Challenge
Anyone who has traveled by air is familiar with the many pitfalls that may await their luggage. This can include cuts, rips and tears, weather damage, accidental openings, stains and scratches, smuggling, misrouting, and perhaps most common, theft and pilferage. This company has developed a system that will quickly protect against these problems by machine wrapping the item in a plastic film for protection. In addition, a built in scale will confirm that the luggage is within the appropriate weight limits.
The goal was to select a scale that could be customized in size and format to fit their machine. In addition, the weighing mechanism needed to be rugged enough to withstand the use and abuse that it would encounter.
Solution
Series 3200 platform scales from Arlyn Scales met these requirements. A special size and wiring format allowed it to be seamlessly inserted into the wrapping machine. The most critical parts of a scale are the load cells, which translate weight on the platform into an electrical signal that can be processed by the weight indicator. Typical choices for this item can be either aluminum or nickel plated steel. While each of these materials can result in accurate load cells, they can be prone to permanent deformation if they are subjected to shock loads. Although a suitcase may only have a 45 lb weight, the actual instantaneous force seen by the load cells can be a multiple of this amount if it is vigorously thrown onto the platform. The resulting damage can make the scale unusable.
Results
The best results will be obtained by fabricating the load cell from especially rugged alloys of stainless steel. Arlyn chose to use that material, and then heat-treated it for additional superior qualities. As a result, the wrapping machine can tolerate even very difficult handling.
