How Scales Are Used in Biopharma Labs

How Scales Are Used in Biopharma Labs

The biopharma industry is massive, producing billions of dollars in revenue, all focused on expensive research geared toward the latest breakthrough in medicine. All of this incredibly expensive research would be incredibly ineffective without highly precise scales. These scales must be both extremely accurate, as well as have the capacity to weigh heavy materials.

In the past, this was difficult due to most precision scales having significant capacity constraints.  However, over the course of the the past few years, Arlyn Scales has begun to manufacture a line of scales offering highly precise readings as well as higher capacities than those seen in most scales used in the biotech industry.

Arlyn Scales is a veteran of the industrial scale industry. Being in business for the past 30 years, we’ve watched the entire scale industry change drastically over the past several decades. While there have been all sorts of innovations surrounding connectivity and electronics, not much has changed when it comes to the main components of most scientific scales.

We’ve been continuously working to change some of the constraints of scales in the biotech industry.  While other manufacturers have simply dealt with these shortcomings, Arlyn Scales has faced these challenges head on and developed our Ultra Precision Scales, featuring our patented Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) technology.

These scales are manufactured in our state-of-the-art Long Island, New York factory, where we also design and fabricate all of our own scale subassemblies.  We’re extremely proud of the work we’ve done to completely revolutionize the scale industry with our SAW technology.

Arlyn Scales’ Ultra Precision Scale Technology

In the biotech industry, gram precision is extremely important to ensure accurate weight readings. Our Ultra Precision Scales not only offer gram precision, but they also offer high capacities not found in scales offered by our competitors. Featuring resolution and accuracy in the 1:100,000 – 1:200,000 range, our SAW scales should be more than sufficient for all of your biotech research.

A New Take on Load Cell Technology

Load cell design had not changed much in the last 50 or so years, until Arlyn released their Ultra Precision Scales featuring Surface Acoustic Wave technology.  In the past, load cells included flexures which include a very thin piece of metal. When an item was placed on a scale platform, the thin metal would flex (similar to how a spring functions).

The amount of movement of the load cell, or spring, would then transmit an electronic signal that represented the weight of the object on the scale platform. Unfortunately, over time, this thin metal would get damaged and produce inaccurate readings. These load cells can also be susceptible to shock loading and overloading, both of which are extremely prevalent in the scale industry.

With our SAW scales, we’ve completely redesigned how we manufacture SAW load cells.  These superior load cells are constructed from a much thicker metal, which can stand up better to shock loading and overloading compared to traditional load cell technology.

In addition, because of this thicker metal material, weight readings only require roughly one tenth of the amount of movement to achieve an accurate reading compared to a standard strain gage scale. This allows SAW scales to last much longer and not be as susceptible to many of the issues that plague both strain gage and force motor scales.

Cost Conscious Scale Manufacturing

When we set out to design our Ultra Precision Scales, we understood that the scale industry features a large number of manufacturers, selling all types of scales at different price points.  At Arlyn Scales, we’ve always tried to provide our customers with the highest quality scale possible, at the lowest possible price.

While this approach may simply be a marketing tactic for some companies, at Arlyn Scales, our entire business model is built on this principle.  By manufacturing our scales right here in Long Island, New York, and selling factory-direct to our customers, we’re able to offer lower priced scales with superior features.

Prior to the release of our Ultra Precision Scales, there were two types of scales that dominated the industry: strain gage and force restoration scales.  Force restoration scales are incredibly expensive, and while they do offer high resolution, they don’t offer much in terms of high capacity.

These scales are also extremely susceptible to overloading and shock loading as well as environmental changes.  Strain gage scales are much more economical compared to force restoration scales, but do not offer precision readings at higher capacities. With our Ultra Precision Scales you truly get the best of both worlds. We’re able to offer precision readings and high capacities, unmatched by our competitors, all at a price that is comparable to a higher-end strain gage scale.

UpScale Digital Touchscreen Indicator

Another exciting feature that is sure to be welcomed by our biotech customers is our new UpScale Digital Touchscreen Indicator. This touchscreen replaces the simple digital scale indicator that you’ve likely been using for decades. Now you can control your scale in a user-friendly fashion, just as you would control a tablet.

Our touchscreen features easy-to-navigate menus and functions that will make controlling your scale extremely easy. In addition, there will be little if any training necessary to show other individuals within your organization how to use the UpScale Digital Touchscreen Indicator.  Reach out to our office if you’d like to learn more about our new touchscreen indicator.

Interested in Learning More About Our Scale Technology?

We hope that you’ve learned a few things about our highly accurate and precise Ultra Precision Scales that are used by a variety of biotech companies. Should you have any additional questions about our Ultra Precision Scales, or any of our scales for that matter, feel free to reach out to our customer service team today at 800-645-4301.