multiparameter titration system guarantees process reliabilitythe bullion’s weight, the goods are...

Weighing and Analysis in the Laboratory

Multiparameter Titration SystemGuarantees Process Reliability

The quality of lubricants is monitored and safeguarded by a multitude of

analyses. The multi-parameter measuring system, which has Titration

Excellence at its core, automatically performs these analyses.

One sample – several analysesLiquid samples are perfectly suited to de-termining a variety of parameters. A sim-ple example is lubricants, where pH, den-sity, acid value and surfactant content are common points of measurement. A known sample quantity (e.g. 5 ml) is titrated to de-termine the acid number, another sample quantity is titrated to determine the sur-factant content and the pH and density are determined with direct measurements.

The multi-parameter systemThanks to the METTLER TOLEDO multi-parameter measuring system, all analyses can be performed in a fully automated system, managing comprehensive calcula-tions to a single record, which can then be printed or saved to a PC. The operator simply places a sample beaker containing

30-40 mL sample onto the rack of the sample changer and starts the measure-ments. The system measures pH and fills the measuring cell of the density meter with the sample. The measured value is transferred to the titrator where the Liquid Handler measures out a defined quantity of the sample. The samples are diluted and the titrations for acid value and surfactant content are performed followed by all rel-evant calculations. All the user has to do is take the sample and start the method using One Click®. Other devices are controlled by the titrator and their results are saved. With the new version 3.1 Excellence titrators, METTLER TOLEDO is leading where others follow.

www.mt.com/one-click-titration

7News

Machinery, Plastics, Electronics

Analytical solutions in the laboratory

2 METTLER TOLEDO Machinery, Plastics, Electronics News 7

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Publisher Mettler-Toledo AG Laboratory Division Im Langacher CH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland

Production Segment Marketing LABGlobal MarCom Switzerland

Subject to technical changes. © Mettler-Toledo AG 02/11Printed in Switzerland.

The Argor-Heraeus gold refinery processes precious metals and pro-

duces semi-finished components for distribution to the watch and

jewelry industry. METTLER TOLEDO balances are used to ensure that

the gold and silver content is checked and controlled with the highest

possible accuracy throughout the entire refinery process.

Accuracy is as precious as gold “We already use the third generation of METTLER TOLEDO balances in our gold and silver refinery where the highest weighing accuracy and reliable results are essential,” replied Lorenzo Medici, Manag-er SC Engineering at Argor-Heraeus, when asked about his experience with METTLER TOLEDO balances.

The importance of weighing becomes im-mediately evident during the factory tour at Argor-Heraeus located in Mendrisio in the southern part of Switzerland. Preci-sion weighing plays a crucial role in the most important process steps, such as for incoming inspection, within the foundry and for refining and finishing steps. The weight is checked before and after each process step in order to closely monitor any weight differences.

Weighing as central roleAll incoming raw gold and silver bullion is check weighed in order to determine the exact delivery weight. Depending on the bullion’s weight, the goods are ei-ther checked on an Excellence XP64001L Precision Balance’s large 64 kg capacity weighing platform or on a floor scale with a capacity of up to 1500 kg. Both balances are connected to a single display mounted on an extra stand next to the balances.

Highest Weighing Demandsin Modern Gold and Silver Refinery

This guarantees better result visibility and easier user handling.

After incoming inspection, the material undergoes further analysis and refining steps in order to prepare semi-finished parts for the jewelry and watch industry and bullion with defined purity.

Finally, the bullion is carefully checked for nominal weight. If the weight falls be-low the accepted limit, the bullion goes back to the melting and processing stage, if it exceeds the upper limit, the weight is corrected to the nominal target tolerance. The Excellence XS603S Precision Balance, which has a readability of 1 mg and a re-movable front glass in the draft shield, is ideal for this final process step

From fire assay to the final productOne of the most impressive and yet age-old processes in gold refining is the so-called ‘fire assay’, a gravimetrical method used to determine the purity of gold. This as-say plays an important role throughout the entire refining process from accepting raw materials through to the finished product.

