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Interface 1200 Precision LowProfile Load Cell Series Product Highlight

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As a premier force measurement solutions manufacturer of more than 53 years, Interface has developed a giant catalog of more than 30,000 products that are standard, engineered-to-order and completely custom. We’ve seen nearly every challenge and complexity presented by our customer’s application requirements.

Load cells are what we know, inside and out. By design, testing, manufacturing, and calibrating, Interface is the trusted leader in quality load cells. This allows us to keep our finger on the pulse of the marketplace and develop products that meet the unique needs of a wide variety of industries.

From our earliest days, one product that has become truly an industry standard in load cells by popularity and by far the top pick for use in test labs and by product testing engineers is the 1200 Precision LowProfile® Load Cell.

When we originally released our first of its kind LowProfile Load Cell, Interface became an instant market leader in precision load cells.  In fact, our 1200 Standard Precision LowProfile Load Cell, designed for eccentric load compensated tension and compression force measurement, remains our most frequently purchased product every year. This pancake-style load cell is world-renowned for durability, accuracy, and performance.

The 1200 Model Series features and benefits include:

  • Proprietary Interface temperature compensated strain gages
  • Performance to .04%
  • High output – to 4 mV/V
  • 0008%/°F (.0015%/°C) temperature effect on output
  • Low deflection
  • Shunt calibration
  • Barometric compensation

In addition, it’s popularity amongst customers is due to the product’s versatility and customizability. There are multiple models available including the 1240, 1244, 1252, 1260, 1280, and 1290. In addition, the series is compatible with a host of base options, connectors, bridge options and overload protection. And like with all Interface products, our custom solutions team can work directly with you to meet your specific needs.

The 1200 series is used across a variety of industries for test and measurement applications. Included below are a few examples of the product in action expressed as application notes. Industries covered in these examples include aerospace, agriculture, and waste management.

AIRCRAFT LIFTING EQUIPMENT

An aerospace company wanted to check if the valves on their aircraft lifting equipment were working safely and properly. Interface’s recommended installing a 1200 Standard High Capacity Load Cell in between the aircraft testing rig and the lifting jack. The load cell can measure the load’s force safety valve when the lifting equipment opens. Results are then sent to the 9890 Strain Gage, Load Cell, & mV/V Indicator, where the customer can see it displayed in real-time. Using this solution, the customer was able to determine that the aircraft lifting equipment was working properly. Since they are ensured of its safe functionality, it can now be used on real aircrafts that need to be lifted. Read more here.

SILO GRAIN DISPENSING

A customer wants to measure and record the grain being put in and out of their grain dispensing container, as it dispenses content into a carrier truck for transportation. The customer also preferred a wireless solution. Interface suggested installing a WTS 1200 Standard Precision LowProfile™ Wireless Load Cells at the legs of the grain dispensing container. The 1200 can measure the distribution correlation of the grain as it inputted and outputted from the container. Results are transmitted and displayed using the WTS-BS-1-HA Handheld Display for multiple transmitters and logged and graphed using the WTS-BS-4 USB Industrial Base Station. Using this solution, the customer was able to log and graph the measurement results of the grain content that the silo dispenses into the grain dispensing container, and also when the grain is dispensed into the carrier truck.  Get more details here.

WASTE MANAGEMENT CONTAINER WEIGHING

A waste management company wanted to measure the capacity of their waste containers to know when it is time to dispose the waste. Interface provided Model WTS 1200 Standard Precision LowProfile™ Wireless Load Cells to be installed at the bottom of each waste container leg to measure the sum weight of the container. The real time weight data is then transmitted to the WTS-BS-4 USB Industrial Base Station with the supplied Log100 software. Using this solution, the customer was able to determine when their waste container was at full capacity to dispose of the waste, or to transfer it in a timely manner.

To learn more about load cell basics and watch our recorded webinar, go here.

50 Years and Still Innovating Force Measurement Solutions

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Interface is well known for premium accuracy and reliability when it comes to force measurement solutions. The product lines that Low Profile VP Brian Shaw and Mark Weathers, VP, Mini and 1923 Wireless Business Products manage range from Interface’s oldest products to brand-new ones in the pipeline.

In this new InterfaceIQ post, we highlight the different ways we are instilling innovation in both our older products and our newest designs, including optimizing efficiencies and significantly reducing production time.

Mini Load Cells

Interface was founded on the LowProfile® load cell product, what some companies refer to as pancake load cells. The next major product line to come along in our history is collectively referred to as load cell ‘minis,’ which tend to be smaller and cover a wide variety of geometries and packages. The fundamentals of our quality products haven’t changed; however, the speed at which we are able to get these products to market has improved significantly.

WMCP Overload Protected Stainless Steel Mini Load Cell

Interface minis are used for light-touch, lightweight, or limited space applications. Our miniature load cells provide exceedingly accurate measurements, similar to our full-size load cells, with proprietary alloy strain gages, full temperature compensation, and some environmentally hardened applications. Capacities are available as low as 0.11 pounds of force / 0.5 newtons and as high as 100 kilonewtons.

Most of our off-the-shelf mini load cells can be used in a wide variety of applications. Our engineers can also work with customers to design custom load cells to fit a specific need.  For example, our custom mini load cells are commonly used in the medical industry for applications like blood separation products.

Optimizing Production Significantly Cuts Lead Times

The most significant development in Interface’s mini load cell product line is the optimized production methods we have continually introduced. Inventory positioning and communication streamlining have helped to cut lead times in mini load cell production from seven to three days in our pilot product tests.

We take time to make innovation a priority in everything we do, from optimizing production methods to introducing new ways to help our clients succeed. This diversity is the reward Brian Shaw and I receive as co-managers of a department with our oldest and newest solutions.” Mark Weathers, VP of Mini and 1923 Wireless Business Products at Interface

Last week’s blog outlined efforts by leaders at Interface to improve efficiency by breaking down departmental barriers. The improvements we introduced have restructured various departments in the supply chain to allow our employees to have more direct communication with one another.

For instance, planners now sit directly on the production floor. This gives them direct access to the assembly line where they can schedule their own orders and accelerate time to market. In the past, the chain of communication was bogged down by departmental barriers that would slow down the time it takes to get a customer order into production.

1923 Wireless Series Load Cells

On the other end of the innovation spectrum is Interface’s 1923 Wireless Series Load Cell, a brand-new product in development at Interface. The original 1923 Series of load cells is one of Interface’s highest volume products. Its design and consistency have made it a popular off-the-shelf solution for many years.

The 1923 Series was originally designed for the oil and gas industry to avoid pump jacks going too fast and interrupting the capillary flow of oil. The load cell sits on the pump jack and monitors the force at which the jack pumps, providing real-time data to avoid over-pumping.

One of the challenges that sparked the development of our 1923 Wireless Series is the fact that the original 1923 Series requires a cable leading to the bridge device to relay the data to the user. In the hazardous environments where the load cell is used, the cables are subject to damage and can be inconvenient or dangerous. Our 1923 Wireless Series innovation removes the need for the cable and provides the same accurate, real-time data readings with little to no fuss.

Interface has thrived for more than 50 years because we have built a foundation for which we manufacture premium force measurement products. This enables us to look ahead and create solutions for the challenges of tomorrow.

Contributor:  Mark Weathers, VP, Mini and 1923 Wireless Business Products, Interface