Lab Scale
How Counting Scales Count
Counting scales are great time savers that also improve the accuracy of counts when the objective is to ship or receive X numbers of widgets. They are also great for inventory management because they allow you to quickly determine how many widgets are in stock and when it is time to order more.
How do Piece Counting Scales Count?
Keep in mind that a piece counting scale can be programmed to determine the count of a number of products that are kept in the scale’s internal memory but each product must be the same. You must separate bolts from nuts, (and lock washers while we’re at it) not combine them unless you are counting assembled nuts, bolts and lock washers. And all bolt, nut and lock washer assemblies being counted must be the same. A counting scale with an internal memory of 100 items can store data for up to … Read the rest
How to Maintain a Digital Crane Scale
A digital crane scale, while ruggedly constructed to perform heavy lifting and weighing functions, is also a precision instrument that must be maintained on a regular basis. While maintenance is important for any weighing instrument from an accuracy standpoint, heavy-duty crane scales must be checked regularly to avoid a mechanical failure that could cause a load to drop with potential disastrous results.
Crane scale manufacturers such as Kern, whose products are offered by Tovatech, provide maintenance instructions as part of their operations manuals. We’ll use here as an example the Kern HTS industrial hanging scale available in four models with maximum weight capacities from 1500 to 10,000 kg (~3,300 to 22,000 pounds) The scale is powered by a rechargeable battery and is shipped with an infrared, battery-powered remote control with a range of approximately 25 feet.
Crane Scale Maintenance Guidelines
Key lifting components on crane scales include shackles, hooks and … Read the rest
Compact Digital Crane Scale with Remote Readout
Time is money, so quickly determining or confirming the weight of products or pallets being loaded or unloaded at warehouses, transportation hubs, construction sites and similar locations is quickly accomplished using a compact Kern HFC digital crane scale with remote readout. This allows personnel to confirm weight against manifests when they are as far as 100 meters (328 feet) away from the crane scale.
Working as a tensile force gauge, Kern HFC crane scales available from Tovatech are offered in four maximum weigh capacities: 1000, 3000, 5000 and 10,000 kg. Respective readouts are 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 5,000 grams.
Both the digital crane scale and remote hand-held display device are powered by rechargeable batteries for up to 30 hours of operation or by optional 3 x 1.5 volt AA batteries for up to 40 hours of operation.
The Kern digital crane scale display modules have an on-off switch and are … Read the rest
New Digital Platform Scale Performs Multiple Functions
A newly released family of Kern IKT digital touch screen platform scales now available from Tovatech performs multiple measuring and weighing functions in a single package. This versatile tool allows companies to reduce their scale “inventory” and associated maintenance costs by consolidating diverse measuring and weighing functions from recipe to animal weighing on a single unit. Fully 9 operating modes are accommodated.
Ease of use is another feature of the IKT digital platform scales, all equipped with stainless steel weighing plates, one of which can be used for suspending weighing. Maximum weighing capacity ranges from 3,100 to 151,000 grams. An intuitive backlit LCD digital touch screen measures 5.8 inches on the diagonal to clearly display the functions being performed. Examples include:
- A large keypad for easy input of text and values, also displaying the operator’s name
- A clear menu structure with keys
Buying Tips for Veterinarian Scales
Weighing animals in veterinarian clinics is challenging because few if any of the patients have the patience to remain still on the weighing platform. Since weight gain or loss is very much a part of the exam, vets and their assistants need all the assistance they can get in securing accurate weight readings. Platform scales such as the Kern EOB, EOE and EOS series available from Tovatech are ideally suited for this requirement because they are designed to compute an accurate stable weight even though the animal does not stand quietly on the weighing plate.
An Animal Weighing System That’s Easy to Use
With only 4 programming keys on the display device these animal weighing scales are a cinch to operate: on/off, hold, unit (pounds or kilograms) and tare. It’s the “hold” key that’s key to the animal weighing operation.
With Fido firmly on the easily cleaned stainless steel weighing … Read the rest
How to Choose Platform Scales
Precision platform scales are widely used in laboratory, industrial, and related applications where a high degree of weighing accuracy is required. In addition to weighing mundane items such as packages a platform scale is used for piece counting, net-total recipe weighing, and percentage determination that shows the deviation from a reference weight.
Platform balances such as the Kern DE series available from Tovatech are available in a variety of models, enabling users to specify the correct scale based on their requirements. These scales have maximum weighing capacities from 6 kilograms to 300 kilograms (approximately 13 to 660 pounds). Other models weigh up to 600 kilograms.
How to use a Counting Scale System for Large Quantities
When large quantities of small or lightweight pieces are being packaged for market accurate inventory control and accurate billing depend on highly accurate counting scale systems. In such cases connecting a precision reference scale to a platform scale gives an extremely high degree of weighing and counting accuracy even when individual pieces weigh as little as 0.002 gram.
That is the precision realized by the Kern CDEE piece counting system available from Tovatech. It consists of a CDE digital platform balance available in capacities from 35 to 150 kg (77 to 300 pounds) connected by an interface cable to a Kern CME reference balance offered in capacities from 100 to 3000 grams (3.5 oz to 6.6 pounds). The readout for both models depends on the maximum weighing range but is as low as 1 gram for the platform balance and 0.001 gram for the reference balance. This versatile combination … Read the rest
Internal vs External Analytical Balance Calibration
Calibration is a procedure intimately associated with analytical balances. Calibration determines the relationship between the displayed value and true mass by comparison with a known mass. In other words, calibration determines the accuracy of an analytical balance or precision scale.
Suppliers of analytical balances and precision scales such as Tovatech have sources that provide calibration services and certificates for newly purchased equipment. Good laboratory practices, good manufacturing practices as well as conformance to several published regulations call for regular recalibration of these instruments and adjusting them if required. To accommodate this manufacturers such as Kern offer analytical balances and precision scales with automatic internal calibration and adjustment (if needed) or external calibration and manual adjustment.… Read the rest
How to Use a Precision Scale for Check Weighing
“Net weight one pound” it says on a bag of potato chips. You used to be able to buy a pound of coffee but now while the cans look the same the weights vary. One brand notes 11.5 ounces, another 10.3 ounces. Why is this? More than that, how do we know the can really contains 10.3 ounces of java? It is a conundrum we have to tolerate.
Joking aside, accuracy in weighing or in counting is no laughing matter when it comes to complying with rules governing net content and average weights. It is also important from a cost management perspective. While variances in potato chip and coffee weight is not a serious safety concern, putting more in the bag or can than called for is a cost management issue. Accuracy is a safety issue when it comes to pharmaceutical dosages and similar critical applications. Here is how precision … Read the rest
3 Good Questions About Precision Scales & Analytical Balances
Digital scales and balances are precision instruments. People using these instruments should be able to answer these questions:
1. How secure is your weighing data?
2. How accurate are your scales?
3. What is the degree of protection from dust and moisture?
How secure is your weighing data?
An answer can be found in Kern’s 32 bit software for Windows 95/98/NT/XP. It communicates between balances and programs such as Excel, Word, Access and others via a serial interface. Weight increments are inserted by the touch of a key or on a time-controlled basis to the current cursor location. This eliminates typing errors that may occur during manual inputting of weight increments.
Graphical displays of values and data … Read the rest
