Load button load cells are designed for compression and known for their small package size. They are used in tight and limited spaces. General purpose ones are normally designed with diaphragm construction but some higher precision ones are designed with bending beams for low capacity and shear or column design for higher capacity. For best performance the load should be applied without the presence of any side load or torque. Mounting could be a challenge with standard load button load cells. To overcome this challenge, some models are available with mounting provision on the base. The ones without mounting provisions are normally retained by an outside wall or sandwiched between the assemblies. Some versions are also available with a threaded stud in the center for probe style loading.
Load button load cells are available in various capacities ranging from 1lb to 100,000 lbs and in packages ranging from ¼" (6mm) to 3" (76mm) OD. Load button force sensors are widely used in Medical applications as well as automation where small size is a must and space is limited. If space is not an issue and higher precision is required then use a pancake style load cell. Rolling element bearing load measurement is an application where load buttons are utilized
