Three Types of the Industrial Weighing Machine
The days of the “scales of justice” have gone. In practice, these scales refer to a lever of sorts with two bowls, suspended at equilibrium, equidistant from a fulcrum. A trading product like flour or sugar would be placed in the first bowl and then known and accepted weights of trade would be placed in the other. By adding and taking away until the lever was horizontal and thereby settling, would determine a trade price or barter of goods. Luckily we have far more accurate instruments today like an Industrial Weighing Machine.
We’ve come a long way since surpassing the Triple Beam Balance approach where smaller weights would be moved closer or further away from a fulcrum thereby creating a far more accurate reading.
Then came the electronic age of the 20th and 21st centuries where industrial weighing machines became far more accurate.
The Three Basic Modern Industrial Weighing Machines
Firstly, and most accepted as the modern industry-standard is the. This industrial machine is simply a flat foil-like material rolled into a long, thin snake shape and then precisely bonded to a spring element called a load cell.
Although extremely accurate with lighter loads, this modern scale tends to lose efficiency when weighing heavier items.
Secondly, there are Force Motor Scales. With this design, an electromagnetic system is introduced. Basically, this industrial weighing machine uses a simple lever and fulcrum where, on one end your sample product would be placed and on the other end a force coil is suspended into a magnetic field.
While this method is far more accurate, it is very expensive and is prone to error. Fluctuating temperatures and air movement can produce inaccurate readings. Also, this scale’s accuracy changes over time and often needs recalibration, as often as once per day.
Then, there are our Ultra Precision Scales. This new and innovative technology uses surface acoustic waves (SAW). So, instead of using resistance or opposing force to measure weight, we make use of time measurement technology. The time measurements are automatically produced in a digital format, which makes them inherently more accurate.
Because of this revolutionary innovation, it allows us to make use of a spring element load cell which is not only much more cost-effective, but also comes without the disadvantages of the strain gauge design.
The truth is, we have yet to produce the “perfect” industrial weighing machine but SAW technology has changed the face of industrial weighing machines. This innovation does not depend on stress or strain on the spring element thereby reducing these forces by up to ninety per cent. It is much more sustainable and reliable and prolongs the need for recalibration, unlike other weighing techniques.
Teraoka is the sole distributor of DIGI systems in South Africa and is therefore ideally placed to assist you with your industrial weighing requirements. Contact us to find out more about the different products and services that we have on offer.