4 Reasons to Sign-up for a Scale Calibration Program

Scale Preventative Maintenance Service Agreement

A Preventative Maintenance Service Agreement is a great way to ensure accurate weighments as well as track potential problems occurring with your weighing applications. During a Preventative Maintenance trip, technicians will check the internal and external features of your scale to ensure proper functionality while also checking and adjusting calibration. Many scale issues can be found during a Preventative Maintenance check that could reduce scale down-time and decrease weighing accuracy. The following are 4 reasons why you should sign-up for a scale calibration program:

1.  Mechanical Integrity

While performing a Preventative Maintenance check on your scale, technicians will inspection key mechanical features of your scale that could be failing. Mechanical parts such are pivots and bearings, load cell cups, links, and load cell stands are all common areas that a scale will wear due to use, age, and environment. It is important to have these parts inspected routinely to ensure your scale has great repeatability – ability to repetitively weigh accurately – and that the scale is not facing other major issues. Seldom, the wearing of these parts are indicators of a major underlying issue.

2.  Electronic Calibrations

Most scale these days features electronic indicators or scale heads as well as electronic load cells. These electronic parts are tested and evaluated during a Preventative Maintenance check to ensure accurate performance. Load cell values and indicator calibration are written down to compare against recommended values as a gauge for potential failure or accurate performance.

3.  Accurate Weighing

Scales often act as a cash register for many operations. Products are bought and sold by weight, or weight is tracked to reflect production. During a Preventative Maintenance check, technicians are guided by the scale standards set forth by Handbook 44. By using the standards of Handbook 44, technicians know how much weight should be used to test your scale and what the tolerance levels are to ensure accurate weighing. Through time and use, a scale will drift away from proper calibration. A Preventative Maintenance check will ensure that your scale is routinely brought back to its correct calibration to save you time and money.

4.  Legal Standards

Scale applications fall under different agencies and protocols governing their required checks and documentations. Most states require annual checks and calibrations while the USDA and others may require quarterly or monthly. By having a Preventative Service Agreement, you can assure that your company stays in compliance with appropriate scale checks and documentation.

Want to learn more about our calibrations programs; checkout out more details here.

Steel Deck or Concrete Deck Truck Scales: Which Is Best For Me?

Steel Deck or Concrete Deck Truck Scales

What’s the difference between a steel deck and concrete deck truck scale and which one is best for my application?  

Steel Deck Truck Scale
Steel Deck Truck Scales are built with all heavy duty structural steel.  This will include steel I-beams running the length of each scale module.  Each manufacturer has slightly different designs for their I-beams ranging from the size, number, and shape.  Each manufacturer will claim their design is superior.  In our experience they all perform about the same assuming you are buying from a top-tier scale supplier (B-Tek, Mettler Toledo, Emery Winslow, Rice Lake, Cardinal, Fairbanks). A steel deck typically involves less initial cost – there is no investment in concrete or the labor to pour it. A steel deck scale weighs less, which makes it easier to move or relocate if needed. It can be fully operational within a day at your site, reducing production downtime and operational impacts.

Pros: 

• Faster installation as no concrete cure time is required

• Easier maintenance as the deck modules can be lifted 

• Reduced installation cost as fewer trips to complete job are required by scale dealer

• Higher resale value

• More custom profiles and sizes available (particularly extra low-profile)

Cons:

• Scale surface can be slick when wet

• Higher shipping cost since they are heavier 

Concrete Deck Truck Scale
A concrete deck truck scale is very similar to a steel deck truck scale, but each scale module has an open top for concrete to be poured into each deck, bonding the support beams of each module. A concrete deck needs approximately 21 to 28 days to cure, it offers greater resistance to rust and corrosion from road salt and generally requires less maintenance than steel decks, helping to extend the life of the scale. A concrete surface also provides better traction with rain and snow. Because of their design, concrete decks distribute the load over a wider area than steel decks.  Concrete deck scales were more common 10-15 years ago; however, they are still installed today.  

Pros: 

• Better traction in wet or slippery environments

• Reduced risk of rust or corrosion given there is less metal in the scale

• More mass which means there is less friction and stress on internal parts

• Hold up to acidic and chemical type environments well

Cons:

• Longer installation time as it takes 3-4 weeks for the scale deck concrete to cure to the proper PSI strength

• More difficult to move at a future date if you need to relocate the scale as each panel weighs ~25,000lbs vs ~8,000lbs for a steel deck

• More difficult maintenance due to the weight of the scale which can lead to higher maintenance costs

Conclusion

Choosing between a steel deck or concrete deck will come down to preference. Understanding your work site will help you figure out which scale deck will work for you. Our Learning Hub is a great place to start. For more detailed articles, check out “Truck Scale Foundation Types” or “How Muc A Truck Scale Cost?”. The learning hub is a great resource filled with articles that can help eductae you during your truck scale journey.

