How accurate should your lab scale be?

Laboratory work relies on accurate measurements. That said, some applications can tolerate lower accuracy levels, while others demand the highest precision possible. This means there’s no universal answer to the question of how accurate lab scales should be. However, when it comes to choosing a lab-scale, here are some key considerations in terms of accuracy.

Important parameters

Every scale is characterized by parameters and the most important ones are readability, accuracy and repeatability.

  • Accuracy refers to how accurate a scale’s reading is to the actual weight of the object.

  • Readability refers to the lowest denominator the scale can display when weighing an object. For instance, a scale with a readability of 0.1mg has a lower readability than a scale with a readability of 1mg.

  • Repeatability refers to the scale’s ability to display the same measurement result for a given object under identical conditions. This is often expressed as a standard deviation, meaning that the lower the value is the less variation there is.

As a rule of thumb, a scale with lower readability will be more accurate, but that doesn’t mean they’re the same. A scale could have very low readability while also being inaccurate. And, if you need to add and remove weights in real time, make sure to check linearity and eccentricity values provided by the manufacturer.

Amount of accuracy needed The degree of accuracy you need is entirely dependent on what you use the scale for. Every application and lab has a certain tolerance for error or, more precisely, a maximum uncertainty tolerance. This parameter specifies how much uncertainty is acceptable when weighing things in the context of your lab, and that can change depending on the specific activities and work performed. For instance, if your uncertainty tolerance is 1%, your scale doesn’t need to be as accurate as if your tolerance was 0.1%.

To know if your scale is accurate enough, all you need to do is determine the smallest weight your scale can accurately weigh. This is done by dividing the balance’s repeatability by your maximum uncertainty tolerance, which will then give you a specific weight. If this weight is found to be 20 mg, for example, you now know your scale is accurate when measuring anything that weighs 20 mg and up. It’s therefore unsuitable for anything under that value.

Find a reliable precision scale in Alberta

Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. carries a wide range of precision scales and we serve clients in Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Swift Current and surrounding areas. Whether you need to source specialized equipment or want advice on how to equip your laboratory, you can count on our experts for help. Contact us today to find out more about our products and services.

Why it’s important to weigh your livestock regularly

The weight of your cattle is one of the most crucial data points you need to track if you want to ensure the success of your business. Here are four key reasons why purchasing a livestock scale is a great way to maximize efficiency and reduce costs.

To know when to breed them
Breeding decisions form the basis of your herd’s long-term profitability. When deciding which heifers to breed, it’s important to select ones that have reached puberty and are ready to be bred. Since weight is a major determinant of when puberty occurs in cows, it’s the variable to keep an eye on when identifying the best time to breed a heifer. This will help ensure a healthy pregnancy.

To know how much feed to give
Tracking how much weight your cattle is putting on is the best way to ensure you aren’t wasting feed. Raising cattle often means hoping replacement heifers as well as other animals reach their target weights within a reasonable timeframe. However, giving them too much food can end up costing you big. By tracking their weight, you can easily adjust feed quantities to maximize your profits.

To know when to wean them
Calf weight is important when deciding if it’s time to start weaning. Early weaning can be a great tool, especially if you want to increase pregnancy rates. By weighing your animals regularly you’ll be able to find out how much weight they’re putting on and how much more they’ll need to put on to be healthy when switched over to grazing or other forms of feeding.

To know how healthy they are
The challenging task of tracking the health of your herd can be made easier by weighing them regularly. Sudden weight loss, a common symptom of serious health issues, can be hard to notice on cows and other large animals. Using a livestock scale to monitor them is the best way to catch early signs of disease.

Find livestock scales in Alberta Accurate/Western Scale provides scales to help you manage your cows and other livestock. We’re a top provider of farm scales in Calgary and throughout Alberta. We also offer a range of scale repair and maintenance services. Contact us today to get a free estimate or learn more about how we can help.

Does a scale have to be recertified when it crosses the border?

A scale doesn’t have to be recertified once it crosses the border between Canada and the United States. This is thanks to the Canada/U.S. Type Evalulation Program. Here’s everything you should know about it.

