Digital Scales FAQ
Q: What is a checkweighing scale?- A: A checkweighing scale is a scale that measures the mass of a package or product usually as it travels over a conveyer. It records the mass of an item and rejects those which fall outside of a preset range of values.
- Q: Why are the weighing compartments of some scales enclosed?
- A: This enclosure is called a draft shield. Draft shields keep out air and ensures accuracy of your results. Even a breath can contaminate results when a high level of precision is necessary.
- Q: What is a moisture analyzing scale?
- A: A Moisture Analyzer scale is used to determine the moisture content in substances such as soil, plastics or food. The scale measures the sample's weight at the beginning of the process and again at the completion. In between a halogen lamp heats up the sample and evaporates the moisture. The difference between the starting weight and the end weight will equal the substance's moisture content percentage.
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Q: What does LFT stand for? - A: LFT stands for Legal for Trade. LFT-Certified scales are certified to be accurate in terms of their weighing results and are crucial in many industries in which products are sold by weight, such as jewelry and food.
- Q: How can digital scales be used to calibrate pipettes?
- A: First, you will need several items to begin: pipette, beaker, erlenmeyer flask, thermometer, weigh balance, pipette filler and a pen and paper. Make sure that the pipette and beaker are clean and dry (any residue could adversely effect measurements). Next, place distilled water in the erlenmeyer flask for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes is up, measure the temperature of the water. Determine the mass of the beaker to the nearest tenth of a milligram, using a balance for this step. Next, fill the pipette using the pipette filler with water from the erlenmeyer flask and deposit the water into the beaker. Weigh the beaker again and record the difference in weight from the earlier measurement. Repeat this step three more times.
Now, calculate the mean of the four pipette measurements. Next, add 1.06 mg per gram to the mean mass. This must be done to adjust for the buoyancy of air during the weighing. If you are using a digital scale, ignore this step. Now, determine the density of water at the temperature you measured before. Then find the mean volume of water discharged by the pipette using the formula: Volume = mass / density. Last, compare your measurements and calculations to other results in pipette calibration in order to determine the precision of your pipette.
Q: What is an NTEP certified digital scale?- A: NTEP stands for the "National Type Evaluation Program." Through testing in twelve laboratories, NTEP evaluates the performance, accuracy operating characterisitics, features and options of scales against the applicable standards for weighing and measuring devices.
For additional scale model information, try our Selecting a Scale by Application page or our Selecting a Scale by Capacity & Readability page.
