For more than 35 years, Honeywell Sensotec has provided force measurement solutions with a comprehensive line of load cells and load cell accessories.

Our customers have had their choice of standard-stocked, cataloged, and customized load cells in a multitude of configurations--miniature, subminiature, low profile, rod-end, single-point, tension, compression, and many more. In addition to the rugged welded stainless steel construction, many of these load cells have internal signal conditioning for high output and intrinsic safety. Ultra-high accuracy, immunity to off-axis loading, over-load stops, metric and English threads, submersible connectors, and cables are some of the popular features available.

Order one customized load cell, a large volume of products from stock, or anything in between. And we'd love for you to order something not on the menu--that’s our real specialty!

March 8-11 - Detroit, Michigan

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at booth #2406

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Please order online or call 1-800-867-3892 to get your copy.

Honeywell puts doing a superb job for customers at the heart of what it means to be in business: when customers speak, we have to listen. That's why voice of the customer is so important in our strategic thinking here at Honeywell Sensotec. So if you have any issues, good or bad, that you wish to share with us please feel free to go to our online customer feedback form and let us have the details. You can be assured we will address these issues in a timely, systematic and comprehensive manner.

At sizes down to 0.13 inch high by 0.5 inch diameter, they can be incorporated into existing machines or any space-restricted area.

Rugged all-welded construction ensures reliable operation in demanding applications. Standard operating temperature range is -65 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperature compensation options are available. Standard mV/V or amplified high-level outputs are available. More>>

What do you think about when you're choosing a load cell? Type (compression or tension/compression), physical size and shape, load range, and price are obvious concerns. But what about immunity to extraneous loadings? Choose a load cell with limited carrying capacity for off-axis (side) loadings and you may end up with a load cell that fails or has a diminished life. Or you may have a high error rate because the load cell is not designed to reject extraneous loads in the sensor output.

Take a look at the following figure for dramatic evidence of what side loading can do to your load cell. As you can see, the column style cell is the most susceptible and the dual stabilized diaphragm, the least. With the same side load, the single diaphragm cell will have about 10 times more error than the stabilized one.

GAUGED COLUMN SIDE LOADING IMMUNITY 1 GAUGED COLUMN WITH STABILIZING DIAPHRAGM SIDE LOADING IMMUNITY 10 GAUGED DIAPHRAGM SIDE LOADING IMMUNITY 20 GAUGED DIAPHRAGM WITH SINGLE STABILIZING DIAPHRAGM SIDE LOADING IMMUNITY 50 GAUGED DIAPHRAGM WITH DUAL STABILIZING DIAPHRAGMS SIDE LOADING IMMUNITY 100

Sensitivity to side loads can be reduced by increasing the cell diameter (twice the diameter is twice as strong). But increasing diameter may not be in an option in space-limited application.

Honeywell Sensotec offers solutions to the side-loading problem. We build off-axis carrying capacity into our huge line of rugged, robust standard, miniature, and subminiature load cells. Our load cells filter out extraneous loading "noise" to make sure that you get the most accurate possible measurements. You'll find highly stable, reliable sensors with ranges from 50 grams to 3 million pounds, accuracies from 0.05% to 0.5% F.S., and temperature tolerance from -60 to 320 degree Fahrenheit.

And here's our promise: If you can't find a load cell with the combination of type, size, shape, price, and off-axis carrying capacity your application demands, we'll build you one.

A load cell will only perform to its specification if it is mounted correctly. Many times the load cell is blamed for poor measurement performance when in fact the mounting arrangement is the source of the inaccuracy. If the load cell is to perform optimally, the strain gauged element must be uniformly stressed when under load. In order for this to happen the following conditions must be met:

Flat surface
The mounting surface for the load cell should be flat, preferably a ground surface. This ensures that the load cell is strained evenly and that high spots do not induce an uneven loading on the load cell and create uneven stress levels.

Hard, rigid surface
The mounting surface on which the load cell rests should be hard and rigid to ensure that the surface does not distort, bend or twist under load. The loading stresses on the surface can be very severe, particularly when miniature load cells are being used. Loads of 40,000 pounds per square inch are not uncommon. A surface that is hard and rigid it will not distort, ensuring that the load is transferred to the load cell evenly.

Level surface
The surface should be level so that all the load is applied parallel to the main axis of the load cell. This ensures no cosine error is induced and also ensures that side loading does not create problems for the load cell, which will only have some degree of immunity.

Loading applied parallel to the main axis
It is important that the load cell only sees loads that are parallel to the main axis. Tension load cells can use rod end bearings to ensure that the load is always applied parallel to the main axis. Load buttons fulfill a similar function in compression load cells.

Internal amplification for high-level voltage or current output reduces the effects of signal noise and usually eliminates the need for signal conditioning on your data acquisition system. Sensotec offers several sensors with internal amplification for voltage or current output. Our amplified load cells provide high-level +/-5 VDC, +/-10 VDC or 4-20 mA output. All are rugged, stainless steel units that resist side load, bending, and torque and can be adapted for use in hazardous areas. Operating temperature range is from 0 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. All except the Model 41a offer optional internal buffered shunt calibration circuit to simplify setup.

	Available in ranges from 0-5 to 0-50,000 pounds, the low-profile, bonded foil strain gauge Model 41a precision tension/compression load cell features deflection of 0.003 inch F.S. Nonlinearity is +/-0.1%, hysteresis +/-0.08%, and repeatability +/-0.03. More>>
	The Model 43a compression-only load cell comes in ranges from 5 to 500,000 pounds. Nonlinearity is +/-0.1% F.S. More>>
	The pancake-style, fatigue-rated tension and compression Model 47a delivers accuracy (static error band) from +/-0.02% to +/-0.05% F.S. and a life cycle of approximately 1 billion fully reversed cycles. Ranges are from 0-200 to 0-100,000 pounds. More>>
	Available in ranges up to 20,000 pounds, the Model 75a tension and compression load cell has a life cycle rating of approximately 109 fully reversed cycles. More>>

Welded integral stabilizing diaphragms make the RG family of rod-end, in-line compression/tension load cells ideal for aircraft, automotive, and industrial structural testing where side- or off-axis loading cannot be controlled, as well as monitoring of cable tension and actuator forces and parts retrieval from deep-well or offshore platforms. The rugged, all-welded stainless steel units come in ranges from 2,000 to 50,000 pounds and are configurable with integral male, female, or male and female, in both English and metric sizes.

The rugged, all-welded stainless steel Model RMa high-output in-line tension load cell provides combined linearity and hysteresis of +/-0.2% F.S. plus internally amplified +/-5 VDC, +/-10 VDC or 4-20 mA output. Mounting in-line to the load axis with integral male, female, or male and female threads, the RMa comes in ranges from 2,000 to 50,000 pounds; operating temperature range is from 0 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. An optional internal buffered shunt calibration circuit simplifies setup. The unit can be adapted for hazardous duty.