April 15, 2013, India- Used to convert a force into an electrical signal is by definition a load cell is an electronic device (a transducer). Converting force into a measurable electrical output, a load cell is a transducer.
Indirect and happens in two phases is the conversion of the force into an electrical current. Depending on the type of cell, a crane load cell can consist of one, two or four strain gauges, and into the electrical current, it is the strain gauge that converts the force. There are many different types such as hydraulic, pneumatic, fibre optic, button and washer load cells to name a few, now not all cells use strain gauges.
Usually requiring amplification by an instrumentation amplifier and then it can be used, well before the electrical current can be used the electrical signal output. As a weighing apparatus, load cells are primarily used. For industrial weighing applications and position sensing, the strain gage-based load cell has become the method of choice.
Finding the centre of gravity of an object by weight, force measurement, force gauge, onboard weighing, railcar weighing, structural health monitoring, and tension measurement, to name a few they can be found in electronic crane scales.
All of which are better used in certain applications and circumstance than others, there is a massive variety of cells today, for example the new compression load cell is used for applications in tough environments. For belt scales, platform scales, filling machines, and process equipment, the new beam load cell is great.