Chinese
Spanish
Russian
Portuguese
French
German
Indonesian
Thai
Vietnamese
Arabic
Italian
Turkish
Polish
Japanese
Load cells for food industry weighing must survive the plant's cleaning routine without making the weighing assembly difficult to clean or changing how load reaches the sensor. A stainless steel body and an ingress rating answer only part of that requirement. Before selecting a cell for a batching hopper, packing scale or ingredient platform, establish where it sits relative to the product, what reaches it during cleaning, and how weighing performance will be checked before production resumes.
Selecting load cells for food industry cleaning zones
Start with the cleaning specification, not the sensor material. A dry ingredient room and a wet processing line can require different mounting details even when they weigh the same batch. Record whether the sensor is exposed to food, splashes, airborne residue or only the surrounding room. The equipment owner's hygiene assessment should determine whether a proposed location and assembly are acceptable.
For wet cleaning, give the supplier the approved chemical products, working concentrations, contact times, temperatures and rinse method. Include the actual jet exposure at the installation, not just the washer's nameplate pressure. For dry cleaning, consider how powder is removed from beneath the platform and around fixing bolts. Do not introduce water into a dry-zone design merely because the cell carries an IP rating.
| Exposure | What to inspect | Order details |
|---|---|---|
| Dry residue | Powder traps, inaccessible bolts and clearance below the load receptor. | Access for the approved dry-cleaning method without disturbing alignment or calibration. |
| Routine washdown | Cable entry, junction box, seals, drainage and surfaces sheltered by guards. | Compatibility of the complete assembly with the stated cleaning exposure. |
| Hot or directed jets | Local temperature, nozzle position and components directly in the jet path. | Explicit suitability evidence for those conditions; IP68 alone is insufficient. |
| Product contact | Every exposed material, joint and surface that can contact the product. | The applicable hygiene and material documentation for the actual assembly, not a generic stainless steel statement. |
Where MV-LC0159 can enter the assessment
The METRAVON MV-LC0159 bellows bending beam load cell has individual rated-capacity options from 5 to 500 kg, a nominal 2.0 mV/V bridge output and alloy steel or stainless steel material options. Its catalogue lists IP68. These facts make it a candidate for weighing assemblies that suit its beam geometry; they do not establish suitability for direct food contact, a particular detergent or hot high-pressure washing.
Request the stainless steel configuration explicitly when that is required. Do not assume the material from a photograph. Ask for the selected capacity's drawing before machining: the mounting-hole size changes between capacity groups. The fixed end, loading point and surrounding structure must follow the approved arrangement rather than treating the body as a compression column.
A bellows also needs access for inspection and cleaning. If its folds would retain residue in the proposed position, moving the sensor outside the exposed zone or choosing another verified assembly may be preferable. A cover is useful only if it does not conceal an uncleanable pocket or touch the moving load receptor. Hygiene approval belongs to the machine arrangement, including covers and fasteners, not just the sensing element.
Why a clean scale can return with a different zero
After washing, a changed zero can come from retained water, residue under the platform, a hose resting on the hopper, a displaced guard or a cable pulled tight. Those conditions alter the dead load or create a parallel load path. An electrical problem at a wet connector or junction box can also affect the signal. Re-zeroing immediately removes useful evidence about when the change occurred.
Record the as-found reading first. With the equipment isolated under the site's maintenance procedure, inspect clearance, drainage, cable strain and flexible connections. Then compare the reading after the assembly has reached the agreed operating condition. A time-dependent recovery after a temperature change warrants investigation; it should not automatically be treated as a harmless offset.
Capacity still needs a mechanical calculation. Include the platform or vessel tare, maximum contents, unequal loading and credible loading shocks. Dividing total weight by the number of supports gives only an initial average, not the maximum force at each cell. Cleaning platforms, maintenance loads and temporary attachments should be considered where they can load the weighing structure.
A repeatable check before the next production batch
- Before cleaning, record the empty-system indication and the response to an agreed reference load. Identify the load, position, indicator settings and operating temperature.
- After cleaning, inspect for trapped liquid, fouling, damage and mechanical contact. Record the as-found zero before changing tare or calibration.
- Apply the reference load in the same position after the specified settling conditions are met. For a platform, include the agreed off-centre positions; for a vessel, use its approved verification method.
- Remove the load and check return to zero. Compare the results against the plant's documented limits and retain both passing and failed observations.
- If the result fails, keep the equipment out of production until the cause is resolved and the required checks pass. Recalibration alone does not correct a rubbing guard or an incompatible cable seal.
The tolerance and reference-load arrangement must suit the smallest important ingredient addition and the plant's quality system. A sensor's catalogue accuracy class is not the allowable batch error of the assembled machine. Cleaning verification should also remain separate from a full calibration: a quick check can detect a change, but it does not characterize the complete weighing range.
What to include in the enquiry
Send the layout, empty and full loads, support positions, loading sequence, cleaning specification and photographs showing access beneath the machine. Identify the indicator and its bridge excitation, the cable route, junction-box location and required output to the control system. The MV-LC0159 bridge signal needs compatible weighing electronics; it is not itself a 4-20 mA or RS485 process output.
For a comparable quotation, separate the sensing element from mounting parts, cable protection, junction box, indicator or transmitter, verification equipment and commissioning. Ask which hygiene documents apply to the exact proposed assembly. Send the cleaning and weighing requirements to METRAVON before choosing a replacement solely by capacity or hole spacing.
Questions about washdown and weighing
Q1. Does an IP68 cell remove the need for a protective enclosure?
No. Assess each exposed part, including cable joints and signal-conditioning electronics, against the actual exposure. An enclosure may be needed for those components, but it must drain or exclude water as designed and remain accessible. It must not introduce a mechanical connection between the weighed structure and the fixed frame.
Q2. Can the scale simply be tared after every wash?
A normal tare adjustment may be part of the approved production procedure, but an unexpected change should first be recorded and investigated. If a known load no longer reads correctly or the zero keeps moving, taring can hide the symptom without restoring weighing performance.
Q3. Can an existing cell be replaced with stainless steel of the same capacity?
Only after checking the complete replacement specification. Loading geometry, stiffness, mounting holes, sensitivity, excitation and cable arrangement can differ. On a multi-cell system, electrical matching and corner adjustment also matter. Repeat the required calibration and cleaning-related checks after installation.
Summary
Choose the cleaning arrangement and weighing structure together. MV-LC0159 may suit a beam-based installation, but its material and IP68 listing do not approve a food-processing assembly. A useful purchase specification identifies exposure, load paths and inspection access, then defines how zero, reference-load response and return to zero will be checked after cleaning.
