Written by Rachel Kohn
An
analytical balance is a precision instrument essential to research and manufacturing activities guided by cGLP, cGMP, ISO, the FDA and other regulatory bodies. Analytical balances also can represent a significant investment for companies, especially when several of these precision instruments are in regular use. That is why care and maintenance procedures should be part of an organization’s standard operating procedures (SOP) and clearly defined in the operations manual.
Getting Started
Factory-fresh analytical balances must be set up according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. They also must be calibrated before being put into use in order to verify the accuracy of the instruments. This is done by organizations that provide calibration services and certificates for new analytical balances and precision scales. Ongoing recalibration is performed, also according to the company’s SOP, to assure that the analytical balances remain accurate. If the balance is off, then an adjustment must be performed to bring it back into spec.
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Written by Rachel Kohn
Calibration is a procedure intimately associated with analytical balances. Calibration determines the relationship between the displayed value and true mass by comparison with a known mass. In other words, calibration determines the accuracy of an analytical balance or precision scale.
Suppliers of analytical balances and precision scales such as Tovatech have sources that provide calibration services and certificates for newly purchased equipment. Good laboratory practices, good manufacturing practices as well as conformance to several published regulations call for regular recalibration of these instruments and adjusting them if required. To accommodate this manufacturers such as Kern offer analytical balances and precision scales with automatic internal calibration and adjustment (if needed) or external calibration and manual adjustment.
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Written by Bob Sandor
Most industrial and laboratory applications for an ultrasonic cleaner are fairly straightforward: select the correct ultrasonic cleaning solution, place objects to be cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaner and follow recommended procedures concerning temperature and time for the operation being performed.
Some requirements, however, call for special accessories and procedures. One of these is when parts require the use of volatile and flammable solvents to accomplish the cleaning process. In such instances care must be taken to prevent staff from inhaling vapors and to avoid an explosion. This is because cavitation action tends to vaporize the solvents and create an explosive cloud above the ultrasonic cleaner tank.
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Written by Rachel Kohn
Analytical balances are precision instruments providing readouts* to an accuracy of 0.1 milligram and with a linearity** of ± 0.2 milligram. Maintaining this precision is essential to GLP and to be in compliance with regulations guiding the particular industry in which the instruments are used.
For that reason, an analytical balance must be recalibrated at regular intervals and records maintained in further conformance with GLP and ISO standards. Some analytical balances such as the KERN ABT, ABJ and AEJ models available from Tovatech provide automatic internal calibration. Others such as the ALS-A model are externally calibrated at intervals that should be defined in the company’s operations manual.
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