Truck Scale Foundation Types: What Are The Differences?

Truck Scale Foundation Types

The foundation will determine the lifespan of the scale and the lifespan of the scale will determine how much money stays in your pocket. The truck scale foundation is the lowest load bearing part of the scale. Even the smallest imperfections in the foundation can cause weighing errors and unintended wear and tear on the scale. The slope of the site and soil conditions must be examined carefully before construction, otherwise it could lead to problems down the road. There are three types of truck scale foundations: the pier foundation, the beam slab foundation, and the pit style foundation. 

Pier foundation
The pier foundation has “piers” that support each load bearing point. Typically some of the foundation is put below frost line so that when the ground freezes and thaws it doesn’t have any negative effects on the scale or the foundation. Pier foundations are commonly found in the north where the ground freezes more often. 

Beam slab (floating slab) foundation
The beam slab foundation has concrete beams that run the entire length and width of the scale. Typically the beam slab foundations are stronger than the pier foundation but are more susceptible to the cold.

Pit style foundation
Lastly, the pit style foundation has pits of varying depths underneath the scale. Each foundation will have different sized pits based on the scale and topography, but there is a minimum depth to allow technicians to access components under the weighbridge. Pits can require extra cleaning because debris can gather in the pits over time. 

Truck Scale Foundations: Pit vs. Above Ground

Truck Scale Foundation Types

Data Acquisition And Scales, What Are The Options?

Scale data is very important for companies to receive and record information. Nowadays, the majority of companies are still recording data by hand and transposing the information to spreadsheets or other digital formats. As technology continues to advance, many customers want to obtain the weight data in digital format directly from the scale to minimize human error and increase efficiency and reporting.

Getting weight data from the scale requires special equipment to allow the scales to communicate with other devices. This article will go over the different types of equipment and how they are used to communicate with the scales. The five main types of communication are: serial, ethernet, fiber optic, USB, and analog (0-10 V or 4-20 mA).

Serial
RS232 is the most commonly used communication interface for sending scale data to another device. It requires a single cable with three conductors. The three conductors are Transmit (TXD), Receive (RXD), and Signal Ground (GND). Normally the cable can be effective to up to 50 feet, but if there is electrical or RF noise then it could be drastically reduced. The 9 pin D style connector is the interface used to allow the scale to communicate with other devices. There are three different ways that the scale can communicate with the device through RS232. The first is Transmit on Demand which only sends information to the device when the PRINT button is pressed. The second way is Continuous Transmission which sends every displayed weight to the device. A constant update of the weight is required for the data to be collected by the device. The last way is Auto Transmit which automatically sends the scale weight data when there is a stable weight register. Once the data is sent to the device, the scale will not send more data until the weight is removed.

Ethernet
10/100Base-T Ethernet network provides up to 100 Mbps of bandwidth which is more than enough for scale communications. A typical scale data string is only 200 bits. Ethernet is cost effective, easy to understand, easy to deploy, and easy to maintain. With ethernet you can have either a wired or wireless connection. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Some of the advantages to a wired connection are that it’s easy to implement, easy to troubleshoot, and the cable connection is IP65-rated. The disadvantages of a wired connection are that it requires cables to be run and harsh environments may call for hardened cabling which cost extra. Some of the advantages of a wireless connection are that there are no cables and the scales can be moved to multiple locations within range. The disadvantages of a wireless connection are that it requires an IT department to get involved to ensure proper security configuration, and equipment, walls, or other RF based devices can interfere with wireless signals.

Fiber Optic
Fiber Optic uses light to transmit data between two devices. It’s made out of a transparent glass core that is surrounded by a mirror-like covering. When light passes through the cable it bounces off the mirror-like covering all the way to the other end. Typically it’s used in hazardous environments because of its durability. The interesting thing about fiber optic is that it completely eliminates electrical and radio frequency noise. So you don’t have to worry about there being any interference. The cables can be run without a conduit unlike other cables which speeds up the installation process and they can be run up to 1000 ft. Fiber optic is convenient, easy to install, and easy to maintain although it is very expensive.

