subject: Ntep Floor Scale- Designed For Accuracy [print this page] A floor scale is used to weigh heavy objects that are difficult to weigh using other traditional types of scales. The primary purpose of the weighing scale is to display accurate readings. From commercial, business and technical perspectives accuracy in the weight measurement is of paramount importance. Hence to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the floor scale the Weights and Measure department runs a NTEP program.
NTEP stands for National Type Evaluation Program and it evaluates the process followed by the manufacturer of the floor scale and verifies whether specifications, as laid out by the NIST handbook 44, are met or not. If the scale is found to conform to the laid out standards, the NTEP recommends it to local government official for final grant of legal-to-trade permission. Once the local officials find it satisfactory the scale can be used for commercial purpose and is indented with Legal-for trade mark on it.
There are some technical parameters that are checked during the testing process and they are:
The floor scale is tested over a specific voltage range
The tests are conducted at different temperatures to check for any variation in accuracy due to change in temperature.
Scale is subjected to repeated loading at one-half capacity for 100,000 times to check for its capability to withstand to cyclic stress, without affecting its accuracy.
The handbook44 provides specifications and tolerances for different accuracy classes of the floor scale. Depending upon the design and application, the weighing scale is manufactured accordingly, keeping in mind the required accuracy class. There are four broad categories of accuracy class.
Class I and Class II devices are used for laboratory and high precision instruments.
Class III devices are commercial purpose devices like health scale, postal scale, and animal scale. All of them are different types of scales.
Class III L devices include scales for axle load, crane, livestock.
Class IIII are used for heavy loads like wheel load weighing, portable axle load weighing for high way enforcement.
Thus NTEP makes it necessary for all manufacturers to adhere to requisite specifications and ensure that end users and customers get accurate weight measurement from their NTEP floor scale whenever they use it for some commercial transaction where the product is sold by weight. You can find the latest NTEP floor scales at www.paylessscales.com
