Determination of the 1000 Kernel weight with the C3 counter
Since the weight of individual grains of bulk goods such as seeds or granules can vary, an average weight of 1000 grains is used as a characteristic parameter. This Thousand Grain Weight TGW (also called 1000 grain mass) is a quality criterion in seed tests, which must be measured with great accuracy. The TGW or the derived value “number of parts per gram” is also an important feature in the production and quality control of technical and pharmaceutical granules. Using an additional software module, an electronic balance and a special base frame, the elmor C3 precision counter can be used to directly determine the TGW of a sample. Both the C3 and the balance are connected to the control computer. A freely selectable quantity is counted and falls on the weighing pan. At the end of the counting process, the weight of the sample and the corresponding number of particles are automatically transferred to the PC, where the TGW is calculated.
Technical data
- Scales are available with a resolution of 1 mg, 10 mg or 100 mg.
- The data of the elmor C3 seed counter and the scale are sent to the control computer where the Thousand Grain Weight ist calculated
- All data are stored so that retraceability is possible
- For quality assurance requirements, the correct operation of the elmor C3 counter can be proven with a built-in self test feature.
- The equipment allows tests to be carried out in accordance with ISO 520.
Additional information
In the conventional determination of the TGW, a test quantity of parts is counted and weighed separately, then the number and weight must be converted to the weight of 1000 grains. In order to simplify this, in many cases exactly 1000 grains are counted and weighed so that the TKG can be determined without any computational effort.
These conventional measurement methods are either prone to errors or systematically incorrect. During the manual transfer of the indicated values and the arithmetic operation, errors can go unnoticed, which can have fatal effects. Fundamentally wrong results are achieved when counting a fixed amount. The grain size selection that occurs in all vibrating conveyors can easily falsify the TGW by 10%.
The TGW module of the elmor C3 counter makes it possible to eliminate any manual processes that may be faulty by simultaneously determining the seed quantity and weight and processing them on the PC. Since the entire content of the conveyor bowl is counted, there is no falsification of the result due to the grain size selection. The results are logged and are therefore available for later traceability.
elmor offers complete Thousand Grain Weight kits, including the elmor C3 counter, the additional TGW software module, a precision balance with a readability of 10 mg or 1 mg, a stand and all necessary cables and converters.