USB
Since the birth of the scale industry Serial Port (RS232) has been the go to. This all changed in 2002 when computer manufacturers started to do away with Serial Ports and introduced the USB port. It became very important for companies to switch over to USB because it was new and they needed the data from their scales. USB has a couple of benefits over its counterpart RS232. First off, you don’t need to configure any communication settings before using the device. Secondly, USB hubs are available for expandability. Meaning that you can have up to 127 USB devices for one PC. Third, USB Cables and components are inexpensive and easy to come by. And Lastly, Windows operating systems automatically detect USB devices and will prompt to download any drivers if need be. While USB is very common for peripheral devices, we don’t see many scales connected in this format.

Analog (0-10V or 4-20 mA)
This type of communication is often used when connecting a scale controller to a PLC. Most of the time, the controller, or indicator, requires an extra option card in order to communicate. 4-20 mA uses an electrical current as the carrier of the information. It creates a current loop as a means to pass a “value” that is then converted into data. 4-20 mA has 5 parts to it: the Sensor, the Transmitter,  the Power Source,  the Loop, and the Receiver. The sensor provides the value. The transmitter converts the value to a 4-20 mA value. The power source is the physical DC power that the transmitter uses. The loop is the physical loop or wires. And the receiver reads the 4-20 mA value and determines the actual value. The data transmission is not affected by voltage drop, which means that it can be used over long distances without losing quality of the signal. The system sort of has a self-monitoring process since currents less than 4mA and higher than 20mA indicates a fault in the circuit. 

American Scale is well versed in all the different types of scale data communication. Reach out today to learn about data acquisition projects that we’ve worked on.

How Do Scales Play An Important Role In Dialysis?

Having professionally calibrated scales is essential to dialysis treatment. Dialysis patients suffer from having kidneys which can no longer effectively remove fluid. Dialysis is a process which filters the blood to remove excess fluid, but for this treatment to be effective, there are a couple of important measurements that must be accounted for: dry weight and fluid gain.

Dry Weight:
Dry weight is a measurement of a dialysis patient’s weight without the presence of extra fluid. Dry weight is prescribed by medical professionals after treatment has begun. Dry weight can be determined once some health criteria are met: normal blood pressure, absence of swelling, absence of lung sounds related to fluid overload, no shortness of breath, and a normally sized heart shadow on an X-ray. This measurement becomes the standard which medical professionals use to remove the appropriate amount of fluid during treatment. Ensuring that dry weight measurements are accurate is a cornerstone of the entire treatment process. Without an accurate estimate of dry weight, patients could have too much fluid removed during treatment, resulting in discomfort. Having your dialysis center’s scales routinely calibrated by state-certified technicians ensures that these measurements will remain accurate, allowing you to provide the best patient experience possible.

Fluid Gain:
Equally as important as dry weight, fluid gain is exactly as it sounds: a measurement indicating how much excess fluid a person has gained from normal dietary intake between treatments. In order to calculate fluid gain, weight measurements must be taken at the beginning of each treatment. These measurements are used in tandem with dry weight to effectively treat and reduce symptoms caused by kidney problems. Making sure that these measurements are as accurate as possible is necessary to maintaining a successful dialysis treatment facility and providing comfortable treatment to patients suffering from kidney related afflictions.  Contact us today to schedule your calibration!

3 Reasons to Calibrate Your Veterinary Scales

Why weigh at all if your scale is not accurate? Calibrating scales helps to keep them accurate and true. Veterinary scales are no exception. Since these scales are constantly used, they should be constantly calibrated. Their frequent use as well as the movement of animals on the scales causes significant wear and tear. It is important to maintain veterinary scales over time as they become less accurate.

1.  Cost Effective
Keeping veterinary scales accurate helps a company’s cost effectiveness. Veterinary scales tell the weight of an animal which is important in multiple decisions. The amount of food and medicine is directly correlated to an animal’s weight. An accurate weight ensures that an accurate amount is provided to an animal, no surplus.

2.  Animal Safety
A calibrated scale is also essential to an animal’s health and safety. It is important that decisions based on an animal’s weight are trustworthy and accurate. An animal’s weight is important in determining the dosage amount. When looking at prescriptions, antibiotics in particular are dependent on an animal’s weight. Antibiotics must reach a certain level to be successful in fighting infection. The heavier the animal, the more antibiotic that is needed to be effective. However, it is important not to overload an animal’s system by prescribing too large of a dosage. Accurate weight measurements help one to avoid these mistakes.

3. Company Liability
A veterinarian is ultimately responsible for the care it provides to animals. Keeping your scale calibrated protects the animal as well as any fault that may accompany inaccurate measurements. Not keeping a scale calibrated is an oversight that if not avoided, can result in major concerns.