About scale certification

In both Canada and the United States, scales used to buy and sell goods need to be certified as legal for trade. This certification can be obtained through authorized technicians and is necessary to ensure that trade relying on accurate weights proceeds fairly. In Canada, Measurement Canada is responsible for setting the standards and granting authorization to certify scales. In the United States, this job belongs to the National Conference of Weights and Measures (NCWM).

The Canada/U.S. Type Evaluation Program

Both countries have a type evaluation program for weighing equipment. In Canada, the needed laboratories are located in Ottawa. There, Measurement Canada conducts testing of scales against the Canadian requirement for legal for trade certification. In the United States, this is the job of National Type Evaluation Program (NTEP).

A 1994 agreement between the two countries allows for weighing equipment used in commercial activities to be tested for both sets of standards. This means Canadian laboratories can grant the U.S. NTEP certificate as well as the Canadian legal for trade certification, and vice-versa. In some cases, one country may also recognize the certification from the other country without need for further certification (fuel dispensers are one example).

Why this program matters

The program allows scale manufacturers to get their products tested for both countries in one place, cutting down on costs. Second, it lowers the barrier to entry for each market by allowing certification to take place all in one go. Finally, it helps to harmonize the technical and commercial standards between the two countries.

Equipment covered by the program

Here are the pieces of weighing equipment that are covered by the program:

  • Gasoline and diesel dispensers, speed dispensers and meters

  • Bench and floor scales with a capacity of up to 1000 kg, both electronic and non-electronic

  • Weighing equipment with capacity up to 1000 kg

  • Electronic indicators, unless software-based

  • Mechanical scales with capacity up to 10,000 kg

Scale inspection and certifications in Calgary

If you need to get a scale certified, Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. can help. We also offer repair and maintenance services for your crane or hanging scale, and we carry a huge selection of truck and floor scales too. If you’re in Calgary or anywhere in Alberta, give us a call to learn more.

4 tips for removing snow from your truck scale

Not only do truck scales have to handle 30,000-pound semi-trucks, they also need to be able to stand up to the elements, including the snow, ice and freezing temperatures characteristic of Canadian winters. Although a quality truck scale is built with these conditions in mind, to perform well, it needs to be properly maintained. In winter, that means keeping the scale free of snow and ice. Here’s how to effectively perform this task.

Remove snow without damaging the platform

Robust as your truck scale is, it’s also a sensitive weighing instrument and needs to be treated with care. Clearing your scale with a snowplow or metal shovel is ill-advised, as you risk scraping the scale platform. Instead, clear your scale with a brush or plastic shovel. After larger snowfalls, opt for a time-saving solution such as a powered rotary brush or snowblower. Snowblowers are ideal, as they can blow the snow away from the sides of the scale. A buildup of snow alongside the scale can be problematic, as the snow can drift underneath it, causing suspension parts to freeze.

Clear ice using steam cleaning equipment

Ice makes scales dangerous to walk on and can cause inaccurate readings or even damage scale components. In particular, it can affect the suspension components and weighbridge joints.

By clearing away snow promptly, you can usually avoid ice buildup on the scale. However, after freezing rain, you’ll need to take steps to de-ice the platform. Using salt or chemicals isn’t recommended, as this can cause steel scale components to rust. The best tool for removing ice on your scale platform is steam cleaning equipment.

Set up barriers alongside the scale

As mentioned, you should avoid letting snow blow under your scale, as this can cause suspension components to freeze and thereby result in inaccurate weight readings. To prevent this, place barriers on either side of the scale. Some scale owners use hay bales for this purpose, but any solid barrier will do.

Invest in quality weighing equipment

It’s important to have a truck scale that can stand up to the elements. If you’re shopping for a new truck scale, be sure to choose a heavy-duty product designed to handle ice, snow and freezing temperatures.

State-of-the-art truck scales in Alberta Turn to Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. for high-quality truck scales and portable truck scales in Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton, Swift Current and beyond. Contact us today to learn more about our scale products and services.

Tips for reducing cattle shrink when weighing your livestock

Cattle shrink refers to the weight loss that cattle experience in the critical hours leading up to their being weighed and priced on the market. This weight loss results in a profit loss for livestock producers and is best avoided as much as possible. Here are some tips for minimizing cattle shrink, especially during the weighing process.

