Tips on maximizing your scale's performance.

Improving Scale Performance.

Scales are important tools for measuring the weight of objects, and they are used in a variety of industries including agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing. Even though they are very useful pieces of equipment, they still have potential to increase efficiency, productivity and performance. To ensure that your scale is providing accurate and reliable measurements, it's important to take steps to maximize its performance. This article will go over five tips on improving your scale’s overall performance. These tips are easy to follow and in most cases DIY friendly.

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1. Calibration: When your scale is being used frequently, there will be a good chance that over time, it will lose its accuracy. Setting up a calibration schedule can help reduce accuracy loss. Regularly calibrate your scale. Calibration is the process of adjusting a scale to ensure that it is providing accurate measurements within its specified tolerance. Most scales should be calibrated at regular intervals, typically every six months to a year. If you are unsure of how to calibrate your scale, consult the manual or contact the manufacturer for guidance.

2. Good Housekeeping: A clean work area and clean tools help reduce the amount of potential errors that can happen due to a messy work site. So the best way to avoid this is to keep your scale clean. Dust, debris, and other contaminants can interfere with the accuracy of a scale, so it's important to keep it clean. Use a soft, damp cloth to clean the platform and display, and avoid using any harsh cleaners or abrasives.

3. Good Form: When weighing an item, one cannot simply carelessly toss a load on to the scale. This can cause damage to the load cells, or the scale or both. Using good form when placing a load onto a scale is a quick way to reduce damage. If the load is a bit difficult to handle, then it is a good idea to get assistance, or use a tool that makes placing the load on the scale a lot safer. Use the correct weighing technique. To ensure accurate measurements, it's important to use the correct technique when weighing objects on a scale. Place the object to be weighed on the center of the scale platform, and avoid bouncing or jarring the scale.

4. Protect Your Investment: The amount of abuse industrial scales take is unprecedented. It is good practice to protect your scale in any way you can. This can be in the form of upgrading or converting your scale to a washdown scale to adapt to an environment with a lot of moisture. Converting or adding a washdown scale can also protect your scale from extreme temperatures. Extreme temperatures can affect the accuracy of a scale, so it's important to protect it from extreme heat or cold. Avoid exposing the scale to temperatures outside of its specified operating range, and be sure to store it in a cool, dry place when not in use. When using larger scales like truck scales, you will want to be aware of possible lightning strikes. Depending on the manufacturer, certain scales have protection from lightning. Looking into those options could prove to be beneficial.

5. Daily Checks: A scale gets a lot of usage from day to day. There is a chance that during each measurement, there could have been something that could potentially cause an inaccuracy issue later down the road. Setting up a daily scale inspection can help you get ahead of any potential issues before they happen. Daily checks can be visual inspections, checking that the scale is reading accurately, and performing daily cleaning to keep the scale running well. Regularly check for errors or incorrect readings. Even with regular calibration and proper use, scales can sometimes experience errors or provide incorrect readings. To help detect and troubleshoot these issues, it's a good idea to regularly check your scale for errors or incorrect readings. Create a daily scale check list to help keep track of the tasks needed to complete during each inspection.

Closing Words

By following these tips, you can help ensure that your scale is providing accurate and reliable measurements. Regular calibration, proper use, and regular checks can help to maximize the performance of your scale and ensure that it continues to provide accurate weight data.

At American Scale we strive to bring you informed and useful content on all things scale systems related, including products from the top scale manufacturers. Be sure to check out our truck scale articles about truck scale foundation or how much do truck scales cost. We even have a guide to warranties. 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. Also, take a look at our “Common Problems With Bench Scales'', to help prolong the lifespan on your scale.

What Are NIST Traceable Weights?

Improving Accuracy

When it comes to weighing and measuring, it's important to have confidence in the accuracy of the equipment and tools being used. This is where NIST traceable weights come into play. But what exactly do these weights mean and why are they important? In this post, we'll explain what NIST traceable weights are and why they are essential for ensuring the accuracy of weighing and measuring devices. This article will focus on NIST and how their test weights are used in weights and measures.

What is NIST?

NIST, or the National Institute of Standards and Technology, is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce that is responsible for promoting innovation and industrial competitiveness. One of the ways it does this is by developing and disseminating standard reference materials, such as weights, that are used to calibrate and verify the accuracy of weighing and measuring devices.

What does it mean to be traceable?

Weights that are traceable to NIST standards are those that have been calibrated using a traceable reference standard, such as a primary mass standard, and are traceable to the international system of units (SI). This means that the weights have been measured and compared against a standard that is traceable to the SI, ensuring that they are accurate and consistent with international standards.

