Industrial Knowledge

The new ACM360 adaptor got me thinking about how much the scale industry has changed in the past 20 to 30 years which then lead me to take a walk about our building.

Imagine walking the length of the United States. A group of about 12 employees at SMC’s Indiana site did just that. They walked more than 3,500 miles each year throughout the manufacturing facility during its cycle counting process. That was before the Japan-based manufacturer of pneumatic and electric automation equipment turned to METTLER TOLEDO to integrate a mobile weighing station that would both increase efficiency and save the company money.

Sometimes the smallest things can make the biggest difference. This is especially true in the manufacturing of precision plastic parts. If the parts are made or shipped incorrectly, it could lead to failure of that final product and the company could lose its reputation as a trusted supplier. METTLER TOLEDO counting scales help Slovenian manufacturer Ravnihar d.o.o. to make sure this doesn’t happen.

The quality of textiles is highly dependent on the quality of the raw materials used to manufacture them. To improve the order-picking process, one yarn manufacturer implemented a classifying application to sort finished yarn rolls and load customer-specified groupings via barcodes onto the scale for increased throughput and order fulfillment accuracy.

In business, innovation takes many forms. A popular sensor manufacturer is innovative not only in its product offering but also in the way it manages quality. Ifm ensures its products are intact by using weighing during packing. This two-in-one solution boosts productivity while saving time and money.

The new compact counting scale line: ICS445, ICS465, and ICS685 offers seamless integration into your production process as your scale can be individually configured for fast and precise operations according to your needs.

Having multiple people involved in a process often leads to mistakes that cost you time and money.

Watch the video and learn how ICS5 counting scales facilitate your operator’s life, avoid errors and increase your performance.

With three manufacturing plants in cities throughout Colombia, Meals de Colombia is one of the largest dairy companies in the country with very well-known brand recognition. Its reputation for quality has made it the choice of discerning consumers. Meals de Colombia uses METTLER TOLEDO’s manual checkweighers to meet the latest quality guidelines and to ensure a safe and hygienic production.

A private-label food packaging company in Western NY had a problem. It needed to find a way to speed up packaging without sacrificing accuracy. Its packaging process involved putting a container on a scale, taring the weight of the container, then having the operator fill the container to the correct weight.

Punctual deliveries that you can rely on thanks to the integrated counting solution
The Swiss company Gewitec – the clamping and slotted nut specialist – relies on the efficient and flawless storage of its products. This is where METTLER TOLEDO weighing systems lend a hand and support Gewitec in delivering its products punctually and reliably; giving this innovative company a real competitive edge.

Shipping electronic parts around the globe just in time isn’t an easy task, even for logistics experts. Counting scales speed up parts picking while ensuring accuracy in one of Switzerland’s most modern warehouses.

Counting is an important application that should not be underestimated, particularly in a GMP clean room. A counting mistake can lead to a failed audit or a recall of an entire batch for recounting. Discover more about what counts when designing a system for vial counting.

A Spanish company that specializes in growing and handling carrots and leeks long sought how to improve its process in getting its products more quickly to market. Today, 33 PC-connected scales stand up to humidity and heavy loads to provide fast, traceable weighing at its processing facilities.

When it comes to counting scales, a common misconception is that high internal resolution alone results in exact weighing. But real accuracy depends on different individual factors, from weighing electronics to workplace situations.

Reduce inefficient transportation to packaging stations and significantly reduce your staff’s involvement in parts counting with semi-automated counting directly at the production machine. Scales can control third-party devices such as conveyor belts and stop or redirect parts filling as soon as the target piece count is reached.

It is common wisdom that any instrument and particularly a scale shall be calibrated before its first use. But is this sufficient? Shall I recalibrate my scale? How frequently? How? And Why?

Regular calibration based on a thorough process risk assessment helps stabilize production while conserving time and resources. Testing too infrequently risks undetected accuracy problems while testing too often interrupts production. Find out the right schedule for you in just two minutes and comply with the new ISO 9001 risk-based thinking approach.

In Upstate New York, several weighing equipment companies provide repair and calibration services. Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse have several scale companies that can provide these services. So, you might ask: Why should I choose Brady Systems to service and calibrate my scales?

Are you sure your counting scales are accurate? A scale’s accuracy can vary over time. Maintain consistent accuracy with calibration services by our trained technicians who understand your application and provide certificates and proof of traceability.

Using pre-calibrated load cells, CalFree™ is an economical and easy way to perform scale calibration. It is the perfect solution for calibrating large tanks and silos when placing test weights is simply impossible, or when an approximate calibration is sufficient.

