Challenge
An automotive parts manufacturer needed a large floor scale to weigh pallets that were loaded with parts. The weight information then needed to be communicated via the Ethernet IP protocol into their web based application.
Solution
Due to the size of the pallets that were being weighed, Arlyn suggested their model 5-5505 floor scale. This scale offers a 5’ x 5’ low profile platform, which was large enough to accommodate the customer’s pallets. The weight capacity is 5000 lb, and the weight readability is 1 lb. The excellent weight resolution allows the user to more accurately monitor and document their process and throughput.
Industrial scales are often exposed to shock loading when a forklift is being used. The worst case scenario is when a forklift may hit the side of a fully loaded scale platform. The resulting strong horizontal force could deform the material of the load cells. This scale features load cells made from a special, heat treated alloy of stainless steel, making them quite resistant to shock load abuse when compared with aluminum or plated steel load cells.
Arlyn’s UpScale weight indicator was included with this scale. It includes a large color touchscreen which makes it much easier to view the weight results, especially if the operator is sitting on a nearby forklift.
It also offers a wide range of optional communication options, such as USB or Wifi. In this case, the customer chose Ethernet IP compatibility and included a built in Web API interface. Instead of handwriting the weight results, and going to a computer to enter the data, this can provide seamless merging of scale data to their web application. The Web API accepts form-encoded request bodies, and returns JSON-encoded responses using standard HTTP response codes. For web based applications, this data can now become available to the appropriate parties within their organization.
Results
This parts manufacturer can now accurately weigh their parts, and easily move the weight data into their ERP system.