Why traceable weights are important.

Using NIST traceable weights is important for several reasons. First and foremost, it ensures that the weights being used are accurate and reliable. This is crucial for ensuring the accuracy of the weighing and measuring devices that they are used to calibrate. For example, if a truck scale is calibrated using weights that are not traceable to NIST standards, there is a risk that the scale will not provide accurate measurements of the weight of the trucks passing over it.

Benefits of nist weights?

In addition to ensuring accuracy, using NIST traceable weights also helps to promote consistency and comparability. By using weights that are traceable to the same reference standards, different weighing and measuring devices can be calibrated and compared to one another, ensuring that they are consistent and provide comparable results. This is important for applications where the results of different measurements need to be compared, such as in research and development or quality control.

Adhering to the regulations and standards is the best way to ensure that your scale is accurate. Following the NIST regulation it the way to accomplish this.

Closing Words

In conclusion, NIST traceable weights are essential for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of weighing and measuring devices. By using weights that have been calibrated and compared against traceable reference standards, it is possible to ensure that the devices are providing accurate and consistent measurements. This is crucial for a wide range of applications, from charging for the weight of goods being transported to conducting research and development. By using NIST traceable weights, you can have confidence in the accuracy of your measurements and the reliability of your equipment.

At American Scale we strive to bring you informed and useful content on all things scale systems related, including products from the top scale manufacturers. Be sure to check out our truck scale articles about truck scale foundation or how much do truck scales cost. We even have a guide to warranties. 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. Also, take a look at our “Common Problems With Bench Scales'', to help prolong the lifespan on your scale.

Features To Look For In Scale Indicators.

Understanding the features you need.

Weigh indicators are electronic devices that are used to measure the weight of an object. They are commonly found in industries such as agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing, where accurate measurements are critical. Weigh indicators come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they can be equipped with a range of different features to suit different applications.

Understanding the features you need.

Display Size: One common feature of weigh indicators is a digital display. This allows the user to see the weight measurement in real-time, and it can be helpful for recording and tracking weight data. Some weigh indicators also have a built-in printer, which allows the user to print out a record of the measurement for future reference. A good weigh indicator will have a decent sized display that will give you good visibility to record the weight.

Peripheral Support: Another important feature of weigh indicators is the ability to connect to external devices. This can include devices such as load cells, which are used to measure the weight of an object, or other equipment such as computers or printers. By connecting to external devices, weigh indicators can be integrated into larger weighing systems, allowing for more complex and sophisticated measurements.

Advanced Features: Some weigh indicators also have advanced features such as automatic tare, which allows the user to quickly and easily subtract the weight of a container or other packaging from the overall measurement. This can be useful for accurately measuring the weight of the contents of a container without having to manually subtract the weight of the container itself.

Another advanced feature of weigh indicators is the ability to perform automatic calculations. This can include calculations such as determining the average weight of multiple measurements, or calculating the total weight of a batch of items. These features can help to simplify the weighing process and reduce the potential for errors.

Some features needed will be dependent on the environment that your scale and weigh indicator will be located. For example, your scale and indicator will be in a washdown environment. This means that your scale will need to be sprayed down, thus potentially causing water to get inside of the indicator. The feature available for those type of environments you will want are indicators with “washdown” protection. This is usually a stainless steel or a completely sealed indicator that can withstand the extreme conditions that it is in.

CLOSING WORDS

Overall, weigh indicators are versatile and useful tools that can be equipped with a range of different features to suit different applications. From digital displays and printer capabilities to automatic tare and calculation functions, weigh indicators can provide accurate and reliable weight measurements in a variety of settings.

At American Scale we strive to bring you informed and useful content on all things scale systems related, including products from the top scale manufacturers. Be sure to check out our truck scale articles about truck scale foundation or how much do truck scales cost. We even have a guide to warranties. 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. Also, take a look at our “Common Problems With Bench Scales'', to help prolong the lifespan on your scale.

Day in the life of an American Scale Service Coordinator

Coordinating The Day.

Within any company there will be different roles with different responsibilities. Just like any team, everyone has a role to play, and when it comes to ensuring that schedules are kept and that the orders are being completed fall on the shoulders of the company’s Service Coordinator.

Service Coordinators have a lot on their plate and have the responsibility of dispatching techs to multiple work sites to manage client maintenance schedules and repairs. Their job is to make sure that the business runs smoothly so that it can operate at peak performance every day. Service coordinators must ensure that technicians know where they are going and what exactly the job will be for the day. They also keep track of inventory so there are always scales and replacement parts are always in stock.