Do you have an informed response when an auditor asks, “Why are you using this weight to calibrate the scale?” Klosterfrau Healthcare Group always has a competent answer regarding its routine balance testing and weighing processes, that allows it to more easily pass audits in the highly regulated pharmaceutical industry.

How do you know your scales are fit for purpose? You know that you need to weigh to a particular capacity and resolution. You might also know what manufacturing tolerances you need for that process. But how do you know which scale is the right one for the job? METTLER TOLEDO’s Good Weighing Practice or GWP system can help you determine whether you have the needed scale.

Selecting the right counting solution saves money and provides peace of mind. The GWP® Recommendation for Counting is a unique qualification service for determining the right counting solution for any specific process requirement. Counting accuracy is not accidental. Be sure to receive a GWP® Recommendation for Counting before you purchase your next scale.

Quality regulations are for your consumers’ protection. Ensuring that your equipment, processes, and procedures meet not just the regulations in your area, but global quality regulations is essential to ensure the strength of your brand.

Since it was introduced in non-mining applications, intrinsic safety has evolved to become one of the most commonly used protection methods in process industries. Today, intrinsic safety is one of the safest and most advanced methods of ignition protection which is applied in the design and manufacturing of weighing equipment.

Since 1984, Handygas Corporation in York, Pennsylvania has been serving the cylinder exchange industry and has become a pioneer in the industry in North America. The fast-growing nature of this business prompted Handygas to design and build special equipment to overcome the labor intensity of cleaning, repairing, re-certifying, painting, and filling these cylinders in mass production.

The IND256x is METTLER TOLEDO’s new Intrinsically Safe (I.S.) weighing terminal for Division 1 & Zone 1/21 Hazardous Areas. This new terminal brings exclusive and innovative features to demanding applications in today’s hazardous environments.

To ensure the greatest protection against explosion risks, weighing equipment must comply with hazardous-area regulations. Some safety concepts, however, can influence weighing performance.

Weighing is one of the most basic and important process variables in a clear majority of manufacturing pro­cesses. However, it can be one of the most challenging parameters to control.

Accurate weighing is essential for many businesses, but it can be a challenge in harsh environments. Our new range of weighing platforms combines reliability with the best accuracy available for manual and automatic weighing applications.

There are a number of environmental factors to consider when installing a high-precision scale. The location of scale can affect its ability to produce accurate results. The below article is an excerpt from the METTLER TOLEDO Right Way to Weigh brochure. While it was written as a guide for balances, it contains a lot of great advice for the installation of high-precision bench scales and counting scales.

Switzerland-based Victorinox must uphold its reputation with every “Original Swiss Army Knife” it produces. METTLER TOLEDO moisture analyzers play a critical role in ensuring that incoming goods, such as plastic granulates, contain the correct moisture content.

Don’t wait for Industry 4.0 to happen. Use your weighing equipment to improve your production process today. We explain why you should speed up and integrate manual processes into your existing systems, make use of weighing data for process optimization and enable remote monitoring.

Quality by Design (QbD), a scientific, risk-based approach to quality, is increasingly being adopted in pharmaceutical manufacturing. Supported worldwide by regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, QbD focuses pharmaceutical manufacturing on quality from the very beginning of process design.

Optimal raw material exploitation depends on accurate and efficient filling systems. Understanding the different volumetric- and gravimetric-filling technologies allows bulk food producers to optimize their yield.

Whether you are shipping, receiving, or managing inventory, weighing pallets can be an extra step that slows down your operation. For quick and easy mobile weighing in industrial environments, pallet truck scales offer a precise and simple solution.

In global manufacturing, it is important to eliminate production downtime to remain competitive and protect revenue. A new white paper explains how to boost Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) by maximizing weighing system uptime.

David Schneider, service technician for METTLER TOLEDO Switzerland shares his experience with us in this issue. He is based in Switzerland, a country known for high precision and top quality. His customers in the renowned watchmaking industry demand flawless service, as they supply the world with the most sophisticated products.

Customized labeling, full documentation and traceability are key if you have to comply with industry standards like ISO 9001, ISO16949, AIAG, Odette or Galia. Brady Systems and METTLER TOLEDO provide tailored printing solutions meeting the demands of standards and of your customers.

Bacteria contamination is a constant risk for meat producers, and hard-to-clean equipment makes the fight against contamination considerably more challenging. We asked five questions to Dr. Jürgen Hofmann, a hygienic design expert, to learn how hygienic design of equipment improves cleaning outcomes while reducing cleaning effort.

