The Importance of Accurate Weighing

Weighing is a critical part of any manufacturing operation. Precise weighing reduces raw material loss and waste, increases productivity and helps meet product quality standards.

The best way to ensure consistent, high-quality results is to maintain a well-functioning weighing system with regularly scheduled maintenance and calibration. This also includes protocols for data review and balance validation.

Direct Weighing

An analytical balance is so sensitive that if it is not handled properly, even a single grain of a chemical substance can change the weighing result. This is why adding the substance to a container that will hold it (not directly onto the pan) is important for accurate results.

The weighing-by-difference method is another way to reduce tare errors. This subtractive method involves first weighing the sample container that contains the substance to be transferred. Then, after pouring out part of the substance, the container is weighed again. The difference in the two readings represents the mass of the substance transferred. In this method, exact zeroing of the balance is not necessary since any error in the initial reading cancels out when subtraction occurs.

Automation of weighing processes can reduce errors and waste, but it also requires training your staff in good weighing practices. Providing regular review points for your staff is essential to ensuring that the technology is being used properly, and that everyone understands how to operate it.

Pre-Weighing

Pre-weighing is a vital process for ensuring that the correct amount of ingredients are available to meet production demands. It also helps minimize raw material waste, reducing costs and boosting profitability.

With manual weighing processes, there is a risk that material will stick to the weighing paper and produce an error. Automated systems, with their user-friendly interfaces and streamlined processes, minimize this issue by removing the need for human intervention.

This reduces the risk of operator errors and ensures that the system is delivering accurate measurements. Additionally, automated weighing systems reduce the time required for balance validation. This allows staff to focus on other aspects of the business, freeing up time and resources for important tasks.

Palamatic’s OPDosing Linear pre-weigh manual line is a versatile solution for a wide range of industries that handle large volumes of ingredients. It can be integrated with keying sensors to control weighing powders and provide traceability. It is ideal for bakery, confectionery and industrial deli lines.

Balance Validation

Weighing instruments should be regularly validated to ensure consistent measurements. This is especially important in industries with high standards of quality such as pharmaceuticals. Regular validation helps to reduce material waste and rework costs, as well as maintaining product consistency.

In addition to ensuring that the correct amount of product is produced, balance validation also helps companies maintain accurate records. This is done through periodic testing of the weighing device, usually with the help of a standard weight. Typical tests include determining repeatability and linearity, a cornerload test (where a known value is placed in each corner of the pan for weighing purposes), and span testing.

To test for repeatability, a sample of the products that will be measured needs to be repeatedly weighed on the same scale with and without the calibration weights. The variation between the resulting readings can then be compared and the optimum warm-up procedure can be determined. This may minimize a larger variation present in initial measurements taken on an unexercised balance, and may allow for more frequent use of the instrument with reduced error risk.

Accuracy

Accuracy is a measurement of how close a value obtained on a scale or balance is to its actual or known value. It is not to be confused with precision, which is a measure of how close repeated measurements are to each other (for example, 3.2 kg versus 10 kg).

Obtaining high accuracy requires selecting quality weighing system components and ensuring their proper installation and operation. Adam carries a wide selection of laboratory balances designed for the most demanding applications, with models offering maximum performance and extreme accuracy. For example, our semi-micro and analytical balances include a draft shield to decrease interference from air currents that can cause inaccurate readings. They also have an encapsulated weighing area that helps to minimize the effects of temperature, pressure, moisture and other environmental factors. Regular calibration using certified calibration weights is also essential to achieving the highest levels of weighing accuracy. For more information, please contact us. Our expert team is always happy to assist.

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