At last—“No expertise required” analytical balance management

TOKYO, Japan - Aug. 18, 2014 - PRLog -- It’s been a while since the importance of managing the quality and performance of analytical equipment, such as balances, has been so strongly emphasized. Starting from the pharmaceutical industry, more and more researchers are required to document procedures for such management and record the results in order to comply with GLP, GMP, GCP, ISO, etc.

The problem is, however, many of them aren’t even sure where to look. Besides, tasks like creating standard operating procedures (SOP), performing daily and periodic checks, and making reports in an appropriate fashion can be great hassles, yet bear no added value at all. They don’t want to spend too much time and energy puzzling over how to deal with these unprofitable assignments by themselves. Nonetheless, outsourcing everything to a third-party specialist would be too costly and impractical for most facilities.

The AD-1691 Weighing Environment Analyzer provides solutions to such difficulties by allowing users to manage their balances quickly, easily and correctly on their own (in ways endorsed by the balance manufacturer, A&D, themselves). Specifically, it can assist them in (1) daily and periodic checks of balances, (2) uncertainty calculation for balance calibration, (3) minimum weight calculation, (4) assessment of measurement environment, and (5) remote balance display and control.

Daily and periodic checks of balances

The AD-1691 now enables non-expert users to implement SOPs for balance quality and performance verifications without trouble. All they have to do is follow the displayed, step-by-step guidance and touch the screen to enter prompted information, commands, selections, etc.

For daily checks, users are simply asked to determine whether the condition is “met” or “not met” for each check item. The check items include those which A&D recommends as the most basic ones to confirm that the balance meets proper conditions for use: i.e., those concerning confirmations of external appearance, measurement environment, power supply, level balance, and measurement. They can check either all or only some of these items depending on their workplace policies and requirements.

Meanwhile, three kinds of tests are prepared for the periodic check: namely, those for repeatability, accuracy/linearity, and eccentricity error. Users can easily perform one, two, or all of them in accordance with their set specifications. (If necessary, explanation of each periodic check item can be quickly called up with a touch of the screen.)

For documentation requirements, results of daily and periodic checks can be outputted to a printer directly, or to a USB flash drive in PDF report formats.

Uncertainty calculation for balance calibration

Regular calibration of balances is essential to ensure the reliability of measurements and assays. The AD-1691 lets users warrant accuracy even when a third-party calibration service cannot be used frequently.

In a precise sense, a calibration report is only complete when the uncertainty of the measured value is provided. However, its estimation normally involves highly complex mathematical calculations, not to mention knowing what uncertainty components exist. With users just entering information and performing tests as per on-screen instructions, the AD-1691 calculates the expanded uncertainty (coverage factor k=2) of their balance calibration right on the spot, based on seven uncertainty components: three concerning the calibration weight used (calibration weight, change in weight by age, and air buoyancy) and four concerning the balance and other factors (rounding error, temperature coefficient, repeatability, and eccentricity error).

Calibration results including expanded uncertainty can be saved to a USB flash drive in PDF report format.

Minimum weight calculation, assessment of measurement environment, and remote balance display and control

When performing a repeatability test for a periodic check, the AD-1691 also automatically calculates the minimum weight as defined by the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP). It is therefore no longer necessary for researchers to send for the balance manufacturer or a third-party specialist to work it out paying not-so-small amounts of fees. Of course, the AD-1691 supports the USP’s newly-revised standard, which has been effective since December 2013.

Now, if researchers wish to reduce the minimum weight using the same balance, they will have to somehow improve the repeatability performance of that balance. In the meantime, analytical balances, microbalances among others, are highly susceptible to environmental disturbances like temperature changes, vibrations, drafts, etc. These disturbances are typically imperceptible to humans, leaving many users clueless about the lack of precision in their balances.

To solve this problem, A&D invented the “A&D Measurement Environment Evaluation Tool”, or AND-MEET, which helps deduce what factors in the set-up environment are affecting the stability of measurements. Once those factors are identified, it becomes possible to devise corrective measures to elicit better performance from the balance.

Originally, AND-MEET was available for use only by qualified specialists at A&D. But now, the AD-1691 allows anyone to use it and conduct assessments themselves when they are using A&D’s BM series of micro analytical balances. (This is, incidentally, where the product name “Weighing Environment Analyzer” comes from.)

Finally, the AD-1691 can be used as a separate touch-panel display for an A&D balance (with an RS-232C interface). This is especially recommended for the BM-20/22 microbalances, as the slightest tilting or tremor caused by direct key operation could compromise their accuracy and precision (the ION key is available to control their built-in static eliminator).

With all these capabilities, the AD-1691 will be an excellent supporting tool for not only balance users but also those who provide various kinds of onsite services to such users in their workplaces.

Additional details can be found on the A&D website at http://www.aandd.jp/.

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A&D Company, Limited, headquartered in Tokyo, take advantage of their world-class analog and digital signal processing technologies to produce a diverse array of laboratory and industrial measuring equipment. In particular, they are known as Japan’s top manufacturer of electronic weighing instruments ranging from ultrasensitive micro analytical balances to scales of several tons of capacity. Their innovations are always aimed at providing users with high practical utility and high value for the price. To find further information on A&D, visit http://www.aandd.jp/.