Setting new standards in industrial weighing

Eilersen Weighing Instrument

Eilersen is a global leader in the development and manufacture of digital load cell sensor technology. Philip Yorke talked to Frederik Eilersen the company’s CEO about its latest groundbreaking products and move into new market sectors.

EtherNet interface module Eilersen Electric A/S was founded in 1969 near Copenhagen in Denmark by Nils Eilersen when he developed a capacitive measurement system for measuring the injection pressure in diesel engines. This unique, patented technology was sold to Bosch Gmbh of Germany during the 1970s and set the trend for many more innovative products from Eilersen including the world’s first modular weighing systems using groundbreaking digital load cell technology. The company has continued to see consistent growth and remains a privately owned business managed by Frederik Eilersen, its second-generation CEO.

Today Eilersen is the leading supplier of digital weighing solutions for a diverse range of industrial applications, which provide full connectivity with PCs, PLCs, MES and ERP terminals. The company also offers a complete range of weighing terminals with software for standard weighing applications or with customised software developed by the company’s in-house team of experienced engineers. All Eilersen load cells are based upon the digital capacitive weighing technology, which is protected comprehensively by worldwide patents. This digital technology is the most robust on the market and eliminates the inaccuracy found in analogue electronics as the complete measurement chain is digital. Furthermore, Eilersen’s load cells are pre-calibrated which saves time during the commissioning process.

Robust and hygienic

The manufacturing processes in many of the world’s biggest companies rely on Eilersen load cells and these include such giants as Unilever,

Food Installation weighing under meat tumblers

Coca-Cola, Nestle, Novartis, Tetra Pak and FedEx. Unlike the traditional analogue technology, Eilersen digital load cells offer a tolerance of overloads and sideloads of up to 1,000 per cent of rated capacity. In addition, Eilersen digital load cells are not sensitive to torsion and are laser welded for hermetically sealing to IP68 to ensure optimal, waterproof protection in the toughest industrial environments.

Eilersen said, “The culture of innovation and high quality lives on in our company and we continue to invest heavily in new production technology and advanced calibration equipment. All product development is carried out in-house and our ceramic sensor manufacturing, product testing and assembly is also conducted here in Denmark. However most of the components in our products are manufactured by partners worldwide under strict quality control and all final calibration is carried out here at our own facilities.

“The capacitive technology is unique and Eilersen load cells are far more robust than traditional analogue products and don’t require mechanical mounting kits to protect them from overloads. We are an independent company and our in-house team of software engineers allows us to react fast to customer demands.”

Eilersen added, “We have two big customer segments, the first being manufacturing companies that build machines that benefit from our sensors, and the second are end users such as food and pharmaceutical companies. We are constantly extending our global reach and last year our biggest customer was located in China. We are also looking to expand our business in the offshore sector in the Middle East and South America. We are the preferred supplier of weighing solutions for use in extreme and explosive environments, such as those found in offshore production installations.”

“Our core business is seeing strong growth as an increasing number of companies require more effective and reliable quality control to validate the quality and quantity of their products. The Eilersen load cell solutions are delivered in OIML versions up to C6 and in ATEX zone 1, 2, 21 and 22 versions while the instrumentation communicates through EtherNet/IP, EtherCAT,

Digital Load Cells for Dynamic Weighing

Profibus, DeviceNet, Modbus, RS485 and through 0-10Vdc and 4-20mA. Currently, our robust, stainless steel load cells are installed in more than 85 countries worldwide and we continue to expand our global reach.”

Growing demand for customised digital load cells

Manufacturers are continually striving to be more cost-effective and energy efficient, as well as needing to minimise downtime and reduce give away. It is no surprise therefore that more and more companies are requiring customised solutions to solve their challenging manufacturing processes and applications. Recent examples of customised solutions based on digital load cell technology include web tension measurements in paper and plastic foil manufacturing equipment, extremely robust and sanitary scales, force measurement in power plants, as well as in monitoring construction equipment and that of load measurements in commercial vehicles.

Eilersen’s robust digital load cells are based upon a capacitive measurement principle where a non-contacting ceramic sensor is mounted inside the load cell body. As the Eilersen load cell contains no moving parts and the sensor is not in contact with the load cell body itself, the load cell can tolerate very high overloads, sideloads and torsion. As a result, mechanical installation of the load cell can be achieved without expensive and complex mounting kits and overload protection devices.

Simple plug-and-play installation

All Eilersen digital load cells are designed for true plug-and-play installation as the load cells are pre-calibrated to transmit the load directly in gram, kilogram, ton or Newton, which eliminates the need for on-site calibration in most applications. This is an important feature, especially in high capacity applications where it is difficult to find calibration weights. In addition, the digital RS485 signal from the load cell means that the calibration is not dependant on the load cell cable length. Furthermore, it is possible to monitor the load and status of each individual load cell with its built-in integrated diagnostics function. n

Pharma installation

Sanitary Load Cell