What is a precision balance?

What is a precision balance?

In the weighing industry, we define precision balances as“a balance used to weigh quantities to a very precise number, usually up to one milligram”. They’re sometimes referred to as“top loading balances”. Precision balances are available in a wide range of capacities, from several hundred grams up to kilograms. They’re not as precise as analytical balances, but more precise than the average bench or compact scale. Also, precision balances have a higher capacity than analytical balances, but a lower readability.

Adam Equipment precision balances have a readability of 0.001g at the most.

Typical Applications for Precision Balances

Precision balances have many uses across various industries and applications.Examples include:

Laboratory and chemistry applications

Medical and pharmaceutical

Research and education

Production;and

Specialised industrial tasks.

How are precision balances being used across industries today?

Precision Balances Application and Industries

Precision balances are used widely across a range of industries.It is most often used for pharmaceutical and medical use.However,with a large range of applications,precision balances have been found to serve multiple industries.Below is a list of the different applications where precision balances might be used and links to articles providing further examples on the use of precision weighing scales and precision weighing in such industries.

Pharmaceutical and Medical Use

Precision balances can be used in pharmacies for the accurate measuring and mixing of substances in the making of drugs and medicines.Ingredients must be precisely weighed to ensure the quality of the final product is not compromised and most importantly is safe for consumption.Precision balances ensure pharmacies are complying to the necessary standards and regulations.

Educational

Precision balances’reliable and error-free measurements,ease of operation and durability,aids in both the teaching and learning of fields such as medicine,physics,chemistry,biology,and forensics.

Learn more about how you can use a precision balance in the classroom,in this quick read:Using a Precision Balance for Analytical Weighing in the Classroom

Food and Beverage

Food and beverage companies utilise precision balances to ensure the compliance of strict laws and regulations defined by organisations such as The Food Standards Agency(FSA)for selling food by weight,food safety and hygiene.

Industrial

Precision weighing balances can be used for the following industrial purposes:counting,formulation and checkweighing.Read our article on the use of precision weighing in the industrial sector,to learn more.

Veterinary

As in pharmaceutical use,precision weighing is crucial in the preparation of animal medication.Additionally,precision balances can be utilised to prepare precise food portions and for laboratory testing of animals.

How to choose the best precision balance for your needs

As always,consider your application when you start your search.Precision balances are varied category of weighing equipment,and our Luna,Solis and Equinox balances have many different body types,capacities and readabilities available.If you need a balance for material testing at construction sites or heavy industrial application,consider a sturdier scale with a high capacity.If you only weigh small samples in classrooms or labs,a scale with higher readability and a more compact design will suffice.