Load cells are used daily in a vast number of commercial and industrial applications. A load cell converts force into measurable electrical output. For the most part, they are an integral part of weight detection mechanisms, or electronic scales. There are numerous varieties of load cells, but strain gauge types are the most commonly used.

 

Before these cells came into wide spread use, the method used for most weighing applications involved the familiar mechanical lever scales. They had the ability to weigh everything from fruit to aircraft. However, they only were accurate and reliable when properly calibrated and maintained.

 

With the advent of modern capabilities to measure pressures electronically, with great reliability and accuracy, mechanical balances have become all but obsolete and are used only in a few specialty applications. Even most bathroom scales use the new technology to provide digital information to dieters.

 

A load cell is basically a type of electrical transducer that is used to convert elements of force into electrical signals. This is done through an indirect conversion which takes place in two separate stages. A mechanical strain gauge is bent or otherwise deformed and the amount of this deformation is measured. The amount of the bending is then transformed into tiny electrical impulses that represent pressure or weight.

 

This kind of force measurement is extremely accurate and useful for both large and small applications. It is often utilized in portable, platform and heavy truck weighing scales. Electronic cranes can employ the devices to determine the precise weight of items as they are being lifted. These kinds of systems are used efficiently for rail car, silo and boat weighing purposes.

 

In some cases load cells can be used for inventory control. Rather than counting many separate components, which could number in the thousands, they are simply weighed. By knowing the weight of a single item, an accurate measurement of total weights can easily be used to determine the total number of parts in a batch.

Article submited by Jane Rowlinson, the views and opinions expressed in this article may not reflect the views of eilersen.com