Mettler Toledo Scale Calibration Training

SGCalLab

Involved In Discussions
I would like to get certified on MT scales for calibration and repair.

We are an end user with a new in-house calibration department. We currently contract our work out, but would like to do it ourselves.

Is there a way to get training other than through the authorized MT rep (our vendor)?

Thanks!
 
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Hershal

Metrologist-Auditor
Trusted Information Resource
Given that you are referring to a specific brand, alternative sources are unlikely, but I cannot say for certain.

Perhaps someone else has more direct knowledge.
 

BradM

Leader
Admin
Short answer.... good luck.:rolleyes:

Mettler Toledo is very, very proprietary with their service manuals/ software to hook up and make higher level adjustments to some of their balances.

They make good equipment, but they are a bit stingy with their service availability.

As far as training, a good local source for balance calibrations should be able to help you with the fundamentals of corner loads, environmental considerations, internal calibration adjustments, and basic programming. Depending on the model balance, there may be some things you can do (and have information to do) and things you would need to contact the mfg. rep.

First, determine if it is cost effective to do it in-house. Not sure what class you need, but a decent set of Class 0 weights are expensive. Then, get a procedure in-place for the balances. Handbook 44 is a good start, but for precision analytical balances you may have to draft your own specialized procedure. Too, you may need to set up some classifications of tolerances.

Again, it may not even be worth it to mess with. Or, you might consider getting some check weights and performing drift analysis and such periodically; stretching out the required calibration intervals. Your intervals can also be extended by using internal calibrations, proper environment and observing proper leveling and such.:)
 
M

merrick65

You can try the following website for information: http://www.iescorp.com/helplinks.htm click on the Field Service Handbook.pdf link. This will have different Mettler & Toledo calibration procedures. As pointed out you will need calibrated wieghts which can be expensive. Also if the scales need to be repaired you will still need your scale company. The IES website has a lot of information available.
 

SGCalLab

Involved In Discussions
Looks like BradM was on the money about MT. I called MT and they said they only teach their licensed people like my vendor.

We have over 200 scales, which are calibrated quarterly. From large floor scales to small table scales.

The info merrick65 provided looks great...I've downloaded the manual..probably take a couple days to go over it and I'll come back if I have more questions....Thanks!
 

BradM

Leader
Admin
You can try the following website for information: http://www.iescorp.com/helplinks.htm click on the Field Service Handbook.pdf link. This will have different Mettler & Toledo calibration procedures. As pointed out you will need calibrated wieghts which can be expensive. Also if the scales need to be repaired you will still need your scale company. The IES website has a lot of information available.

Merrick, thank you for that awesome link! That is a really good source of information. Actually, IES has a list of "maintenance" tolerances used for balances; translation-realistic tolerances. That is a really good source for setting up use tolerances and such for new balances. I was trying to think of it when I saw this thread, but my memory fades every now and then.:D

Looks like BradM was on the money about MT. I called MT and they said they only teach their licensed people like my vendor.

We have over 200 scales, which are calibrated quarterly. From large floor scales to small table scales.

How have your balances been performing? If the balances are being taken care of and the other stuff I mentioned being done, you should not be having any failures at quarterly, and about 25-40% adjustments (I'm just kinda estimating, there). Once you have established stability, you can get you some check weights, and perform routine verifications. Once you get stability and such, extend that interval to six months, and then a year.

If you can get calibration out to a year, it will be feasible to keep calibration outside. With floor scales and analytical balances, you are going to have a pretty decent investment in weights alone; not to mention the storage/ transportation of the large weights.

As far as your floor scales, have they been covering the full range that you need? Handbook 44 allows for checks below full range of the scale.
 
D

Daniel Walker - 2011

Generating a quality system that covers the bases for doing in-house scale calibrations and maintenance is a huge undertaking. Brad's suggestion of lengthening the calibration interval for your outside provider, supplementing with in-house daily/weekly verifications is your best bet for saving $$. You still need an outside, trained and ACCREDITED calibration provider to look up on your scales at least once a year. And you definitely need them for service work.
 
A

Automatic

Looks like BradM was on the money about MT. I called MT and they said they only teach their licensed people like my vendor.

We have over 200 scales, which are calibrated quarterly. From large floor scales to small table scales.

The info merrick65 provided looks great...I've downloaded the manual..probably take a couple days to go over it and I'll come back if I have more questions....Thanks!
Mettler is like a Roto Rooters. They have nation wide service network and their revenues from field serivce is significant They'll do nothing for you that will cause you to drop them. I think the service is where they make more money.
I'm a self trained tech engineer. A good start is to read and attend seminars about weighing uncertainties so you understand what it is you're adjusting. What many users understand is what idea scales will be, but they're far from it.

I have a handful of older Mettler laboratory balances and I've hit a road block already. In the process, I researched Mettler-Toledo and you'll see that they're like Roto-Rooters

The procedures in IES manual is a get-around method and it does not have the ability of factory procedures.

User calibration is all you can do.

If the corner load is off, mechanical adjustments are needed.
After these adjustments, it must be followed by temperature coefficient learning and linearization.

Even if corner load adjustment is not needed, a linearity calibration would be a good idea. These settings are made in the flash memory on the main board and the programming requires service program.

Since on a Mettler you can't get to linearity or temperature constants adjustments, if you adjust the corner load, you won't be able to adjust it back to original specs.

Ohaus has some of their products made by Mettler and have the same setup, but there are some models that let the user adjust linearity.
 
S

SEBON

Thank you to merrick65 the link that you gave in response to this problem was very helpful to me. The field service hand book is an indispensable tool in tackling some of the calibration challenges that i face daily.
 
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