Cubis: the new benchmark for weighing in the laboratory

Apart from aspects strictly involving metrological specifications, preparing for and performing a weighing procedure and meeting the relevant regulatory standards are gaining ever-increasing importance. For this reason, the time and effort spent on secondary steps need to be reduced as much as possible.

Sartorius has turned these requirements into a real solution: the Cubis premium balance is the dawn of a new era in the laboratory. Cubis features a modular design and can be custom-configured and adapted to the changing requirements of different applications.

From simple weighing to management of complex sequences using the User/Password Management feature, Cubis meets advanced weighing requirements at the most sophisticated level.

With finely graduated weighing capacities of up to 12 kg and readabilities from 0.01 mg to 0.1 g, Cubis is especially suited to nearly any laboratory weighing application. All balances of this series incorporate second-generation Sartorius proprietary monolithic weigh cells.

Based on these new, compact cells, it is now possible for the first time to offer a space-saving, top-loading and full-resolution semi-microbalance with a readability of 0.01 mg all the way up to a capacity of 220 mg. Moreover, this semi-microbalance can be optionally equipped with a motorized draft shield.

From simple weighing to a complex network
A choice of three different display and control units covers the widest variety of laboratory applications: The high-resolution touch screen with a TFT graphic display on the MSA unit ensures bright, high-contrast readouts and easy control of individual steps in a weighing procedure. This makes it ideally suited to meet sophisticated requirements, such as those of the pharmaceutical industry.

The MSU display and control unit has been designed for users who need to perform a range of simple to complex procedures involving weighing and seek an alternative to touch-screen operation. The MSU features a generously-sized, high-resolution black and white graphic display and keys with positive click action for precise results.

The MSE display and control unit features a high-contrast liquid-crystal display, easy-to-understand menu guidance with short text prompts and clearly arranged keys for precise activation of functions. It is the right choice for users who perform weighing processes with a low level of complexity and those who primarily need to weigh only ― and accomplish this with the highest possible accuracy.

Thanks to the entirely new Q-Guide user interface, one balance can be used by several persons who have similar or even different tasks to perform. The straightforward user guidance menu of the MSA and MSU display and control units enables weighing tasks to be set up quickly. This makes even highly complex procedures, such as the combination of several applications, easy to perform and also minimizes errors.

Intelligent compensation technology
Innovative compensation technology is a special highlight of the Cubis range. When the balance is tilted, it shows an alert message on its display. Interactive prompts displayed greatly simplify levelling ― without the user having to constantly keep an eye on the level indicator.

When the user selects the motorized Q-Level function, which is optionally available in the MSA and MSU models with readabilities less than or equal to 1 mg, the balance even levels itself fully automatically at the touch of a key. This improves weighing reliability still further by preventing erroneous measurement data and reducing external interfering effects.

Well-shielded ― with learning capability
Technical sophistication is also evidenced in the Cubis draft shields, which ensure user-friendly operation, unobstructed viewing of the weighing pan and high protection from drafts.

Thanks to the innovative materials used in the manual DU draft shield for analytical balances, the doors feature an especially smooth-action design, and glide open quietly; The fully automated DA draft shield enables users to perform weighing tasks particularly rapidly and, based on the draft shield’s intelligent learning function, readily saves the user’s individually required aperture positions of the motorized doors at the touch of a key; Moreover, the motorized DI draft shield features an integrated ionizer, which eliminates static electricity inside the draft shield chamber, thus increasing the weighing accuracy.

Future-proof
It goes without saying that Cubis provides a full suite of structured data communication options thanks to its integrated communications package, known as Q-Com. By providing three standard data interface ports, such as Ethernet (not on the MSE display and control unit), a USB port for a computer and an RS-232C for Sartorius accessory equipment (e.g., Sartorius printer), Cubis can be quickly and conveniently connected to PCs and networks. A fourth port can be optionally selected in addition. An SD card is available for transferring weighing data and user or task profiles from one Cubis to another, without having to connect the balances directly to a computer.

Cubis is built to accompany users into the future. The modular design of every Cubis laboratory balance means that technological innovations can be implemented readily and rapidly in the future. Therefore, Cubis can be retrofitted any time later to keep pace with the latest developments in technology. As a result, Cubis is future-proof to meet all contingencies in laboratories of tomorrow.