4 CONSIDERATIONS FOR BUYING AN INDUSTRIAL SCALE

The Typical Capacities of Loads

Any industrial scale is going to have a maximum capacity that you need to take note of when you're in the market for equipment for your facility. If you go over the weight capacity of a scale, it will both compromise the accuracy of the reading and create a potential safety hazard.
Choose a scale with a weight capacity that is high enough above the maximum weight load you're going to be weighing so that you have a lot of leeway. Don't push it with industrial scales. As scales get older, they will experience wear and tear when weights are placed on them regularly. The wear and tear will make the scale approach maximum capacity.

The Application for the Scale

Consider the items that you're going to be weighing at your facility on your industrial scale. If you are weighing objects that will lie flat without rolling, you can probably use a type of industrial scale that's set up to weigh items on top of pallets. If you are weighing something like vehicles, you are going to have to choose a scale with a larger and sturdier platform.

The Platform Size

Industrial scales come in all sorts of sizes and have platforms with varying dimensions. The platform size you need will depend on the size and dimensions of the items you're weighing rather than the weight of these items.

Remember that your scale platform might need to come with special features depending on the types of item you're weighing. If you're weighing liquid items or fine gravels, you may need to have a platform that offers some sort of basin attachment for the platform.

The platform is an important part of your scale, so this part of the scale needs to be able to safely and reliably accommodate all the items you're weighing.

The Ideal Increments for Your Weight Measurements

The increments in which readings from your scale are given will give you an idea of the precision of the scale. Before you can purchase an industrial scale, you need to determine any technical requirements you're dealing with regarding how precise your measurements need to be.

If you need to weigh product and items down to the kilogram only, a scale with kilogram increments is fine. However, if you need to be more precise and tell weights down to the gram, decigram, centigram or even lighter units, you're going to need a scale with smaller increments.

Interestingly, there are some scales out there that offer dual capacity and increments. This type of scale may be ideal for you if you are looking for one versatile scale to handle a variety of different jobs. A scale with dual capacity and increments will be capable of handling greater capacities while offering larger increments.

For example, a dual capacity and increment scale might give weights down to the centigram when weighing an item under 1,500 kilograms but will only give weights in increments of kilograms when the item is heavier than 1,500 kilograms.

If you need a scale for your business, contact Carlson Scale, Inc. We can help you find what you need for your business.