Balances and Weighing

Course overview

There are increasing demands on laboratories to demonstrate quality assurance in their measurements. This course provides training to assist laboratory personnel to meet these demands.

Balances are used extensively in laboratory measurements, but the ease and simplicity of using a balance belies the fact that it is a complex instrument. Reliable measurements using a balance can only be assured through an understanding of:

• how the balance works,
• factors that can influence the balance reading, and
• the need for ongoing checks and calibration.

This course introduces balances and weighing. It provides useful frameworks and concepts while emphasising practical skills and knowledge that can be applied in your own organisation. The course covers sources of error in measurements and common pitfalls of weighing. It will assist you to solve common problems associated with the use of balances or weights used for checking and calibrating balances, and engender confidence in your measurements.

Programme Outline

The course is highly interactive to enable you to benefit from the experience of other participants and the presenter. There will be a number of hands-on calibration sessions to develop practical skills.

Participants will learn how to

• Define what a balance measures
• Select the correct balance for the task
• Use a balance effectively
• Calibrate a balance and calculate the uncertainty of the calibration
• Apply traceability and quality standards

• Use check weights

Presenter Profile

Greg Reid has worked as a mass and density metrologist at the Measurement Standards laboratory for 5 years. His work includes calibration of hydrometers, density standards, volumetric glassware, weights and balances from the ‘state-of-the-art level (about 1 in 100 million) to those used in trade and industry (about 0.1%). His current research interests include the automation of mass comparisons.

Chris Sutton has over 20 years experience in mass and density measurement, during which time he has also been a technical assessor for IANZ assessments in Metrology and Calibration. He is author of over 20 publications related to mass and density measurement. His current research interests include; automation and analysis of mass comparisons, magnetic properties of standard weights, analysis of inter-laboratory comparisons, and a non-artefact mass standard. Chris is currently Chairman of the Calibration and Measurement Capabilities Working Group of the international Consultative Committee for Mass and Related Quantities.