Electrical transducers were used 31% of the time. This technology was still the favorite among scale users and accounted for 54% of the responses. The oldest and perhaps the most familiar to our readers is the strain gage(s). According to the survey, stain in the load-bearing member of the scale system can be measured in one of three ways. When electronic weighing methods are employed, there are a number of technologies that can be used. Hybrid systems did account for at least as many applications as straight mechanical device among those responding.
Of all these types of systems, respondents overwhelming used electronic devices over mechanical ones by a margin of almost 3-to-1. These included basic weighing (61%), pre-weighing or filling by weight (48%), calculation by weight (47%), batching (45%), check weighing (inspection by weight) (36%), force measurement (34%), counting by weight for shipping, interdepartmental transfer and inventory transactions (29%) and web tension applications (21%) (See accompanying graphic). Types of weighing operations that were specified by survey respondents were diverse. Other unspecified operations accounted for approximately 1% of the responses given. Primary applications for sales and load cells include both continuous and batch processing (49%), batch processing only (16%), continuous processing only (14%), testing applications (11%) and discrete products manufacturing (9%). Of the remaining, 14% used them for OEM requirements, and 18% used them for both in-plant and OEM requirements. Scales for industryĪccording to respondents to the latest survey, 66% used scales or load cells for in-plant requirements. In the latest online survey, Control Engineering magazine-in conjunction with Reed Research-queried readers involved with specifying, recommending and/or buying industrial scales or load cells as to their application and technology preferences as well as purchasing trends.
With time, standardized methods for weighing evolved, equipment improved, and accuracy and repeatability in weighing operations became commonplace and expected. And although these methods were probably not very accurate, they represented an understanding of the basic principle of weighing technology.
Simple comparison of materials by weight (whether done with a crude balance or a simple manual comparison-one sample in one hand, one in the other) formed the basis for recipes, inventory measurement, basic custody transfer transactions and determination of selling price. Weighing technology has been a critical part of industrial activity ever since its earliest development.