, errors can be eliminated with a proper training of staff and implementing a new weighing system that aligns with specific production processes.
Integrating weighing systems into business workflows streamlines data collection, reduces errors, and enhances transparency. This can result in faster invoicing and a reduction in the need for paper weigh tickets, which in turn leads to reduced inventory management costs. In addition, automated data transfer reduces manual work and ensures that weighing results are visible in the right places at all times. This also simplifies the integration of weighing data with other ERP, WMS and invoicing systems.
Safety
In the food and pharmaceutical industries, weighing accuracy is crucial for compliance with industry regulations. A poor weighing process can result in a mismatch between ingredients and finished products, leading to stockouts and other supply chain issues. Precise weighing also helps companies manage inventory levels, reducing waste and optimizing production processes.
A good weighing process includes proper laboratory hygiene to protect employees from harmful chemicals and prevent erroneous measurements. It should include the use of clean lint-free gloves, which reduces sweat transfer from hands to the items being weighed. Also, a laboratory should be free of vibrations and air drafts to prevent measurement drift in analytical balances.
Another way to ensure accurate measurements is to perform periodic checks on the weighing equipment. This will help avoid malfunctions and inaccurate readings and provide the data needed to make decisions about maintenance and calibration. Lastly, it is essential to use the right containers and materials for weighing, and to keep the laboratory in constant temperature.