At American Scale we offer routine scale calibrations. The calibration is completed by one of our state certified scale technicians. While on-site our technician will not only calibrate the scale but also provide basic preventative maintenance. The technician also provides scale calibration certificate verifying the scale is accurate. These calibrations certificates are key for any audits or third party inspections of your facility. Contact us today to schedule your calibration!

How Technology Is Changing Truck Scales

The Future Of The Scale Industry.

Technology is changing every aspect of our lives. Advances in what once seemed transformational are now fundamentally changing the way we collect and use data. We have already gone from analog to electronic load cells, scale calibration has become a lot simpler due to systems able to monitor any changes in load cells. We even have remote displays and scoreboards for added convenience. Scale manufacturers are working to adapt new technology to the already evolving industry. Long are the days of just wondering if you want a stainless steel setup, or a steel deck over a washdown one. The changes have already started. The benefits of having digital integration within your scale operations are having a huge impact on profitability because of the information available from data collection. Technology is now the catalyst and data is the output.

What is done with that data will help your business to truly evolve.

A view of the entire system

While most industries have evolved with technology, the truck scale industry has not evolved as rapidly. Troubleshooting a scale can be difficult because problems can occur in various places. It can take hours to find a problem the traditional way using a voltage meter to check many locations on a scale.

Fortunately, new technology empowers service companies to see what’s happening with the entire system. You can now predict issues in advance of failure and get notifications if a problem occurs.

These technological advances enable service companies to identify, diagnose and solve any problem found on the scale saving time and money.

Accuracy streamlines processes

Digital integration automates processes, captures available data, and provides a digital ecosystem for storage and troubleshooting. This technology sends notifications to the service company, informs them of the issue prior to arrival, and decreases downtime for the scale.

Understanding the problems and potential threats help you to strategically approach the situation. For example, if a scale is not weighing correctly, it could impact your invoices and inventory. The scales that are available today can measure up to 100,000 pounds in 10-pound increments versus 20-pound increments, thereby being twice as precise.

It’s also important to understand how to take care of a scale to proactively prevent problems from occurring. The technology that’s available includes precautionary measures, helping you to protect your scale from threats such as lightning. A quality scale will guarantee this type of protection.

The service provider partnership

While these technological advancements help scale owners narrow down the problem, it’s still recommended to utilize service providers. We will help you keep up with new developments and stay on top of regulatory standards. It’s easy to keep us in the loop, too, because diagnosing and notifications are automated.

Without real-time data and collaborative relationships, it can sometimes hinder successful management. Having a strong partnership will help you make sure you know about changes, especially because technology is always evolving. Therefore, it’s important that you see your service provider as a proactive problem solver, empowered by data and notifications to correct any issues before the scale goes down.

Profitability comes from the ability to adapt to data being provided from having up-to-date technology. Data analytics is a powerful tool that has the potential to enhance efficiency and improve your service. Good data helps you sift through all the noise and quickly understand the issues and opportunities. Leveraging data will be the future game-changer for the scale industry, and it will be expected by your customers. American Scale Company will help you stay ahead of the curve!

Checkout more here

At American Scale we strive to bring you informed and useful content on all things scale related. Be sure to check out our legal for trade truck scale system articles about truck scale foundation or how much do truck scales cost. We even have a guide to warranties. We also have articles on scale accessories, common problems to prolong your scales lifespan, weighing applications as well as what scale indicator works best with your junction box. To learn more about bench scales, it would be good to check out our other articles such as “Bench Scale Basics'' and “How Much Does A Bench Scale Cost?”. These articles will help with the basics of bench scale ownership.

Weighing Livestock for Healthy Profits

Understanding Livestock Profits

Weighing livestock is an essential part of the business for farmers and ranchers. Some animals may experience frequent weight gain. They are ideal for breeding, as they result in more meat and a higher return on investment.

Alternatively, livestock that undergo dramatic weight loss could be experiencing a health issue. If this occurs, medication may be the next step. In order to provide accurate dosing, farmers and ranchers must weigh the animal on a livestock scale. Accurate dosing is a cost-cutting practice for farmers and ranchers, as medication is often estimated when being given to livestock. However, if actual weight is known, medication can be conserved, reducing costs.

Routine livestock weighing also can help farmers and ranchers decide if they should reduce or increase animal feed. An overweight animal may be a sign that it’s time to wean, whereas an underweight animal may require more feed. Using weight to regulate amounts of feed can help ranchers save money and produce healthier livestock. Another note is to perform scale calibrations regularly. Make sure that the steel deck is void of debris and the load cells are clean.

