What is the lightest possible thing that you can think of weighing? Well here’s a device that can even measure the weight of the air we breathe.
What is a microbalance?
The microbalance is a device that is used to measure weights that are as light as a millionth of a gram. Hence, it can be used to measure the weight of aerosol particles too. This is extremely sensitive, compared to the analytical balance we have used in our school chemistry labs, that reads up to the sub-milligram range. Needless to say, this device must be very sensitive to be able to measure such small quantities with accuracy.
Reproducibility of a microbalance:
The reproducibility of any instrument is its ability to give the same measured value over and over again for the same sample. The difference between these readings, called the standard deviation, must be minimized in order to say we have a stable measuring device.
Some of the factors that can affect your microbalance reproducibility:
Variations in temperature and pressure are enough to cause a change in the readings of the microbalance and most microbalance manuals advise a day of ‘acclimatization’ after being installed in a lab. That is to say, it must be given a day to come to terms with the conditions of temperature, pressure, and humidity in your lab and to become stable in the given environment.
Vibration as a factor that can affect microbalance performance:
Instruments as sensitive as the microbalances are also easily affected by vibrations within the lab. The vibrations from the walls and floors or from other instruments sharing the same table can cause considerable errors in measurement, reducing the capability of the balance to make precise measurements for your lab.
Hence, it is highly recommended that the microbalance in a lab be placed on a vibration free table and away from any walls, in order to minimize the effect of external vibrations on it.
How we can help you:
We at Anti Vibration Technologies, are here to provide you with these tables that can protect your microbalance, as well as any other device in your lab that incorporates a microbalance into it. We make tables that resist the vibrations within the lab due to internal as well as external factors and hence make your lab readings more accurate. To know more about anti-vibration techniques suitable for your lab, contact us now or give us a ring at +91 9393728474.