When time is money, and space is a logistics company’s most valuable asset, both must be optimized wherever possible. Making the move from floor scales to forklift scales is an easy way to speed up pallet handling and save money and space.

In 2011, the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) shifted the food safety focus from reacting to outbreaks to a preventative approach. That was done to better protect public health and reduce the risk of product recalls. What are the implications for your business?

At first sight food and beverage legislation and standards seem to involve huge costs, but a closer look reveals that they open up enormous benefits.

Cross-contamination in drug manufacturing impacts product quality, and may even lead to product recalls. Hygienically designed weighing equipment helps prevent cross-contamination and ensures regulatory compliance.

METTLER TOLEDO offers many scale terminal options. These options range from basic scale terminals to highly sophisticated instruments capable of running multiple scales with customized software programs.

For a great many applications, a basic indicator is all you need. If what you are looking for is a simple and easy-to-use terminal, consider these options:

Machine builders typically must comply with their end-user’s request for a particular control system and network technology. A new versatile weight transmitter is always the right choice because it offers compliance-tested connectivity for communicating with the leading PLC providers.

A batch controller with reporting functions provides crucial performance monitoring. The new software pac Batch-780 for the IND780 weighing terminal handles and controls multi-scale batching processes while tracking and tracing in compliance with your regulations.

When customers rely on your products to fight fires, it is critical that your product is made correctly. That is the case for The Solberg Co., a manufacturer of firefighting foam concentrates and custom foam suppression systems and hardware.

When an incident makes a weighing device fail or deliver undetected false measurements, the consequences to quality and productivity can be critical. Cloud-based remote equipment monitoring identifies potential issues before they influence product quality and uptime.

A Scottish whiskey producer requires filling quantities of no more than +3 milliliters per bottle. Now the whisky maker optimizes its filling processes and restricts inspections to five bottles per hour without experiencing a drop in quality.

Billions of packages of all kinds are filled around the world every day. “Package” can mean bottle, jar, tube, box, or can: in essence, any container filled with product. All prepackaged goods display by law net weight or volume and number of pieces. Today the value of a product includes more than its function.

Fast-changing consumer preferences, pressure from regulatory authorities and growing awareness of consumers about their health force pharmaceutical manufactures to improve their production processes and take precautions to ensure correct formulation procedures are used.

Increased process awareness allows manufacturers to maintain high product quality and profitable operations. New data collection and visualization software can help you easily collect and monitor relevant weighing data from your shop floor to gain better visibility into your daily production processes.

As the “Makers of Fun Food” experienced a growing business volume, The Jel Sert Company was not about to sacrifice the product quality that has long been one of their trademarks. A FormWeigh.Net® formulation system was installed which enabled them to achieve improved efficiency, quality, and traceability of their formulation process.

A $1 billion+ distributor of Hispanic foods realized its quality control processes had lagged behind company growth. To reduce overfilling and ensure legal compliance, FreeWeigh.Net® software helps Goya realize a 20 percent reduction in overfill cost.

DataBridge SS is vehicle scale software that automates your vehicle weighing operation. Whether your business has been operating for years or is just getting started, this powerful software package makes your job easier and your business more profitable.

When the owner of a five-star restaurant expanded to give the world access to his famous meatballs, he needed to make sure his recipe was followed precisely – or risk the reputation of his renowned cuisine.

Simpler can be better. If your application calls for a simple weighing solution, the IND246 scale terminal fills the bill.

Turning a profit is hard enough without having to contend with fraud. If you buy and sell truckloads of material by weight, there are a surprising number of ways you can be cheated. Vehicle-scale software with built-in security features can protect your profits by preventing fraud at your truck scale.

A new vehicle scale is a major investment. Buying and installing one can also be a complex project to organize, especially for those who have not been involved in a scale purchase before.

Weighing accuracy is easy to take for granted. You know that your truck scale is certified by a regulatory agency, so you assume that it weighs accurately. What you might not know is that accuracy levels that are acceptable to regulators could be costing you an unacceptable amount of money.

The prospect of replacing a vehicle scale before its time can leave a business owner shuddering. In addition to the high cost of buying a new scale, the disruption caused by downtime is a major concern. For many businesses with troublesome scales, there is a simpler solution: a load-cell upgrade.

