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, operate under changing temperature conditions from -10C to 40C and/or 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.

Capacitive Load Cells

In general, our capacitive load cells are an excellent integrated solution for short term measurement of forces/loads under room temperature conditions when you can TARE or zero out the readings before measuring the force.

Comparison of Capacitive and Resistive Load Cells