Ammonia. Chlorine. Sulfur dioxide. Alum. Phosphates. Hypochlorite. Sodium hydroxide. Liquefied hydrogen. What do all of these chemicals have in common? That’s right, the ability to corrode the metal equipment you work with on a daily basis. Whether you deal with raw material or drums that have the potential to leak or spill, equipment corrosion is a fact of life. However, there are things you can do to extend the life of your machinery, including your industrial scales. Your first and best line of defense is to choose scales that are manufactured out of a corrosion material, like stainless steel. Now, it’s a pretty simple process to find stainless steel platforms and bases, but what about the internal components of your scale? Equipment isn’t always ruined by direct contact. Sometimes even the fumes of a material can cause damage, and fumes can get into a scale even when there is no liquid leaking.
The Arlyn Scales Difference: Stainless Steel Components
One of the most important parts of your scale is the load cell, which is responsible for interpreting the weight of the load on the platform into the numbers you see on the digital display. Many manufacturers will use a basic aluminum construction when machining their load cells which not only leaves them vulnerable to damage from corrosive materials, but also to damage from rough handling and the regular stresses an industrial environment will place on the equipment used in it. We do things a bit differently at Arlyn Scales. Since we’re an actual manufacturer and not just a distributor, we have control over our processes and the quality of our materials. So when we manufacture our strain gage load cells, we use stainless steel. Not only does this protect the accuracy of your measurements, it makes them more accurate from the get-go. They’re also more durable and able to withstand the stress of daily life in harsh environments, which means additional years of life when you would have to replace other models.
The Arlyn Scales Difference: Additional Exterior Protection
Many times, when you purchase a scale, the platform will be coated in a “protective” layer of paint. However, this often equates to no more than standard enamel paint. Once it’s scratched or scraped off the scale, it loses all of its “protective” qualities and leaves your scale just as vulnerable to rust and corrosion as if it had never existed. Even if a small chip is all that’s missing, corrosive materials can get underneath the paint and travel to adjacent parts of the scales. So you may not even see the damage that’s happening until it’s too late. Yet we take a different approach here, too. Our stainless steel scale models can be purchased with a protective coating. It’s a polyamine based special triple epoxy that we infuse with garnet particles to give you serious protection from corrosive materials as well as the scratches, scuffs, and other abrasions that would damage a less well-protected scale. Now we understand that your budget may not leave much to purchase fully stainless steel scales. We do offer less expensive standard steel options, but even these come equipped with our stainless steel load cells. Rather than offering an optional coating like we do on our stainless steel models, all steel scales come with a zinc particle based triple epoxy. It really doesn’t matter what scale you buy. Eventually the protective layer is going to be chipped or scratched off in places, especially if you handle really burly loads on a daily basis. Unlike that standard enamel paint, the zinc particles get preferentially oxidized. Even if the epoxy is scratched off and the steel beneath becomes exposed, the zinc will protect the scale and prevent the spread of corrosion. Whether you purchase a steel or stainless steel model, our scales will provide you with years of trouble free service and a longevity unmatched by any of our competitors.
The Arlyn Scales Difference: Intrinsically Safe
Depending on the kind of corrosive materials you work with, your workfloor may be classified as a hazardous location as defined by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) National Electric Code. Corrosive agents are typically identified by a Class I hazardous area classification. This means that there are flammable gases or vapors present in the air in quantities large enough that it can be come a source of ignition and cause an explosion. If you’re a Class I location, we offer a special line of explosion-proof scales that are Intrinsically Safe to operate in Division I and Division II, Groups A through D. They also approved for other locations, but those deal with less corrosive and equally flammable materials. Class I locations include petroleum refineries, dry cleaning plants, aircraft hangars, utility gas plants, and areas where gasoline is stored and/or dispensed, among others. Our ArlynGuard series of scales includes small bench scales, cylinder scales, platform scales, and floor scales. Capacities range from as little as five pounds to as much as 20,000 pounds. These scales are safe to use around materials like acetylene, hydrogen, ether, hydrocarbons, fuels, solvents, and other similar compounds and chemicals.
The Arlyn Scales Difference: Factory Direct Pricing
Unlike a lot of other scale provider’s we don’t source our products from a manufacturer. We are the manufacturer. So while this means we’re able to control our processes, our designs, and the quality of our materials, it also means that we’re able to offer competitive pricing on all of our scales. Since there is no middleman to drive up prices, you get a better quality piece of equipment at a cost that can fit into your budget.
The Arlyn Scales Difference: Customer Service
If you’re not sure how to move forward in the selection process or have a few questions about our products, our customer support staff would love to assist you. We value informed customers and will help you understand what goes into making the right selection. We’re also happy to discuss custom solutions if you have a unique space where you need a scale to fit or need to transmit your data to a computer or other device. We offer several ways to help you automate your processes, but the best way to see what Arlyn Scales can do for you is to just contact us today!
