Our Next Frontier: Emotion A&D


	June 2008
	Super Precision Balance

This editorial website includes personal
observations by Masa Eto on an array of topics,
from world affairs to business. Mr. Eto is the
managing executive officer of the International Division at A&D Company Ltd.

We have done it again. A&D has been the first in the industry to succeed in materializing the IP65 or water & dust proof protection for precision balances with 1mg resolution.

The FX-iWP is equipped with the ideal protection mechanism to prevent water and dust sneaking underneath the weighing pan. The most common problem faced by weighing instruments is damage caused by the very materials you weigh. In other words, the powder and liquid you spill over the pan or in the weighing chamber while weighing sneak into the inside of the balance and damage the weighing sensor or other mechanisms inside. Even if you are very careful, the evaporation of a liquid or a powder floating in the air can eventually reach the sensor and cause errors. Even though this problem is widely recognized, customers have come to accept such damage as being inherent to a precision instrument such as in the case of a precision balance, however the fact remains that this is an unwanted inconvenience to the customer.

Since restricting the vertical movement of a weighing pan support influences weighing accuracy, the weighing pan support on which the weighing pan rests has to be directly supported by the sensor mechanism or weighing lever mechanism. In other words the weighing pan support mechanism must be completely isolated or disconnected from the upper case so that the vertical movement of the weighing pan will be free from any force except the gravitational force exerted on the material you place on the pan. Therefore, the space or the gap between the weighing pan support and the upper case inevitably works as an unwanted intake hole whenever the powder and liquids you weigh spill. For less sensitive or higher capacity balances, gaskets or rubber diaphragms are used to eliminate the gap or intake holes. At A&D, we have these protective mechanisms built into our high capacity balances such as the GP and the GX-K. However, until now, no manufacturer has come up with a precision balance with 1mg resolution that has such a mechanism let alone with IP65 protection.

The technical challenge has been that any structure physically closing or removing the gap restricts the vertical movement of the weighing mechanism, and coming up with a structure that does not affect 1mg accuracy has been impossible or too costly.

However, because of the unique and innovative design of the Compact SHS (Super Hybrid Sensor) we were able to develop for the FX-iWP, the impossible has become a possibility. We accomplished a number of new design features when we developed the Compact SHS. Among them have been 1) the miniaturization of the sensor itself, 2) a mono sheet lever design that not only provides an advantage in making the compactness of the lever system, but also great accuracy and stability against the ambient temperature because of the small thermal mass of the lever structure itself. The mono sheet reaches a thermal equilibrium instantaneously compared to a massive mono block, which has 40 times more heat mass than that of the mono sheet lever structure, and 3) the sensor is fastened to the upper case—this is another advantage of making the whole balance compact, and the overload and shock load protection adjustment easy and precise(http://www.aandd.jp/editorial/archive/2006august.html).

When I titled my editorial for August 2006 “Miniaturization of FX-i Pays Off,” I intuitively knew that all the innovative ideas incorporated into the FX-i would help bring about new unique products. I am happy to see my hunch was correct. Their first offspring is the FX-iWP Series.IP65 protection would not have been possible unless we had invented the Compact SHS sensor. While you could come up with material for a gasket or diaphragm that has a minimal effect on the sensor and would be able to add such a gasket or diaphragm to eliminate the gap between the weighing pan support and the upper case, the adjustment of such a structure has to be extremely precise in order not to exert any vertical or tensional force to the sensor via the weighing pan support. In fact, not only would the adjustment have to be very precise, but it also has to remain intact as initially adjusted while in use. Any displacement of such a protective gasket or diaphragm would exert an unwanted force on the sensor, generating erroneous readings.

The revolutionary mechanism of fastening the whole weighing sensor to the upper case gave us an unthinkable pay-off. It has not only made precise adjustments of the protective diaphragm easy, but has also made it possible for the diaphragm to constantly stay intact during daily and long-term use because its upside down structure has made the sensor mechanism an integral part of the upper case, including the protective mechanism.

At the recently held European Dealer Meeting in Slovakia, Julian Horsely of A&D Instruments said, “you will love demonstrating the new FX-iWP…it’s the SUPER FX-i!” I totally agree with his intuition, but I would also not hesitate to say, “You will love to demonstrate the new Value of the FX-iWP…It’s a SUPER PRECISION BLANCE.”

Incidentally, Julian is returning to A&D Mercury Australia after serving the role of Weighing Business Unit Manager at A&D Instruments UK for the past three years and four months. He has transferred a great amount of weighing business know-how to A&D Instruments and strengthened the support to our agents in Europe. His exciting presentation of FX-iWP at the recent European Dealer Meeting made the participants sorry to see him off but appreciate the value of the new product he has made so clear. I am sure he will continue to do a super job at A&D Mercury!

You may address any comments concerning this editorial by email to Mr. Eto