Successful livestock weighing must be performed with a highly accurate livestock scale. American Scale offers a complete line of livestock scales designed to fulfill the unique requirements of the farming and agriculture industries. With options for group or single animal weighing, mobility, NTEP certification and more, we have a livestock weighing solution for every farmer and rancher. Click Here to Learn More.

At American Scale we strive to bring you informed and useful content on all things scale related. Be sure to check out our legal for trade truck scale system articles about truck scale foundation or how much do truck scales cost. We even have a guide to warranties. We also have articles on scale accessories, common problems to prolong your scales lifespan, weighing applications as well as what scale indicator works best with your junction box. To learn more about bench scales, it would be good to check out our other articles such as “Bench Scale Basics'' and “How Much Does A Bench Scale Cost?”. These articles will help with the basics of bench scale ownership.Weighing livestock is an essential part of the business for farmers and ranchers. Some animals may experience frequent weight gain. They are ideal for breeding, as they result in more meat and a higher return on investment.

Alternatively, livestock that undergo dramatic weight loss could be experiencing a health issue. If this occurs, medication may be the next step. In order to provide accurate dosing, farmers and ranchers must weigh the animal on a livestock scale. Accurate dosing is a cost-cutting practice for farmers and ranchers, as medication is often estimated when being given to livestock. However, if actual weight is known, medication can be conserved, reducing costs.

Routine livestock weighing also can help farmers and ranchers decide if they should reduce or increase animal feed. An overweight animal may be a sign that it’s time to wean, whereas an underweight animal may require more feed. Using weight to regulate amounts of feed can help ranchers save money and produce healthier livestock. Another note is to perform scale calibrations regularly. Make sure that the steel deck is void of debris and the load cells are clean.

Successful livestock weighing must be performed with a highly accurate livestock scale. American Scale offers a complete line of livestock scales designed to fulfill the unique requirements of the farming and agriculture industries. With options for group or single animal weighing, mobility, NTEP certification and more, we have a livestock weighing solution for every farmer and rancher. Click Here to Learn More.

At American Scale we strive to bring you informed and useful content on all things scale related. Be sure to check out our legal for trade truck scale system articles about truck scale foundation or how much do truck scales cost. We even have a guide to warranties. We also have articles on scale accessories, common problems to prolong your scales lifespan, weighing applications as well as what scale indicator works best with your junction box. To learn more about bench scales, it would be good to check out our other articles such as “Bench Scale Basics'' and “How Much Does A Bench Scale Cost?”. These articles will help with the basics of bench scale ownership.

6 Steps to Create an Integrated Crane Scale System

Crane scales ensure safety and deliver accurate load measurements in many applications. When used properly, crane scales can help prevent unsafe conditions by providing real-time measurement of the operational load and immediate feedback to operators and safety systems. Below are six straightforward steps to creating an integrated crane weighing system.

1. Determine what type of sensor you need.

   • Load pins offer accuracy of 1-3% of their Rated Capacity.

   • Load links, shear web load cells and clamp-on load cells have an accuracy of .5% of their Rated Capacity.

   • Custom sensors are also available.

2. Choose a cable length.

   • Options include 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 feet.

   • Rice Lake recommends using a bulkhead connector with mating cable.

3. Decide whether you want an RF transmitter or signal conditioner.

   • MSI-7000/1 TranSend™ (100-300 ft)

   • MSI-9000 CellScale™ can be used from (500-1,000 ft)

   • SCT-2200 (N/A)

4. Choose a remote display or controller.

   • Handheld: MSI-8000 or MSI-9750A

   • Desktop: MSI-9850

   • Desktop LCD: MSI-8004HD

   • Tablet

5. Your RF transmitter or signal conditioner will have the following relays:

   • 2, 3, 4, 8 (MSI-7000/1 TranSend)

   • 2, 3, 4, 6 (MSI-9000 CellScale)

   • 2 (SCT-2200)

   • Inquire about other available I/O and fieldbus options.

6. Select a scoreboard.

   • Hardwired or wireless

   • 4- or 6-inch remote display

Contact American Scale today to see how we can help with your crane scale needs.

At American Scale we strive to bring you informed and useful content on all things scale related. Be sure to check out our legal for trade truck scale system articles about truck scale foundation or how much do truck scales cost. We even have a guide to warranties. We also have articles on scale accessories, common problems to prolong your scales lifespan, weighing applications as well as what scale indicator works best with your junction box. To learn more about bench scales, it would be good to check out our other articles such as “Bench Scale Basics'' and “How Much Does A Bench Scale Cost?”. These articles will help with the basics of bench scale ownership.