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Wireless load monitoring system for rigging professionals is now factory tested using automated calibration machine for assured accuracy and reliability Mantracourt, the manufacturer of the BroadWeigh™ load monitoring system, has announced that it has developed and manufactured a dedicated in-house test and calibration machine to further ensure the accuracy and reliability of its acclaimed BroadWeigh wireless load monitoring system.

The BroadWeigh portable wireless system offers real-time, simple, effective and accurate load monitoring for rigging professionals, safety officials and site managers enabling them to monitor and log the precise loads on any given rigging point. Central to the design of the BroadWeigh system are Crosby shackles equipped with a high accuracy, wireless load pin that reports data remotely to a computer or a handheld display. The system is able to monitor multiple load cells and can trigger an alarm should a load exceed a preset parameter.

Each BroadWeigh shackle is now calibrated using our new test machine. The Calibration software developed by our engineering team communicates directly with the shackle and the test rig to record the shackle’s calibration. The software then generates a calibration certificate.

– Kelly Voysey, Marketing Manager

With this development, the Broadweigh range of products is now designed, manufactured, calibrated and tested in-house at Mantracourt’s factory in Exeter, in the south-west of England. The company strongly believes that this in-house approach enables them to maintain the quality and usability of their instrumentation products, as well as the accuracy and reliability of every solution that leaves the factory. “The new automated calibration technology will help us meet the increasing demand for our BroadWeigh system, whilst helping us ensure its accuracy and reliability in the field,” said Kelly Voysey. ‘In this respect, it has been an important achievement, as we look to build on our success going forward.”

Using the new test installation, each shackle is calibrated and linearised over 8 weight points covering its operating range. Each weight is applied and allowed to settle, and then the calibration and linearisation parameters are calculated and applied to the shackle. Once all points have been calibrated, the shackle is unloaded then loaded again at 4 points over its operating range to check that it falls within in-house specification. The calibration record is electronically stored for future recall, and a Calibration Certificate is issued showing the results of the 4-point calibration check. The in-house calibration machine has a capacity of calibrating up to 10 tonnes and the main rig load cell is calibrated against an NPL approved transfer standard load cell.

The Broadweigh system is increasingly being seen as a cost effective solution for entertainment venues, touring companies and production suppliers, to provide essential measurements of force helping operatives eliminate overload risks. The Broadweigh system has been developed in conjunction with entertainment industry professionals for real world work environments. About Broadweigh Designed to aid rigging professionals on a daily basis, BroadWeigh provides high accuracy static and peak loads in real time. Broadweigh is designed and manufactured by Mantracourt Electronics, a world leader in the application of high precision microelectronics to many sectors of industrial measurement in fields such as aerospace, Formula 1 racing, construction and much more. As a key technology provider to leading OEM’s for over 40 years, Mantracourt pride themselves on exceptional reliability, quality and support. Their load pins are manufactured from high tensile stainless steel with a rotating bobbin which centralises the load and minimises any point load effects. The market leading Crosby shackle completes the package to supply an exceptional wireless load monitoring solution for rigging professionals. BroadWeigh is one of the few wireless products of this type on the market which incorporates a high accuracy load pin with this unique low trim loss design. The system is fast and simple to use and offers an expandable format to suit individual requirements, simply by adding or subtracting wireless shackles or other acquisition devices. The Broadweigh receivers are also interchangeable and not dedicated to specific load cells.