Do I have to recalibrate after changing weighing indicator settings such as the capacity or minimum scale value?

We often get questions like, “I’ve made a scale by combining a load cell and an indicator. I have to increase the capacity of the scale and want to change the capacity setting of the indicator. If I do that, do I have to recalibrate it?” We probably get this type of question a lot because of the difficulty of placing counterweights with large silos and automatic scales.

In such cases, recalibration is probably not necessary. Increasing the capacity a few percent won’t cause many problems even if a recalibration is not performed. Since the linearity of the indicator and load cell is sufficient, changing the capacity a few percent won’t cause much error.

Furthermore, weighing indicators are calibrated using an internal resolution that is finer than the displayed resolution and this data is stored in nonvolatile memory. As a result, the zero point and span remain the same even if the minimum scale value is subsequently changed.

Nevertheless, it’s better to recalibrate when changes have been made to the scale. Furthermore, it’s important to make sure that insufficient mechanical strength or other issues do not cause problems when increasing the capacity setting.