Downtime during the peak season can eat up an agricultural operation’s profits. To improve productivity, a cotton processor needed a solution for the maintenance problems that were plaguing its vehicle scale. Replacing old load cells with advanced technology gave new life to the company’s aging scale.

Will your truck scale give you the 20 years of service that you expect? Most truck scale manufacturers answer that question with promises they cannot back up. Only one manufacturer gives you real proof that your truck scale can handle more than a million vehicles.

Businesses are robbed every day without even knowing it. When theft occurs at a vehicle scale, management often has no idea what was stolen or who took it. How do you begin to protect yourself against a crime that is so hard to detect?

Do you have an older truck scale where the weighbridge is in good condition, but the scale is bleeding money because of high maintenance costs from the replacement of load cells or lightning strikes? Or: you know that you will get improved accuracy from a digital load cell solution, but can’t afford to replace the scale just yet. Consider upgrading or converting your scale to METTLER TOLEDO POWERCELL GDD load cells.

One of the questions we get most often when discussing a new truck scale purchase is, “Which deck surface should I choose: steel or concrete?” There are a number of variables that go into making that decision. The below article is from the “Truck Scale Buying Guide” published by METTLER TOLEDO. It gives an overview of the two different surface choices and provides guidance as to when each type is the better choice.

When you decide to purchase or replace a vehicle scale, it is tempting to look just at the initial purchase price. However, making a large capital purchase like a vehicle scale should include the consideration of ongoing maintenance. Vehicle scales have both mechanical and electronic components to them. Like the tires or brakes on a car, some of the components on a scale will wear and need to be replaced. Regular maintenance and inspection can reduce the likelihood of those components failing at the worst time.

Weighing equipment should increase efficiency, not decrease it. As a truck scale ages, mounting downtime and service costs can turn it into a liability for a weighing operation. New digital load cells solve the problem for truck scale operators by combining high performance with low maintenance.

Demands for reduced cost and environmental protections are driving the increased recycling of construction and demolition debris. A recycling center in Illinois is meeting that demand efficiently with the help of a METTLER TOLEDO truck scale.

Steel has one glaring weakness: corrosion. When faced with constant exposure to harsh environments, vehicle scales are especially vulnerable. A corrosion-resistant galvanized finish ensures that a unique vehicle scale has what it takes to last a lifetime.

Every minute spent coupling and uncoupling railroad cars holds up traffic. To move material efficiently, a manufacturing facility needed to eliminate those delays. The solution was an in-motion weighing system that saves time and money by keeping traffic moving.

Weighing problems can strike suddenly or persist over time. Either way, they are expensive. Faced with both types of problems, Littlejohn Grain found a simple solution to reduce maintenance costs and downtime for its vehicle scales.

Vehicle weighing can potentially be a bottleneck that negatively affects a facility’s overall throughput. Preventing backups at a vehicle scale is necessary to increase productivity

If you buy and sell goods by weight, the accuracy of your vehicle scale is crucial to your profitability. Even vehicle scales that meet legal for-trade requirements can make costly weighing errors. The more vehicles you weigh, the more the losses add up.

Buying a bargain vehicle scale can seem like a good decision at the time. What you might not realize is that many suppliers who tempt buyers with low prices have hidden agendas. They count on high maintenance costs to force you to pay them twice for your scale.

DataBridge SS is vehicle scale software that automates your vehicle weighing operation. Whether your business has been operating for years or is just getting started, this powerful software package makes your job easier and your business more profitable.

What is the cost of owning and operating a vehicle scale? You might be surprised to learn how much the cost can vary. Depending on the weighing technology you buy, you could end up paying many times more for upkeep than your competitors pay.

Predicting the future – diagnostics prevent costly errors

Load cell failure during production can not only throw off batch quality, but it also can cost your business valuable time and money.

When safety is at stake, you cannot afford to cut corners. Weigh modules must support heavy loads without tipping or other accidents. With built-in safety features, the new MultiMount™ weigh module is the obvious choice for weighing material safely and accurately.

Access to the latest digital technology can make as big a difference in your weighing operation as it does in other areas of business. To understand the benefits of digital weighing, look at how advanced digital technology stacks up against analog systems.

When liquors and spirits are stored and aged in barrels, alcohol is lost as part of the process. Monitoring those losses is required, but labor-intensive. Changing from a manual process to an automated weighing and filling system can increase productivity and improve traceability.

Heavy Seas craft brewery does not want to waste a sip of its high-quality beer on inaccurate weighing. With the help of a new batching system, the Maryland-based brewery saves now about a ton of materials every two weeks.