Gold samples are accurately weighed on Excellence XP6 Micro Balances then mixed with a defined amount of silver and wrapped in a lead foil. Each sample is then placed

3METTLER TOLEDO Machinery, Plastics, Electronics News 7

Check weighing station for gold and silver bullion.

into a cupel and heated in a furnace at 1200 °C. The cupel, made of compressed magnesium oxide powder, absorbs the melted and oxidized base metals leav-ing a precious metal drop in the cupel. After solidification, the resulting bead is flattened to a thin plate and treated in a nitric acid bath to remove any silver. The resulting pure gold plate is subsequently re-weighed on the balances, allowing the determination of the sample’s fine gold content. Argor-Heraeus is highly satisfied with METTLER TOLEDO’s Excellence XP6 Micro Balance as it generates fast yet accu-rate results, an important element for em-ployees weighing so many samples per day.

Gold under full controlAll data is recorded and fed into the IT system in order to closely monitor the flow of gold material. The balance’s diverse connectivity options optimize the easy in-tegration into the current ERP system and the printed reports, together with the data integration, ensure permanently traceable results ensuring the accountability of ev-ery gold sample.

www.mt.com/XP-precision www.mt.com/XS-precision

www.mt.com/micro

Weighing-in of gold samples for fire assay method.


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s When Size MattersSieve Analysis Ensures Consistency

Polypropylene is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of

applications; e.g. packaging, plastic parts and automotive components.

Suppliers of polypropylene pellets must ensure a consistent pellet

diameter size in order to avoid problems in melting and injection

molding processes. The new One Click™ Sieve Analysis application is

a fast and secure solution for checking the pellet size distribution of

individual batches.

The traditional methodThe particle size distribution of granular material is often of critical importance in determining its use and behavior. Sieve analysis is a simple and common tech-nique for determining particle size. How-ever, the process requires a great deal of attention to ensure sieves are weighed cor-rectly and results are recorded without error.

Each sieve must first be weighed empty. The sample can then be added to the upper sieve and the weight noted. After shaking in a

sieve shaker, each sieve is individually re-weighed. The amount of sample remaining in each sieve allows the fractional weights to be calculated which are used to deter-mine the overall particle size distribution.

Great care must be taken to ensure all weights are logged correctly against the corresponding sieve. There is a high possi-bility of recording the result incorrectly or making a mistake in the distribution cal-culation. Research also indicates that typi-cal transcription errors may be between 4% and 10%.

Three points for optimizationMETTLER TOLEDO’s new One Click™ Weighing Solutions are complete product bundles for dedicated applications con-sisting of LabX software and an appropri-ate balance equipped with the corre-sponding accessories. One Click™ Sieve Analysis is a full solution for determining particle size distribution and addresses three critical control points:

Sieve handling – easyHandling the sieves is easy. Using auto-matic weight detection the sieves can be

Easy sieve weighing with automatic weight detection. Customized reports can be printed at any time.


weighed consecutively without needing to touch a button. Clear instructions are given on the balance touch-screen to en-sure the sieves are placed in the correct order.

Transcription error – eliminatedNo manual transcription is required. One Click™ Sieve Analysis automatically re-cords the sieve weights, the sample weight and the fractional sample weights. The lab technician only needs to enter the sample ID on the balance.

Calculations – automaticAll calculations are performed automati-cally. One Click™ Sieve Analysis auto-matically determines the distribution percentage and displays the results on the balance with the mean particle size (d50). Results can be printed at any time in a customized report to meet individual spe-cific documentation requirements.

The process is easily customized, i.e. the effective size (d10) and the uniformity coefficient (d60/d10) can also be deter-mined. The reports can provide an easy reference for customers for each batch of plastic pellets received. Easily integrated with LIMS or other internal systems, One Click™ Sieve Analysis really does offer a comprehensive solution.

New innovative Weighing SolutionsOne Click™ Sieve Analysis is just one of a series of dedicated weighing solutions. New solutions can be created in LabX to exactly match individual weighing pro-cesses. With results stored securely and automatic calculations and documenta-tion, day-to-day weighing processes are easier, faster and more secure.

www.mt.com/1-click-weighing

www.mt.com/1-click-weighing

Know-How

One Click™ Sieve Analysis – See how easy it is

Benefit from this new solution for determining pellet size distribu-tion of individual batches:

• Fully guided weighing• Automatic calculations and documentation• Personalized report

Watch the One Click™ Sieve Analysis video on our land-ing page demonstrating how straightforward the whole process is.Adding the sample in One Click™ Sieve Analysis


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mal

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s Improving Electronic PackagingWith Thermal Analysis

The packaging material used for integrated circuits

in electronic equipment is generally an epoxy based

compound. It is important that the epoxy has excel-

lent thermal and dimensional stability as well as

good outdoor properties. The characterization and

selection of raw materials is paramount if a high

quality end product is to be produced.

