Scale calibration by users

Every day, millions of measuring and analysis instruments are checked before they are used. This crucial step is to ensure that their performance is in line with user requirements.

For years, the balance was simply verified, without any knowledge of the influence of its uncertainty. It therefore received special treatment, whereas the uncertainty of other instrument categories was well known. Knowing the uncertainty of a balance is not a complicated matter, thanks to the reference systems at our disposal.

The challenge now is to determine whether the combination of this new term, balance uncertainty, with measurement error is likely to call into question the balance used, the measurement process in which it is integrated, and therefore the quality of the products, as well as the quality of the analyses carried out.

This article is limited to determining the uncertainty of analytical balances (those with sub-milligram resolution), as they are the most sensitive to external influences.

This article does not apply to automatic weighing instruments such as weighfeeders, weighing-labeling units or checkweighers.