Why Durability Can Matter More Than Readability in Classroom Scales
In primary and secondary education, students don’t always need the most precise balance. What they do need is a scale that can handle their everyday demands … and then some. This blog will discuss why durability in a scale can matter more than readability – but why readability still matters at the end of the day.
What Durability Really Means in a Weighing Scale
Primary school children aren’t considered the most careful and conscientious age group, and secondary school students are only marginally better. That’s why, when it’s time for students to work with weights and measures, they need the right classroom scale to keep up with them. Their scale should be able to withstand overloads, sticky spills and even being dropped on the ground – and still work just as well to provide accurate, precise results afterward.
Key Features to Look for in a Durable Classroom Scale
When perusing your next classroom scale, keep in mind these three features that signal the scale is durable.
Sealed Keypad
When a classroom scale offers a sealed keypad, that means it offers a higher level of protection against splashes and dust than an unsealed keypad, without the high protection and cost of an IP rated scale. Adam’s Dune Compact Balances boast a sealed keypad for improved peace of mind when weighing liquids or powders.
ABS Plastic & Stainless Steel
ABS plastic housing is an excellent alternative to stainless steel. It’s ideal for weighing corrosive chemicals for secondary school students, and is less likely to shatter when dropped, ideal for primary school. It’s also easy to keep clean! All Adam compact scales are constructed from ABS plastic, and all but Adam’s Dune series also feature a stainless-steel weighing pan. The stainless-steel weighing pans are resistant to rust, dents and bacteria!
Overload & Shock Protection
When students learn about mass and weight, part of the lesson is being able to compare the weights of different items. This could come with the unintended consequence of a student placing an item on the weighing pan that’s above the scale’s capacity. Ideally, this should be avoided as much as possible, but we know that accidents happen. Adam’s Dune series offers a simple alarm that notifies students when they’ve surpassed the scale’s limits. As soon as they hear the alarm, they know to remove the weight from the pan.
If you’re in need of more advanced protection, Adam’s Highland and Core compact balances offer ShockProtect™ technology. This helps protect them against both overloads and shock loads, which is when any weight is loaded on to the scale with excessive force. They’re remarkably durable, with Adam’s Highland proved to be able to handle 100kg of weight above capacity and still provide precise measurements when the weight is removed. Whether you punch or drop them, the Highland and Core stay strong and ready to weigh.
Why Readability Still Matters
Just because durability matters in the classroom doesn’t mean that readability should be ignored. It needs to be the right readability for what your students are weighing. If the readability is 0.5kg, for example, your students may be able to weigh a few textbooks with accuracy, but not a pencil or an eraser, as they’re too light to register on the machine.
Adam’s classroom scales, as a group, offer capacities from 120g to 30kg, with readabilities between 0.001g and 2g. These readabilities are ideal for the classroom. More advanced students can learn about the importance of precision, while primary school students can learn the basics. There’s a scale for every classroom!
Need a new, durable scale for your classroom? Contact the Scaletec team and we’ll help you choose the right one.