The service coordinator ensures that the scale technicians are provided with what they need, as well as being able to respond quickly in case there is a service emergency that needs a quick resolution. To truly understand how all of it works, you need to know how a service coordinator  spends their day, and what their responsibilities are. This blogpost will breakdown a typical day for the service coordinator at American Scale Company. 

Morning Check

The service coordinator at American Scale Company starts their day at 7:30 each day. First thing that is done is checking emails and messages. There is a high probability that there will be emails from clients requesting service as well as service technicians requesting parts or tools. 

The main thing is checking in and making sure they fulfill any requests awaiting them. The service coordinator will keep an open line of communication with the service technicians to oversee how they are performing their tasks, and ensure that they have all that they need to complete the job in a timely manner. Essentially the morning is where you get a good scope of what needs to be done.

Note: American Scale Company has 24/7 service, so there is a good chance that there were service orders made during the middle of the night. 

Plan and coordinate activities

Service Coordinators will typically use a variation of an Enterprise Resource Planner (ERP) to set up dispatching, scheduling, quotes and a myriad of other things. It is a good idea to look at an ERP like a command center for service coordinators and the company alike. They use the planning and coordination process to make sure that all activities run smoothly and also to help plan out what the day will look like. Depending on the size of the business, they will have a significant involvement in the scheduling of staff activities. They also usually have to coordinate shipments and other logistics with partners, clients and subcontractors. 

Throughout the day the American Scale service coordinator will answer incoming service requests either via phone call or email. The nature of a service request will vary greatly depending on the client’s needs. For example, there may be a service request where the client has a scale that is not weighing correctly. The inactive scale causes downtime, thus halting the process. The service coordinator then processes the request and coordinates with the available technicians to get the issue resolved in a timely manner. These are the types of ongoing responsibilities that the service coordinator has throughout the day. 

Consistency is Key

One of the main responsibilities as a service coordinator is to manage client service requests. When a client submits a service request, then that means time is of the essence and it is up to the service coordinator to dispatch a technician to their site to get the client back up and running. During the time that you’re working as a service coordinator, you’ll also be responsible for maintaining your clients’ existing service requests. This means that you’ll have to track the status of their current requests and their past communication with you. 

One way a service coordinator will do this at a scale company is by setting up a preventative maintenance (PM) schedule that will automatically dispatch service technicians to the appropriate clients. So for example there can be a client who needs a truck scale calibration done once per month. What in turn happens is that the service coordinator will set that up in the ERP system. 

Supporting Service Technicians 

Service technicians do their best to prepare for the day ahead, but there can still be surprises that will need a speedy solution. This is where the service coordinator’s quick thinking can help the technicians finish the job. A likely scenario would be when a service technician is at a job and it turns out that they need a different part that they don’t have on them. 

Having great communication is a critical skill for a service coordinator. Since they have to keep track of inventory, service orders, technicians as well as incoming inquiries from clients. Besides coordinating the day to day activities, the service coordinator also has a very important support role to the service technicians in the field. 

Close out tasks for the day

At the end of the work day the service coordinator will send out end of the day emails, communicate next day schedules with service technicians as well as any other end of the day procedures that need to be completed. Any end of the day tasks are closed out and ensure that all activities are accounted for. This includes checking that service orders have been completed, schedules are made for the following day, and note anything that needs to attention for the next day. 

Closing Words

Service Coordinators are responsible for ensuring that the services we offer are provided to our clients. They guide service technicians through scheduling, and communication, and provide extra support by providing important service and part information. They regularly meet with their team members to check that the tasks assigned to them are being completed. Ultimately the service coordinator is responsible for how services are completed. They have good communication skills, and can adapt to the ever changing nature of service requests. 

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.

The Guide to Scale Rentals

The Guide to Scale Rentals

Bench Scales

Scales, both large and small, greatly impact certain industries with their many features for recording weight data. Sometimes when in need of a scale, but just need it temporarily, then it may be a good idea to look into scale rentals. Often the purchase of weighing equipment is not the most economical or practical option. There will be cases where renting a scale can offer you a quick and reliable alternative while saving costs. In this article we will go over the benefits and drawbacks of scale rentals, and we will also take a look at the industries that tend benefit the most from scale rentals.

Renting vs Buying

When adding an industrial scale to your processing operation, you may wonder if you should purchase a new or go with renting a scale for what you need. One of the main things that you need to consider is how long you need the scale for. For instance, you work in a warehouse and need to do an end of the year inventory and make adjustments. You may only need the scale for the duration of your inventory check. These type of applications use bench scales or counting scales to complete their project. In this case purchasing a scale to only be used once per year would seem like a steep investment with little return. 