Packaging raw material selectionIn the semiconductor packaging indus-try, process engineers are often faced with many questions when selecting suitable raw materials. Questions likely to arise include: • What are the outgassing properties of the material? • Is the material thermally stable at a given temperature?Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) is an excellent technique that is well suited

for raw material selection as it presents engineers with the necessary answers. The METTLER TOLEDO TGA/DSC 1 pro-vides engineers with great insight into material selection. An advantage of the TGA/DSC 1 is that it has the ability to de-tect very small weight changes and can be used to characterize important material properties, such as outgassing of moisture and other volatile components and inves-tigate the thermal stability of a material.

DSC 1

Determining temperature limits The results in Figure 1 illustrate how easily the TGA/DSC 1 can determine the temperature limits of an uncured epoxy resin sample by investigating decomposi-tion behavior. Two mass loss steps can be easily seen on the TGA evaluation in Figure 1. The first, between 30 and 100 °C shows the loss of moisture. The second, beginning at 140 °C shows the start of epoxy sample decomposition through pyrolysis result-ing in the release of volatile reaction products. The SDTA curve provides better visual separation of the individual mass loss steps and also yields additional in-formation that helps to interpret the curve and displays effects that are not accompa-nied by mass loss. The METTLER TOLEDO TGA/DSC 1 is a valuable tool for material characteriza-tion and materials selection. With its wide measurement and temperature range, the TGA/DSC 1 has the ability to measure both small and large samples from ambi-ent to 1600 °C. Thanks to its modular design, the TGA/DSC 1 is the ideal instru-ment for manual or automated operation in production, quality assurance or re-search and development.

www.mt.com/dsc

Figure 1. TGA curve of an uncured epoxy resin sample.(Source: Collected Applications – Thermosets)


In Plastic Components,Density is also a Measure of Quality

While visual inspection can reveal obvious manufacturing

flaws, density determination is a quick and effective way to

check components internally and reveal possible deficien-

cies in the plastic used. A NewClassic Balance with density

kit makes this a simple task.

Quality control at and beneath the surfacePlastic influences nearly every activity in modern life and there are many indus-tries that rely on plastic components man-ufactured by outside suppliers. These are produced according to predefined stan-dards and definitions with batches then checked to ensure that the manufactured items are within specified tolerances.

Density reveals what the eye cannot seeQuality control includes visual inspection for obvious external manufacturing flaws and measures the components’ density to confirm whether the internal plastic contains the correct mix of polymers and additives. NewClassic Weighing Balances are ideal for quick density measurements of individual plastic parts.

The NewClassic density kit can be used for both floating and non-floating objects. It contains a support plate, brackets, glass beakers, thermometer, basket and a bot-tle of wetting agent. Mounted in less than 1 minute with just a few simple steps, a NewClassic Balance converts into a reli-able densitometer that uses either the buoyancy technique, the displacement principle or the pycnometer method. The balance’s built-in density determination application is there to guide parts inspec-tors step-by-step through the process, collecting the results and calculating the density.

www.mt.com/newclassic

FlexibilityThanks to its clever design, the basket can be used for determining the den-sity of both floating and non-floating objects.

Easy accessThe design of the density kit supports easy weighing. Three large sample platforms allow sample placement with easy access from left, right or top.

NewClassic Balance with density kit


Onl

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s Benefit From our Knowledgefor Your Best Practices

Good Titration Practice™

Risk Checker Diverse factors can affect titration results. Spend 5 minutes answering 8 questions, determine titration result reliabilty and save money.

MovieSee how One Click Titration™ simplifies daily lab work with its uniform and intuitive user concept.

BrochureOrder a copy of the 'Good Titration Practice™' brochure. The brochure focuses on how to perform optimum titration analysis.

www.mt.com/gtp

Good Weighing Practice™

Discover the 5 major steps to Good Titration Practice™. Comprehensive support and guidelines ensure the financial and time investment are always allocated appropriately whilst minimizing risks.

