When you measure forces or loads, in addition to the capacity and size of the load cell, a number of application requirements need to be carefully considered. These include:

• Operating Temperature Conditions (Well controlled, room temperature or outdoor, harsh environments with changing humidity and temperature)
• Duration of measurement (Short term measurement with a Tare or longer term measurements where Tare is not feasible)
• Absolute Accuracy Required (as a percentage of full scale output or as a percentage of reading)
• Direction of loading (tension or compression or both)
• Certifications Needed (for trade applications needing NTEP or OIML certifications or test and measurement needing ASTM E-74 OR R & D)
• Mounting Options (Fasten sensor on both sides or no need for fastening at all)
• Output required (Analog mV/V, 0-5V, 4-20mA, Digital USB, Digital Wireless, Digital RS-232/485)
• Measurement Speed (1Hz or up to 100Hz or faster than 100Hz)
• Total cost of operation (small quantity or large volumes)

Resistive Load Cells

When you need very high accuracies, NTEP/OIML Certifications and need long term stability, for those applications we recommend you use our resistive load cells with either the DI-1000 Series Digital Load Cell Interfaces or the AI-1000 Series Analog Interfaces for your application. If you are still unsure about which type of load cell you may need feel free to contact us.

Capacitive Load Cells

In general, our capacitive load cells are an excellent integrated solution for measuring forces/loads for R & D environments under room temperature conditions when you can TARE before taking readings. They offer very high sensitivities in a very rugged package with easy mounting options to incorporate into your application. Our sensors offer direct connectivity to PCs and make it effortless to write software applications. These are suitable for a wide variety of general purpose applications.