The factors that you will want to take into consideration is duration of rental, frequency of use, and what type of items are getting weighed. The reasoning for considering these factors is because they great affect the cost of whether renting is a better option over buying.

Benefits of rental Scales

There are several upsides to going the rental route, and the biggest upside is the potential cost savings. Considering that purchasing an industrial scale is a substantial investment, it can be a lot of upfront costs that may not fit into a budget. Renting a scale can help greatly reduce costs, especially if you only need it for a short amount of time. Below are a list of benefits that come along with renting an industrial scale.

• Rental duration is flexible to your needs

• Pickup and delivery of scales is included

• Setup & calibration is included

• Training on scale operation is available for your employees

• ISO Certified documentation provided with each rental scale

The benefits of renting an industrial scale can definitely give you a speedy solution for your processing operation. If you are a site manager and need to keep the project under a certain budget and have it completed in a certain time frame, then renting a scale can possibly keep you under budget and ahead of deadline.

Best uses for rental scales?

When looking at who are doing more rentals over buying, it usually comes down to the general purpose of needing a scale temporarily. Usually when there is an uptick in scale rentals among, say retail shops, then it most likely is happening around inventory time. These places usually rent a bench scale or counting scale because of their ability to do bulk counting, thus providing the company with a quicker way to check the inventory and make adjustments.

The reasoning for this is because they are checking the inventory on a lot of very small parts. Having to check the inventory on lets say 10,000 screws would take entirely too long to count by hand and update the list. Using a counting scale can take a small sample size (say 10 screws) and then once the weight is calculated it can accurately count a much larger sample size.

Aside from renting smaller scales for inventory, there are other scales like crane and truck scales that you can rent when you are in need of weighing something substantially larger. When working on a construction site or some sort of work site that does not allow you to install a permanent scale, there are portable options available for rental. There are some work sites that do not allow you to excavate for whatever reason and require a less permanent option to complete the project. So renting a portable truck scale is the next solution, because it can be placed on a level surface with temporary ramps and approaches attached to it.

Who are renting scales?

When considering which industries are renting scales the most, it will almost be warehouses and retail shops. But they are not the only industries that benefit from renting a scale. There are places like construction sites, farms, feed mills that also benefit from renting a scale. Below are a few honorable mentions regarding scale rentals.

• Racing industry

• Aircraft

• Fishing (especially fishing tournaments)

• Food industry

• Fairs, Carnivals

• Warehouses (inventory)

• Retail shops

There are a number of industries that use rental scales. Some will use wheel weighers (aircraft), while others may use an axle scale (race cars). Small scale aircrafts benefit greatly from a rental wheel weigher. The reasoning is because making sure that the weights and balances for the aircraft are correct. You may receive inquiries about these particular scales, due to the convenience that comes with them. There are even construction sites that need to rent a crane scale, to ensure the crane isn’t overloaded, thus adding an extra layer of safety to the crew and work site. Ultimately you will be able to find a rental scale for just about any application that you need.

Knowing what to look for

When looking at the scale companies that offer scale rental services, there are a few things you want to consider before renting a scale. The first thing is to see what scales are available for rent. That will greatly impact which direction you decide to go in. From the different types of scales available, then you next have to consider what you need the scale for and what the capacity level that you need. 

Drawbacks to renting a scale

Just like anything that has benefits, there are also drawbacks. When it comes to renting a scale this is no different. Granted the drawbacks to renting a scale may not be equal to the benefits, but it is still good to be aware of the possible issues when renting a scale.

One of the biggest drawbacks when deciding to rent a scale is that you are responsible for returning the scale in working order. That means that for the duration the scale is under your care, you are responsible for any possible damages that may occur. It goes back to the age old saying “you break it, you buy it”. So say for example you have a portable truck scale that you rented for 2 months. Say during the time you were in possession of it there is damage to the scale. If that happens then it is on you to pay for the broken product.

So if a short term rental has the risks of potentially damaging the scale, then you could possibly look into purchasing a truck scale. A good way to combat this, is to ensure that the work site where the scale will be going is void of any obstacles or hazards that could potentially damage your crew or the scale.

Another drawback is that the length of time that the scale is being rented could end up costing more than actually buying the scale outright. Granted there are some variables that come into play, and that is determined by the scale company that you are considering going to. Mainly it is good to really look at the time needed to use the scale. Calculating your schedule will help you to determine to correct length of time to rent the scale.

Closing words

Renting an industrial scale has a lot of positives and can greatly reduce the overall cost of your project. Looking at which scale companies offer you the best options in regards to rental scales, can help make a clear and informed decision. Use this guide as a reference when you are in the need of a rental industrial scale.

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.