Weighing raw materials accurately is crucial to your business. It ensures the right amount of ingredients are used to make products and reduces waste.
But, weighing is not without its challenges. Errors can occur for a variety of reasons, such as balance drift or air currents. Identifying and eliminating these sources of error can help improve weighing accuracy.
Workspace Preparation
When implemented properly, automated weighing processes allow businesses to leverage a wide range of benefits, from cost savings and quality assurances to increased productivity and growth potential. However, successfully integrating automation into an existing workflow demands thoughtful consideration of all aspects of the process. From the initial assessment of manual interventions to establishing periodic review points, implementing automation effectively is crucial to reaping its full benefits.
For example, when weighing food ingredients, sample homogenization is essential. Three apples and one orange won’t make for a successful weighing session, as the results may vary significantly from those of a watermelon. This requires reducing size and preparing samples to fit on a scale, which may involve cutting an item into smaller pieces or removing portions of larger items to reduce weight.
Materials
Weighing materials is a necessary process in many manufacturing applications. From the weighing of incoming raw ingredients for food production to the weighing of finished products going into inventory, accurate measurements are essential. This heightened accuracy is especially critical in applications where product consistency is key, like pharmaceuticals and food production.
Often a simple spatula is used to transfer precisely weighed samples from the weighing bottle into a beaker. When weighing the most delicate materials, ultra micro and micro balances may be used with a readability as low as 0.1 ug or 0.00001 g.
Batching systems are technologically advanced scales that combine controls and weighing systems to measure and dispense different materials in predetermined quantities by weight. These systems can be utilized for sequential (gain-in-weight) or simultaneous (loss-of-weight) batch control applications. These applications use a weigh vessel with one or more load cells to display a real-time rate of change, indicating the quantity of material either added to or removed from a specific silo, tank or other storage container.
Equipment
Weighing equipment is used to measure the mass of an object. It can be found in laboratories, factories and other industrial applications.
The type of weighing equipment depends on the specific application and accuracy requirements. Error sources can be caused by balance drift, air currents, lack of thermal equilibrium and manipulation of the instrument during weighing. Good laboratory techniques and practices are required to avoid these errors.
Precise weighment reduces wasted raw materials and costly rework, directly impacting the bottom line. It also reduces waste of labour and time, improving productivity.
Automated weighing systems eliminate the need for manual processes and speed up operations. They are user-friendly and offer clear, concise instructions which simplify onboarding. This allows new staff to learn weighing procedures quickly and easily, cutting training times and minimizing the risk of beginner mistakes. PCE offers products for automated weighing processes that can be integrated with other process control technologies. This enables your business to operate more efficiently and meet production demands with fewer resources.
Calibration
Calibration is a comparison of an unknown measurement device against an established standard (the reference) to determine how far the measurement is from the desired accuracy. This ensures that the results of measurements are within the specification limits that led to selecting the instrument in the first place.
This step is crucial to accurate weighing. Following a strict calibration process helps minimize the chance of error and saves time in rework.
A good weighing calibration starts with a well-established SOP and follows the proper steps for each type of measurement. This helps ensure that the results of each calibration are the same, which is vital to traceability.
When weighing critical products or equipment, it is important to use a qualified calibration professional. These professionals can help you avoid costly mistakes and increase your productivity. They have the experience and knowledge necessary to perform a quick, accurate calibration. They can also provide valuable data that can improve your weighing process and ensure compliance.