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A weighing scale is an essential part of many processing facilities because it performs much needed quality control. Without them, a processing plant will have a lot of difficulty in portioning off material appropriately. This can lead to a number of problems, from inconsistent food portioning to improperly mixed chemicals or pharmaceuticals. Poor food packaging will frustrate consumers, which is bad enough, but faulty quality controls in a chemical or pharmaceutical processing facility can have a devastating impact. Fortunately, there is no reason these devices can’t be integrated wherever they are needed. They are low maintenance, low cost and are often multifunctional so that they save precious floor space.
Because these devices can be easily built into conveyors, a weighing scale can be designed for just about any work setting. Food processing facilities that handle loose bulk material like cereals would benefit most from a model that also incorporates loss-in-feeding. These systems are designed to take in large loads of bulk foods and release them into packaging or onto other conveyors in predetermined amounts. These machines can be programmed to produce a range of portion sizes, and can be sped up or slowed down depending on the flow rate of the material. Many models also record the amount of material that passes through the machine, allowing operators to keep a close eye on flow rates and quality. These records can normally be accessed through a detailed, but intuitive user interface.
These devices can also be integrated directly into conveyors, which means that product quality can be checked while it is being moved about the facility. For instance, meat processing plants typically handle pieces of meat that are extremely heavy and cannot be easily moved around. The best way to do so is via a series of hooks attached to automated rail systems. These rails are often designed with weighing scale technology that allows them to check the product while it is being moved to further processing. This design does not interfere with preparation and so it is highly efficient and cost effective.
Another, simpler form of this technology consists of sensors placed under a standard belt conveyor. The conveyor may idle in spots to perform an accurate reading or it may be sophisticated enough to get a precise read even when the product is in motion. These devices will flag any defective product, which may be diverted to another channel through simple mechanical means. This system is used extensively in the postal service, where it is highly important to separate items by their mass. If a package is beyond a certain limit, it is automatically diverted to another part of the facility. With a network of these devices and conveyors, tons of packages can be separated in dozens of weight classes with minimal human labor.
These devices play an important role in material processing, so they must be designed with precision in mind. Because this is so important for product safety, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has produced several regulations concerning the manufacturing of these devices. The NIST states that these instruments must maintain a margin of error of ten percent or less. This ensures consistent performance across processing plants.
These machines are the heart of every facility’s quality control. While in operation, they ensure that everything that the plant produces meets consumer and safety standards.
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