Load cell mounting kit makes the grade

Certification expert Germanischer Lloyd has approved the GWT PR6001 load cell mounting kit from Sartorius.

Germanischer Lloyd has approved the GWT PR6001 load cell mounting kit from Sartorius, offering assurance to engineers and machine builders that the equipment meets the specifications as laid down by the manufacturer and meaning less time needs to be spent on calculations for weighing applications between 500kg and 300t.

Many applications in the field of industrial mechatronics involve weighing large containers, such as hoppers or tanks.

This is done by placing the hopper or tank on one or more load cells, which are connected to an indicator that displays the weights and can be used to control batching processes.

To enable accurate and reliable weighing in industrial environments, special mounting kits are employed to install the load cells.

These mounting kits must not only ensure safe and dependable installation, they also have to protect the load cells from external disturbances that can occur during operation; for example, interference due to wind loads, lift-off loads, or even earthquakes.

And if worse comes to worst, the mounting kit is there to keep the load cells from overturning.

PR6001 series mounting kits from GWT are specially designed for use with load cells in the PR6201 series, commonly used in hopper and silo weighing.

The kits available range from a simple container base to "Maxiflex locks," which can withstand destructive lateral forces from 25 to 50kN, up to high-capacity mounting kits for horizontal loads of 200kN.

The PR6001 series mounting kits cover the entire weighing range from 500kg to 300t.

The outstanding design of these mounting kits incorporates a compact design with an array of integrated features, such as fasteners for installation, overturn protection, built-in stops, liftoff protection, restriction of the maximum horizontal displacement of the load cell, and resistance to high lateral forces.

At the same time, installation and operation are simple and straightforward.

The demands of the marketplace clearly show the increasing importance of high quality weighing equipment and the associated certification requirements.

In this respect, a load cell is no longer evaluated on its own merits but must be provided with a mounting kit that meets today's standards.

Certification of the specified loading capacity data by a neutral party eliminates the trouble - and expense - of having a stress analyst perform complex calculations with mounting kit data when setting up the hopper or silo.

Germanischer Lloyd (GL) is one of the best known and most reputable equipment certifiers in the world.

GL is active in a number of fields, ranging from shipbuilding to wind energy systems and industrial goods.

GL certification entails testing the maximum permissible loads listed in the product specifications for liftoff protection, overturn protection, and the horizontal constrainer, including exposing the horizontal constrainers to destructive lateral forces to test their force resistance.

The testing procedure involved examining the results of the finite element method (FEM) analysis performed by GL experts during the development of the mounting kits.

These results were checked for the correctness of the model, materials and ancillary conditions, and were discussed in detail with GWT.

The capacities were confirmed by GL, and are summarised in a certificate available to the public via the GL website.

This certification is unique to GWT products in this market.

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