Imagine a large dairy pumping out huge amounts of liquid on a daily basis. The materials they’re working with slosh around as containers get moved and the installation is quite humid. Trying to get a precise measurement under these conditions is difficult if not impossible for many people, but any mistakes made can cause serious problems for anyone down the line who need to package milk. Using the wrong weight when making any sort of finished dairy product could spoil an entire batch.
This is a relatively mild example. Labeling laws require that containers hold the same amount of liquid that’s printed on the label. Making a mistake when measuring the weight of certain chemicals may prove even more expensive. Firms that make adhesives, coatings, varnishes or ink need to make sure that they know the exact weight of a product before it ships.
Engineers at Arlyn Scales have developed new types of scales that can tackle these and countless other chores that liquid processing workers have to deal with on a daily basis.
Weighing Liquids with Traditional Scale Technologies
Industrial scales based on strain gage load cells won’t meet the stringent requirements of liquid processing plants that need to determine weights within a high degree of precision. This technology unfortunately doesn’t have the level of sensitivity that technicians in these kinds of installations crave. This has made some plants turn to magnetic force restoration scales to handle their liquid-weighing chores.
However, these scales usually can’t handle more than 50 lbs in many cases. The slightest changes in temperature and vibration level are enough to throw them off, which is a serious problem in a busy manufacturing facility. This is where Arlyn Scales’ surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology comes into play.
SAW Scales for Liquids Processing
Load cells are responsible for determining the weight of anything placed on a scale. Arlyn’s Ultra Precision Scales use a pair of SAW transducers to measure displacement on the element instead of strain. When an operator puts something on the scale, the load generates a bulk wave in the element’s substrate. An electronic transmitting transducer passes the wave to a receiver, which amplifies it.
The frequency of the resulting oscillating feedback loop is measured digitally. The high level of precision inherent in this type of design makes these ideal units for handling the kind of precise measurements that are needed at facilities that work in the field of liquids processing.
To demonstrate just how accurate this process is, Aryln’s SAW-C line has a capacity of 100 lbs. Most scales in this range have readabilities of around 0.02 lbs if not higher. SAW-C units feature an impressive readability of 0.001 lbs, which is ideal for those who require extremely precise measurements for their liquid processing operation.
Rugged Liquid Scales
Precision often means delicate when it comes to industrial equipment. The most precise devices tend to be those that are difficult to care for and require very specific instructions users must follow in order to prevent throwing them off. Fortunately, Arlyn’s Ultra Precision Scales are designed with ruggedness and durability in mind.
Equipment that needs such careful attention can seldom hold up against the rigors of a real-world liquids processing facility. SAW scales have an overload specification of 200 percent of the scale’s full capacity. This has to make it one of the most durable types available on the market today. Since even the most careful plant sometimes does make mistakes and fills a container with too much fluid, this is a very important feature to have.
Climate-resistance is another area where SAW technology shines. Factories and workshops that work with liquid compounds often experience radical temperature shifts. Think about how humid a paint or lotion factory can get, and then consider for a moment how the HVAC systems in those plants often have to be set very low. This isn’t the best environment for taking precise measurements.
However, digital SAW scales always offer accurate readings regardless of climate conditions. Exact ratios must be carefully adhered to when so this is of particular importance in those industries. It’s also useful for situations where processing equipment designed to handle the liquids in question could significantly raise or lower the temperature. Technicians won’t have to worry about whether or not conditions are right before they put a container on the scale.
How to Get Precise Scales for Liquid Processing Plants
Since Arlyn Scales is a factory-direct scale manufacturer, we can work with any facility to integrate our weighing devices into whatever workflows are currently in place. Finding a weighing solution to meet specific needs was never this easy. Take the opportunity to contact us via the web today so we can get to work finding the perfect solutions for your particular use case.