Understanding cattle shrink

The weight loss cattle undergo before market time is generally placed in one of two categories:

  • Tissue shrink, which refers to the loss of fluid from body tissues and is mainly caused by stress. It may take cattle 10 to 36 days to recover weight loss caused by tissue shrink.

  • Fill shrink, also called excretory shrink, is the loss of belly fill (food and water). This is caused by decreased food and water intake in the hours before weighing as well as stress.

A study in Iowa involving 4,685 feeder cattle found that cattle purchased from ranchers lost on average 7.2% of their weight due to cattle shrink.

Reducing cattle shrink during the weighing process

Cattle can lose as much as 3% of their weight during the weighing process. Using gentle handling methods for moving and processing cattle can mitigate this issue. One of the main mistakes that livestock producers make during the weighing process is to cram cows and calves into an alley for sorting, inducing stress in the cattle. It’s better to sort cows in a larger pen beforehand, then to process them quickly, without overcrowding them.

Additionally, during this time, avoid yelling or whistling at cattle and using electric prods, whips and dogs.

A well-designed livestock scale that keeps cattle comfortably in place can also make a big difference.

Other factors affecting cattle shrink

Additional causes of cattle shrink include:

Overcrowded trucks

On average, cattle shrink 2% during transport. Overcrowding is a critical factor as it causes stress and occasional injury.

  • Type of feed

Cattle that eat lush green grass prior to market time tend to shrink more compared with cattle that consume dried grass or hay, which is digested more slowly.

  • Time of day

When cattle are weighed early in the morning, they have little to no time to graze. It has been shown that cattle shrink is reduced when cattle have been allowed to graze until mid-morning.

Livestock and industrial scales in Calgary and throughout Alberta

At Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd., we can set you up with a livestock or cow and livestock scale designed for easy, stress-free weighing of cattle. Contact us today for further information or for a free quote on a livestock scale in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer or elsewhere in Alberta.

What accessories are available for floor scales?

Floors scales allow businesses to efficiently weigh large items at ground level. They can, moreover, be customized for a variety of specific applications. Here are some of the top accessories available for floor scales.

  • Printers

Label and ticket printers are common accessories for floor scales.

Label printers print individual weight receipts with custom graphics and bar codes. Some businesses use this type of printer to print out weight readings and attach them to containers, allowing them to conveniently identify the weight of a container after it’s been weighed.

Ticket printers print documents with detailed weight data. This type of printer is ideal for businesses that keep hard copies of weight readings to use for detailed analyses.

  • Ramps

One of the benefits of having a floor scale is that rests close to ground level, allowing you to easily weigh bulky and heavy loads. Attaching a ramp to your floor scale can further facilitate the weighing process, making it possible for you to wheel items right up onto the scale.

Ramps are available in a variety of heights and widths to accommodate the particular dimensions of your floor scale.

  • Remote displays

A remote display allows you to view weight readings in large, clear LED letters. The device can be placed indoors or outdoors and be far removed from the scale itself.

Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. offers a range of high-quality remote displays. The products we carry feature high-intensity LEDs that are easy to read both in foul weather and direct sunlight.

  • Software

Nowadays, most businesses prefer to gather their information digitally as it allows for instant analysis of weight data.

Accurate/Western Scale provides scale software options such as SMART1 programs, which allow end-users to create their own custom applications and tickets. This software is user-friendly, but our staff is happy to set it up for you.

  • Surge protectors

By helping to prevent crashes and reboots, industrial-strength surge protectors help you avoid data loss and interruptions in your operations.

Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd carries the Tripp-Lite Isobar4 Ultra Surge Protector. The Isobar is a top-selling premium suppressor. This four-outlet unit provides robust surge protection, reducing 6,000-volt surges to harmless levels of less than 35 volts.

Customized floor scales in Calgary and throughout Alberta

At Accurate Western/Scale Co. Ltd., we offer floor scales in custom sizes and equipped with whatever accessories your business needs. Contact us for more information or for a free quote in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Swift Current or elsewhere in Alberta.