Innovation from Sartorius

In keeping with their tradition of innovation and technological leadership, weighing experts Sartorius carried out a total of 183 patent and trademark applications in 2001

New inventions mean practical benefits for their customers, giving Sartorius the competitive edge.

It was in this spirit that Sartorius set about solving a common problem in industrial weighing.

The current situation: Flat-bed scales are increasingly making their way into the pharmaceutical and food industries - everywhere in fact where cleanroom conditions or strict cleanability requirements must be observed.

Thanks to the low loading height of a flat-bed scale, which can be as little as 25mm, samples can easily be loaded onto the weighing platform ensuring continued health and safety for the operators.

In such environments it can be difficult to keep a weighing pit sufficiently clean, so flat-bed scales can be a cost effective way for manufacturers to meet cleanroom requirements without the additional costs of installing and maintaining a pit scale.

The challenge: Standard operating procedures for cleanroom conditions specify periodic cleaning of the production area, in some cases at very short intervals.

During the cleaning process, the flat-bed scale has to be moved out of the way so that the area underneath the scale can be cleaned.

Because a flat-bed scale can weigh anywhere from 130 to 250 kg depending on its size, it cannot be moved by one person alone.

At the same time the use of floor conveyors, such as a fork-lift truck or stacker, is usually not permitted in the cleanroom.

This is why the current Sartorius IF flatbed scale is fitted with handles and wheels to make it easier to move.

At up to 250 kilograms, however, moving the scale is still a considerable task.

Sartorius therefore set itself the task of finding a way to make this job easier.

The result: Through an intensive R and D process, the Sartorius engineers developed a lifting mechanism that allows the scale to be moved easily by just one person, rather than the two to four people previously required.

The new lifting mechanism consists of four rollers installed in the recesses on the sides of the scale.

During weighing the rollers do not touch the floor, but are tucked away below the side edges.

When the time comes to move the scale, a crank is used to lower the rollers at all four corners.

The entire scale is then raised slightly and supported by the rollers.

One person can now roll the scale out of the way without over-exertion and after the area around the scale's normal place of use has been cleaned, the scale is simply rolled back into position.

The operator then turns the crank in the opposite direction to lower the scale back onto its load cells and raise the rollers, which are again hidden under the side edges of the scale.

The value of this new mechanism was immediately evident, as it proved instrumental in winning a large contract from a customer in the pharmaceutical industry.

Sartorius has now registered the lifting mechanism for flat-bed scales with the Patent Office.

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