Skip to content

Order and get product advice: +44 (0) 1908 972 660

Lines open 9am - 5.30pm Mon-Fri


Need help? Call us at: 01908 972 660

(Lines open 9am - 5.30pm Mon-Fri)

Target with a dart in the middle, signifying precision

Precise Scale: What NOT Using Will Mean for Your Business

You know you need a scale or balance that’s precise and accurate. But why? Let’s zoom in on precision, and the potential consequences of not employing a precision scale or balance for your business. Then, we’ll give you advice about finding and maintaining the right high-precision balance for you.

Accuracy Weighing Scale vs. High-Precision Scale

First, let’s outline the differences between accuracy and precision. Accuracy is how close your weighing results are to the true value. Precision is how consistent your scale or balance is at giving you the same result when weighing the same thing multiple times.

Weighing equipment can be both precise and accurate, just precise, just accurate or even neither. Of course, to get the best, most reliable weighing results, your balance needs to be both accurate and precise.

a chart of precision and accuracy

But what happens if the balance isn’t precise? A slight difference in results each time you weigh the same thing may not seem like a huge problem. You’d be wrong.

The Consequences of Not Using a Precise Scale

Finances

Imprecision can lose your company money!

Let’s say you own a bakery and you measure each ingredient with a weighing scale. At some point, you notice that your baked goods are coming out inconsistently. Some are too dry, too salty or too sweet. You decide to weigh the same bowl of flour twice – and realize you’ve gotten a different result. Now some of your baked goods aren’t of good enough quality to be sold to consumers, wasting money, ingredients and your own time. 

Operational Inefficiencies

It’s especially important to have precise scales during the quality control process. If your scale provides inconsistent results when the whole purpose of using the scale is to help guarantee consistent products, your business is going to suffer some inefficiencies.

Obviously, inconsistency means an increase in errors, a consequence of which is an over (or under) use of resources for production. Once you discover the problem, it’ll take time to find out what went wrong in the process, resulting in you spending a lot of time investigating and troubleshooting instead of regular production.

Reputational Damage

Imprecision can severely impact your company’s reputation. People will begin noticing that you’re producing inconsistent products and stop buying from your business. This is especially true if you’re using an imprecise trade approved scale to sell by weight.  

Adam Equipment's Precise Swift Price Computing Scale

People want what they paid for, no more and no less. You want to give them what they paid for, no more and no less. Well, with an imprecise scale, “more or less” is bound to happen. When a customer notices that 50g of oatmeal gets them farther in one week than it does in another, but they paid the same price for both, they’re not going to be particularly patient with the mistake. They’ll simply find another source of oatmeal.

How to Recognise an Imprecise Balance

A scale that’s both precise and accurate should give you the same exact answer every single time you weigh the same item. Scales that are precise but not accurate will give the same incorrect answer multiple times. An accurate weighing scale without precision, such as the ones we’re discussing in this blog, may provide the right answer occasionally, but not consistently.

Precision calibration weight using a precise analytical scale

For example, let’s say you place a one-gram calibration weight on a compact balance. It reads 1.1g the first time you place it. You know that’s incorrect, so you try again. It reads 1g the second time. Great! But let’s just make sure… and 0.9g the third. You got a completely correct answer only 33.33% of the time. The incorrect answers aren’t wrong by a significant margin. The balance is accurate but not precise.

It’s necessary to keep in mind that no scale or balance is 100% precise, 100% of the time – manufacturers know that and usually want to ensure you do as well. 

How to Know You’re Buying a Precise Scale

When shopping around for a balance, look for the repeatability value in the data. A scale’s repeatability is determined by using the same test weight on the pan ten times, then using the standard deviation calculation to come up with one number. The smaller the number, the more precise the balance. Adam’s Equinox Analytical Balance offers repeatabilities between 0.03mg and 0.0001g, which means it’s extremely precise.

Adam Equipment's Analytical Precision Scale for precise scale weighing

What Causes Precise Scales to Be Imprecise? Can it be Fixed?

Most balances will start out providing both accurate and precise results. Over time, however, they’ll need calibration to keep them that way. If you’re noticing that the repeatability of your results has gotten iffy, that’s a signal it’s time to perform a calibration check. The finer the readability on the balance, the more often we recommend calibrating to prevent imprecision in the first place, as often as every week or even every day.

Some balances offer automatic internal calibration, which allows you to set regular automated calibration checks and recalibration even when you’re not around. This can help keep you on track.

If you’ve calibrated your balance and you’re still noticing a lack of precision, consider whether you’re helping the balance along or contributing to the issue yourself. A lack of precision is a lack of consistency – so one way to combat imprecision is to keep everything as consistent as possible. The same person, in the same location, in the same environment, using the same balance and tools and placing the items on the pan on the same spot with the same technique. 

In general, you can follow this process:

  1. Perform a calibration check
  2. If necessary, perform calibration
  3. Consider other inconsistencies that could be causing imprecision
  4. Make adjustments

 

Contact the Inscale team to help select the best precise and accurate scale or balance for your business.

Next article 6 Tips for Purchasing Reliable Postal Weighing Scales

Leave a comment

Comments must be approved before appearing

* Required fields