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Article at a glance:
- Weighing and measurement are important for the rail, mining, transportation, and logistics industries.
- Standards in weighing and measurement help ensure accuracy and consistency and eliminate discrepancies in weighing operations.
Weighing and measurement are critical components of many industries, from mining to transportation and logistics. Inaccurate measurements and a lack of calibration standards can lead to significant financial loss, downtime, and legal liabilities. Establishing standards in weighing and measurement to tackle measurement shortcomings and ensure precise and consistent data is important.
Several government bodies and industry associates oversee calibrating and certifying weighing and measuring equipment. In Australia, the National Measurement Institute (NMI) is the primary authority responsible for implementing and governing measurement standards under the National Measurement Act 1960. One of the most common uses of weighing technology is in weighbridges like truck scales and rail scales. Weighbridge scales are state-of-the-art weighing systems in industries such as rail, mining, transport, and aviation.
The role of standards in weighbridge scales ranges from ensuring accuracy and consistency in measurements to providing a framework for weighing and measurement systems. This article examines the various roles standards in weighing and measurement play for weighbridges.
Ensuring Accuracy and Consistency in Measurements
Standards in weighing and measurement provide guidelines and industry requirements that help ensure the accuracy and consistency of measurements for weighbridge scales. The standards specify the methods for calibrating weighbridge systems, their testing, and maintenance to ensure they meet a standard level of accuracy. Also, by providing a consistent set of requirements, weighing and measurement standards help maintain consistency throughout the design, manufacturing, installation, and operation of truck and rail scales to a certain required level of accuracy and consistency.
Providing a Framework for Weighing Systems
Standards in weighing and measurement are essential to provide a framework for designing, manufacturing, installing, and operating weighing systems like rail and truck scales. Standards in weighing systems specify the technical requirements for weighbridges, such as the weighing scales’ capacity, stability, and accuracy. They also ensure coherence in weighing systems’ placement, installation, and calibration. When certain industry standards are set and met for weighing systems, the weighbridge systems are designed, manufactured, installed, and operated to a consistent set of requirements providing a framework for weighing systems in each production.
Minimising Errors and Discrepancy in Weighing Systems
Having standards in weighing and measurements is like having guidelines for the performance of weighing systems to meet a specific accuracy in weighing data. When weighing systems are calibrated to meet certain industry requirements, this reduces the chances of errors and ensures accuracy and consistent performance in weighing. Also, standards set specific procedures for calibrating, testing, and maintaining weighing systems so the systems operate consistently over time.
Facilitating International Trade,
It is easy for people of cultures and races to communicate when they have a common standard language. Standards in weighing and measurements are similar to a common language between two parties across borders. Standards in weighing provide a common language and framework for measurements across countries, which helps in promoting fair trade and ensuring all involved parties are using the same standards and procedures. This also helps eliminate disparity in international trade.
Moreover, standards also help to reduce technical barriers by ensuring systems used across countries have the same technical requirements and standards. This increases acceptance of weighing systems in different countries, facilitating international trade between industries with usability for weighing systems like static or portable truck scales or others.
