UniFide CST carries a wide range of industrial scale types. One category is our in-motion weighing systems, which includes conveyor scales. We break down the essentials of conveyor scales — including what they are, how they work, and the benefits of integrating one into your operation — so you can decide if it’s time to upgrade your workflow.
What Is a Conveyor Scale?
A conveyor scale, also known as a belt scale or a conveyor belt scale, measures the weight of items as they move along a conveyor belt. These scales are crucial for operations requiring precise bulk material measurements for billing, inventory control, or process management.
How Does a Conveyor Belt Scale Work?
Conveyor scales are installed directly on the belt conveyor, allowing the scale to measure the load while it is in motion and ensuring continuous material weighing. A conveyor scale typically has a weighbridge structure with one or more load cells and a speed sensor.
As items move along the conveyor belt, the load cells, which are responsible for measuring the weight, and the speed sensor, which collects speed and distance data, work in tandem. The load cells measure the weight of the material, while the speed sensor collects data on the speed and distance the material travels. The scale system uses this information to calculate the rate of material flow (e.g., kilograms per minute) and the total amount of material transported over a period. The calculated data is then displayed on a monitor.
Benefits of Conveyor Scales
By continuously measuring the amount and rate of material flow, a weighing conveyor ensures efficient and controlled operations across various industrial environments, especially those with high volumes. Some ways conveyor scales may benefit your business include:
Increased Efficiency
Conveyor scales allow for the continuous weighing of materials without the need for interruption or manual handling. Your employees don’t have to take items out of the production line, transport them to a scale for weighing, log the weight, and bring them back to the conveyor belt. Instead, all the weighing is done on the belt, streamlining operations and saving time.
Better Product Quality Control
Scale conveyor belts can help you catch potential quality control problems in manufacturing environments. By continuously weighing products on the production line, conveyor scales can immediately identify items outside specified weight ranges. The wrong weight can indicate problems like missing components, overfills, or underfills, letting you know you should further inspect the load.
Accurate Billing
Since conveyor scales provide precise measurements of transported materials, you can feel confident about accurate billing for shipped or received goods. This information and billing can also help you maintain more accurate inventory records.
Process Optimization
A conveyor scale can make your operational processes more efficient, effective, and adaptable. Real-time, immediate data allows operators and managers to make on-the-spot adjustments to processes, such as regulating the speed of the conveyor belt, adjusting raw material input, or modifying operational settings on machinery to ensure optimal production rates and quality.
The weighing data can also help you better understand your production capacity and limitations. You’ll be empowered to make more informed decisions about scaling operations up or down based on demand and resource availability.
Reduced Costs
The efficiency and accuracy of conveyor scales can help you save big on operational costs. For starters, conveyor scales ensure the right amount of material is used in production processes, reducing costs associated with the overuse of raw materials. Plus, conveyor scales help catch errors in product weight. You have the chance to reject or rework poor-quality products, meaning fewer resources are spent correcting mistakes, which leads to cost savings.
Continuous and automatic weighing also saves on labor since it reduces the need for manual checks and interventions. Not to mention, conveyor scales help with regulatory compliance. Ensuring compliance can help you avoid costly legal or regulatory penalties.
Upgrade Your Operation with an In-Motion Scale from UniFide CST
Ready to level up your operation? UniFide CST has you covered with quality, durable in-motion weighing scales for your conveyor belts. Our in-motion scales are designed to provide accurate and reliable measurements, ensuring efficient and controlled operations. Reach out to our team to learn more about our product offerings, including rentals and used scales.