Large Floor Scales Are Available To Implement At Different Situations

By Author: John Tang
Total Articles: 512
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There are many different situations that require weighing large amounts. There are also a number of different sizes and capacities of Large Floor Scales available to implement these different situations.

One of the most common applications is weighing pallets for outgoing shipping or incoming receiving. One of the most standard pallet sizes is 40 x 48. So one of the most standard Large Floor Scales have a platform size of 48 x 48, making it very easy to place the pallet on the platform. A typical scale capacity is 5,000 lb, with a weight readability of 1 lb. Other capacities are also available, such as 2,500 lb, 10,000 lb and 20,000 lb.

There are a number of important characteristics that should be incorporated in Large Floor Scales to provide accurate trouble free use. The most important is related to the load cells. This type of scale provides a load cell in each corner of the platform. The cells will bend by very small amounts when a load is placed on the platform. Strain gages within the load cell will accurately measure the amount of bending that occurs, and will send their signals to the digital indicator ...
... to be processed for the weight display.

While the load cell is designed to accept the rated load, industrial environments often result in situations where the instantaneous load may be much higher than rated. This may occur when a forklift drops a pallet onto the scale platform. Even if the pallet only weighs 2,000 lb, the force of even a small drop may produce loads that are many times higher. This is even more likely to occur if the load is very dense. There is a strong likelihood that a significant shock load will cause the force on the load cell material to exceed the modulus of elasticity. This will permanently affect the load cell, and will result in large shifts of the output signal, and of the accuracy of that signal. The load cell will have to be replaced in this case.

Of course the best way to avoid this damage is to avoid shock loading the scale. Unfortunately, this is not very easy to do. A better way is to construct the load cell from a material that is less likely to be damaged. While most load cells are made from steel, and are then plated to prevent corrosion, higher quality scales, such as the Arlyn Series 5200 Large Floor Scales, manufacture their load cells using special alloys of stainless steel. This material must be heat treated for the best performance. Of course there is an added benefit of protection from corrosion, but the significant increase in the ability to resist shock loading is the most important result.

Another important characteristic of a floor scale is to provide a low platform height. If the scale is to be loaded with a forklift, the platform height is not of major consequence. But if a pallet jack or alternative cart is to be pushed up onto the platform, the height is quite important. One of the best ways to reduce the platform height is to machine pockets into the scale underframe, and attach the load cells in these pockets. There is an additional manufacturing cost in doing so, but this feature can reduce the height by as much as 30%. An additional benefit is that the load cell is physically protected in this pocket, and is less likely to be damaged. Furthermore, the ramp that is used to push the load onto the platform can have a lower angle, making it easier to load the scale, and the ramp can be shorter, saving floor space and cost.

Coatings are applied to the scale to reduce corrosion. Most often, a spray enamel paint or a simple powder coat is used. As with all applied coatings, they will easily scratch when a pallet is pushed onto the scale, or a forklift scrapes across it. Once the underlying steel is exposed, corrosion will start and will proceed, even underneath the paint layer. The Arlyn Large Floor Scales provide a much better coating consisting of a three part galvanize epoxy. This zinc rich epoxy will provide excellent scratch protection. But over time, it will also scratch through. More importantly, the zinc in the coating will oxidize preferentially, thereby protecting the exposed steel of the scale platform.