What to look for when buying a scale?

There are several key points that need to take into consideration before buying weighing scales, these points are below and will help guide you into buying the correct scale for your application.

• What is the maximum weight you want to weigh up to?

The maximum weight required includes any TARE weights that you may need, for instance if you have a pallet of goods that weighs 600kg and the pallet weighs 20kg then a 600kg scale is not suitable. Sometimes it is a good idea to choose the next capacity range available to future proof.

• What is the increment/division you require i.e 10g/1g/1mg?

Increments are the steps in which a scale goes through its range, for instance a scale that has a capacity of 600kg will typically have an increment size of 0.2kg (200g). The increment on most scales is set at 3,000 divisions, essentially any scale capacity is divided up into 3000 parts, therefore the increment size is normally a direct correlation with the capacity. In some instances scales can be found that have upwards of 30,000 divisions or even higher, these tend to use high quality load cells/electronics and usually command a higher selling price.

• What size scale do you require?

The capacity of the scale normally dictates the size of the weighing area on scales that are mass produced, we can manufacture scales that feature a larger weighing area but with low capacities. For a scale that weighs up to 150Kg the size would normally be upwards of 550mm x 550mm. When products are bulky they may hang over the side of the scale, in most cases this isn’t an issue, as long as the product does not touch anything else or have any part of it relieved off of the scale.

• What environment is the scale going to be placed into (wet/dry/damp/ATEX)?

This is a very important factor to take into consideration, many cheaper scales do not feature protection from ingress of water and moisture. This is probably the highest cause of scale failures. Buying a food scale that features IP rated sealing and a hygienic finish is always preferential when working within that industry or similar. Buying scales that feature a form of ingress protection will definitely save money in the long term. ATEX scales are designed for hazardous areas that have been zoned and rated as such, Zone 2 scales are typically cheaper than Zone 1 scales due to the extra protection rating, however they should never be used in a Zone 1 area.