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Grambuster

Weighing Machine
1965-1967 (designed), 1967 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The TP30 ‘Grambuster’ precision weighing machine was designed by industrial designer John Barnes, between 1965 and 1967. It was manufactured from 1967 by the British company Oertling. The scale provided very accurate, high precision weighing, but was small, versatile and simple enough to be used in factories or school laboratories. Later models of the Grambuster were marketed by Oertling using the tagline “Laboratory accuracy on the factory floor”.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 3 parts.

  • Weighing Machine
  • Pan
  • Support for Top Pan
TitleGrambuster (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Aluminium, enamelled; stainless steel
Brief description
'Grambuster' precision weighing machine, with removable pan, designed by John Barnes (1965-1967), manufactured by Oertling from 1967
Physical description
Weighing machine, the mechanism in a rectangular aluminium case. The case is stove enamelled, the main body in navy blue with a white enamalled hood over the central section of the case. A removeable support for the top pan sits on top of the case, one third of the way along its length. A removable stainless steel tray, with shallow edges, sits on top of this support. The whole sits on two individually adjustable legs at its front edge. These allow for the use of the scale on an uneven surface.

When in use, weights are displayed electronically on a small screen at the top left-hand side of the front of the scale. A red warning light at the back of the scale was designed to alert users when an inbuilt tare was in use (this tare cancelled out the weight of a container). The scale was operated using a single zero adjustment knob. This black knob is on the back of the case, at the bottom.
Dimensions
  • Height: 29cm
  • Width: 20cm
  • Depth: 36cm
Credit line
Given by Suzanne Barnes, daughter of John Barnes.
Object history
This Grambuster came from John Barnes' personal collection. The scale was given to the V&A by his daughter, Suzanne Barnes.
Historical context
The TP30 ‘Grambuster’ precision weighing machine was designed in 1965 and manufactured from 1967 by the British company Oertling. The scale provided very accurate, high precision weighing, but was small, versatile and simple enough to be used in factories or school laboratories. Later models of the Grambuster were marketed by Oertling using the tagline “Laboratory accuracy on the factory floor”.

The scale was developed by Oertling in response to a meeting held by the Nuffield Foundation in 1964, in which they briefed manufacturers about the requirements for a balance for use in GCE O Level Chemistry. The Grambuster’s design is highly innovative – largely because it uses a single top-pan weighing machine, rather than the more complicated two-pan weighing mechanism. The single-pan was chosen because of its ease of use for students – an object only has to be placed on top of the scale to be weighed, getting more consistent and accurate results than those found with a two-pan scale.

In addition to its top-pan technology, the design requirements for the scale were that it should be simple to use without any controls except for a zero adjustment knob; it should be rugged and tamper-resistant; it should not be affected by alterations in level caused by movement around the machine, or on the bench that it was sitting on; it should be able to be mechanically locked, meaning that it could be moved between classrooms without needing readjustment.

The scale was designed by John Barnes, who had been Oertling’s industrial design consultant since 1948. As chief designer on the project, Barnes worked with four draughtsmen, a physicist and a development engineer. The scale was designed for large quantity production. It was manufactured using precision die-casting, and attention was taken during the design process to ensure easy and accurate assembly of its parts. When first manufactured, each scale cost £152. Five new models were quickly produced, adapted specifically for industrial use.
Summary
The TP30 ‘Grambuster’ precision weighing machine was designed by industrial designer John Barnes, between 1965 and 1967. It was manufactured from 1967 by the British company Oertling. The scale provided very accurate, high precision weighing, but was small, versatile and simple enough to be used in factories or school laboratories. Later models of the Grambuster were marketed by Oertling using the tagline “Laboratory accuracy on the factory floor”.
Collection
Accession number
W.5:1,2-2012

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Record createdApril 25, 2012
Record URL
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