Risk Checker Find out if your results are continuously accurate. Simply answer 8 questions and the GWP® Risk Check provides expert advice on how to optimize system quality.

MovieWatch our educational videos and learn more about how GWP® ensures weighing result accuracy.

WebinarsAttend our ‘Measurement Uncertainty & Minimum Weight’ and ‘Routine Testing of Weighing System’ interactive GWP webinars to learn more on how to establish and maintain a sustainable quality of weighing processes.

www.mt.com/gwp

GWP® (Good Weighing Practice™) is a risk-based approach that clearly interprets the regulations of each industry and puts them into straightforward weighing practice. This results in a simple program that assures compliance at any time.

Discover 4 selected best practices from METTLER TOLEDO in mt.com. Profit from the

useful, valuable yet free know-how from our experts to support your daily laboratory

procedures and minimize risk of measurement.


Good Crystallization Practice

Improving Laboratory CrystallizationFocusing on laboratory case studies, key stages in the process development lifecycle where the implementation of FBRM® and PVM® has been successful are demonstrated.

Improving Production CrystallizationDiscover five high impact ways to achieve ideal crystallization production conditions. Special attention is paid to the most common ‘problem areas’ encountered in production crystalli-zations where the implementation of FBRM® has proven useful.

Crystallization WebinarsA variety of on demand crystallization webinars are available on our internet portal. The webinars support you in development, optimization and scale-up of your crystallization processes.

www.mt.com/crystallization

Good Moisture Practice

Scale-up of crystallization is notoriously complicated and companies are under pressure to develop scalable crystalliza-tion processes faster, at lower costs and with higher quality. Companies must control crystallization conditions in order to improve cycle times and optimize product quality.

Method DatabaseExplore the database that contains more than 100 methods referenced to an official moisture determination method (e.g. drying oven).

Industry SolutionsExperience complete solutions for moisture analysis in a variety of industries, including sugar, plastics and wastewater.

Moisture Measuring PrinciplesLearn more about the method of drying (heating the sample using thermal radiation) and the principle of the switch-off criterion.

www.moisture-guide.com

Moisture determinations need to be carried out reliably and quickly so that any interventions in the production process can be made promptly in order to avoid interruptions. Our website offers a valuable Moisture Guide method database and industry solutions which can help to save precious development time.


Prod

uct N

ews New Signature Line

Guaranteed Positive Tolerances

Accurate weighing results are crucial to quality

control labs and, whilst routine balance testing

increases safety and measurement accuracy, a

more in-depth balance calibration is advisable

for critical processes. METTLER TOLEDO’s unique

electrolytic adjustment process ensures that weights

are manufactured within a positive tolerance range

to successfully deal with such enhanced testing

requirements.

Guaranteed Positive TolerancesThe unique electrolytic adjustment pro-cedure, combined with robotic calibra-tion, allows the selective production of weights in the positive tolerance range.

Full Lifetime Guarantee‘Stay-in-tolerance’ lifetime guarantee means exactly that; if a weight is found to have fallen out of tolerance it will be replaced free of charge.

Made in SwitzerlandUnequaled Swiss quality means weights made from vacuum melted, premium stainless steel for an extended life span.

www.mt.com/signature-line


www.mt.com/xs-ex

Reaching New Accuracy Levelsin Hazardous Environments

Manufactures of gas mixtures for use in pharmaceu-

tical, industrial or calibration purposes require high

resolutions to improve the accuracy of the mixed

contents. The new XS-Comparators for Ex Zone 2

set a new accuracy standard using Comparator

Monobloc weighing technology. The systems are

specially designed to fit all kinds of gas bottles and

cylinder types, offering the highest accuracy mass

determination level in hazardous environments.

Accurate and secure resultsEnvironmental influence protection with integrated draft ring guarantees optimal performance. The centering aid allows precise placement for improved accuracy.

Improved performanceThe latest weighing technology guaran-tees outstanding measurement perfor-mance and secure results with a resolu-tion of up to 0.1 mg.

Seamless integrationData transfer via 3 different interface technologies (Bluetooth, Ethernet andRS232) offers flexible solutions in Ex- Zone environments.

www.mt.comFor more information

Mettler-Toledo AGLaboratory DivisionIm LangacherCH-8606 Greifensee, Switzerland

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multiparameter titration system guarantees process reliabilitythe bullion’s weight, the goods are...

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