In the last decades the digital load cell (DLC) was a niche product. This is because the production is elaborate and expensive, mainly because of the high efforts for doing the temperature compensation. It is quite difficult to reach a good quality in regards of temperature gain and offset drift which is required by legal specifications such as OIML or NTEP. Indeed, the workflow for making a digital load cell is similar to making an analog one, but setting the digitization on top. Unfortunately, there is only little room left for automation and a simple production.

This is exactly where PICOSTRAIN comes into the game: thanks to our advanced temperature compensation WITHOUT mechanical trimming, the workflow can be simplified.

On the basis of existing production processes, the PICOSTRAIN introduces possibilities to make the workflow easier – the production gets simpler and the quality higher. The key point of the new workflow is that you can wholly mount your load cell with electronics BEFORE doing the temperature compensation. There is no need to adjust the load cell manually, the adjustment is done by the chip internally and can be easily automated that way.

This leads to a number of advantages, such as:

• a simpler, more effective and reliable production process
• higher quality to new adjustment method. Reach specifications like OIML 6000 easier than nowadays
• a full automatic adjustment of gain and zero drift without mechanical trimming
• more flexible use of DLCs in standard scales – easier design and better EMC behavior
• low current consumption and low self heating thanks to the measurement principle
• easier replacement of the DLC due to intrinsically calibrated unit

Saving cost and effort come automatically with this approach and it allows to think about the digital load cell as the successor of the analog load cell in a way that it makes sense in both – technical and commercial aspects!

INTRODUCTION OF THE CONCEPT ON INTERWEIGHING TRADE SHOW 2010

In April 2010 Acam exhibited on the largest trade show for weighing solutions in China. The trade show was held in Chansha in the Hunan province from 22nd to 24th of April. We introduced the concept of how to build digital load cells more conveniently in the future. Therefore we had several live demonstrations of DLCs and also held a presentation about this topic in the plenum of the China Weighing Instrument Association (CWIA). Remains of the trade show are a White Paper dedicated to the topic of digital load cells and also the recording of the presentation. The Whitepaper and the recording of the presentation is available in the right column of this page together with further information.