Weighing is an essential part of many processes. From manufacturing medications to calculating fuel needs for planes, precision in mass measurements is crucial.
To avoid errors, ensure that your automated weighing systems align with your current production protocols and procedures. Also, be sure to set up a schedule for regular reviews and maintenance.
Pre-Weighing
With the current labour shortage and health & safety concerns, it makes sense to automate manual processes. With a weighing system, you can save time and money by letting the equipment do the work for you.
Using a pre-weigh system in place of the traditional hoppers, you can reduce the bulk bag filling cycle time to just seconds. Rather than weighing the payload of ingredients as it flows into the bulk bag filler, they are weighed in a separate bin or hopper above the machine.
The advantage of this method is that the ingredients are measured and dispensed before being poured into the bag, eliminating the possibility of error from improper measuring. It also allows you to set the recipe based on quantity and ensures batch-to-batch consistency. Many systems come with integrated barcode scanners, enabling fast and efficient identification of ingredients and streamlined record-keeping. This simplifies the onboarding process for new staff, reducing training times and minimising the risk of beginner errors.
Balance Validation
It is necessary to validate your analytical balance prior to weighing each new sample. This process tests the instrument’s repeatability, linearity and operating range with certified weights. The test results must meet specifications, demonstrating traceability of measurement results to SI units. It is recommended that calibration and performance checks be performed daily and before critical measurements.
Various factors influence a balance’s ability to deliver accurate readings, including air currents, lack of thermal equilibrium and magnetic or electrostatic fields. These effects can cause non-repeatable measurements, imbalances or inaccurate results.
Lab personnel must handle weights with care to avoid contamination or damage. The weights should be kept in a temperature-controlled room and protected from vibration or mechanical shock. They should be stored securely and handled with tweezers or forceps for small weights and cotton gloves for larger weights. They should never be exposed to direct sunlight or excessive heat or cold. In addition, the weighing area should be free from humidity above 40% to prevent condensation that affects the mass of standards and samples.
Direct Weighing
Whether it’s a food ingredient or pharmaceutical chemical, precise batch weighing increases production efficiency and boosts profitability. It also ensures that all materials are used in the correct order, reducing waste and ensuring quality consistency.
Automated weighing systems integrate seamlessly into your manufacturing process and often include features like pre-weighing and the ability to determine the order of ingredients automatically, integrating with existing production protocols. In addition, many modern weighing systems have data logging capabilities that provide insights to further optimize your production processes.
When using an analytical balance for direct transfer weighing, the empty container must first be tared (placed on the pan with nothing added) so that the resulting reading is accurate. Then, the substance to be transferred is weighed on clean weighing paper and the readings are subtracted. This method, known as weighing by difference, eliminates the need for containers and any errors in initial readings will cancel out when the subtraction takes place.