The true hero of the water treatment process is the water treatment scale. When chemicals are added to water, they are not just added randomly. They must be added in precise amounts. The people who are performing the process need to know how much chemical material they are working with. One way that they can accomplish this is by keeping the chemical tanks on platform scales.

Municipal drinking water undergoes purification to remove algae, bacteria, fungi, viruses, some minerals, as well as man-made pollutants like fertilizers. These are some of the various processes that are used to achieve this end.

Screening: This is often the first step taken in purifying water that has been gathered from the surface of the Earth (as opposed to groundwater). Basically the water is passed through a screen filter that removes large debris like sticks, leaves, and trash.

Pre-conditioning: This is a process in which sodium carbonate is added to the water in order to precipitate the calcium carbonate in the water. Both the sodium carbonate and calcium carbonate can then be removed from the water by passing it through a filter. Special water treatment scales must be used to determine the amounts of sodium carbonate.

pH Adjustment: Making sure that water has the proper pH for its intended use is very important. Water that is intended for consumption needs to have a pH of approximately 7, which is neither acidic nor alkaline. If the water is too acidic or too alkaline for consumption, then chemicals are added until the water is brought to an acceptable pH level.

Flocculation: Everybody likes to drink clear water. Flocculation makes this possible. Flocculation is a process of clarifying, or clearing up, water. In this process chemicals are added to the water that cause muddying particles to precipitate, so that they can be filtered out.

Sedimentation: When water is being treated, it is often kept moving around at fairly high speeds so that it does not grow stagnant. When water goes through the sedimentation process, it is allowed to sit in a tank where it is moved at a relatively low speed. This allows for all of precipitation to settle to the bottle of the tank.

Filtration: Water is passed through filters in order to remove any particles that may not have yet settled to the bottom. There are many different forms of filtration, including slow sand filters, lava filters, and membrane filters. Ultimately they all serve the purpose of removing unwanted particles from water. At this point, water treatment scales will weigh the materials removed, to ensure that it is free of contaminants.

Talking scales have even more range when applied to industrial uses. A counting scale for example  features precision counting ability. The “Quick Count” mode lets you easily count parts using a single push of a button. For more complex counting tasks, the menu functions give you the ability to store, and then retrieve the piece weight of as many as 450 different items. With a text to speech addition, inventory could be taken in a fraction of the time it took before as the worker would never have to look up from his task to log his numbers.

Industrial scales often face rugged and harsh conditions. A cylinder scale, for example, may have to support over 250 pounds of a tilted cylinder as liquid is being loaded or taken off the platform. A platform scale may be subject to high shock loads as forklifts loading large pallets inadvertently bump into the side of the scale. It can take every bit of a worker’s concentration to avoid this problem. A talking readout can reduce the stress of the worker, making industrial accidents less likely and the workplace safer for all.

However, one of the best uses for a text to speech option when considering workplace safety is for use with an explosive environment scale. In a case where hazardous materials are in use and the scale is built with four stainless steel load cells embedded in a welded frame for maximum shock and abuse resistance, the business of safety is serious. Workplace hazards can be minimized when the hazardous materials handler can stay completely focused on handling, without needing to watch the digital display.

The bottom line is that humans are fallible, and long series of numbers can become lost or confused when they are just received in one form. The mind often interposes numbers and human error is the main cause of bad data. All human beings learn in different ways. Some humans are auditory learners while others find a visual approach works best for them. The combination of both visual and auditory stimulation has been scientifically proven to decrease the likelihood of error. Scales with an auditory or talking feature can assist disabled workers, aid in employee cooperation and are the best bet in increasing production while eliminating error.

Aggregates are everywhere we look in the world around us. These materials, which are made up of an aggregate of different other materials, including various types of stones, clay, silt, and sand, include the asphalt that paves our roads, the concrete that is used for the foundations of our skyscrapers, or the cement that makes up the bricks of our homes. There is no single aggregate-each one is made differently for a different purpose. One aggregate that uses a certain mixture of stones, silt, and petroleum-based binding may have very different characteristics than one that uses another mixture of pebbles, clay, and a different binding. One aggregate may be more suitable for roads while another may be more suitable for sidewalks.

On any construction site, construction managers must ensure that the aggregate they are using, whether concrete or asphalt, meets the specifications necessary for the job. Therefore, at set intervals of time, the team must carry out a compositional analysis of the aggregate. The aggregate is poured into a sieve with large holes that will only block the largest pieces of stone from falling through. Following this, it is poured into sieves with consecutively smaller and smaller holes until each component of the aggregate is in its own sieve. Then, the sieves and their contents must be weighed with an electronic scale. The total percentage of each material is calculated and compared with the necessary standards.

It is necessary to measure the composition of each aggregate very accurately. This becomes particularly difficult when each component may weigh up to 100 pounds. A standard digital scale may only be able to weigh each component to .01 pounds, which is not precise enough. One scale company, Arlyn Scales, has developed ultra-precision electronic scales that use Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) technology for aggregate testing. These industrial scales are rugged enough to withstand the force of aggregate components while being able to weigh each component to .001 pounds.

It is amazing how much laundry there is. We may generally only consider the dirty clothes produced by a family, at home. But there is actually a huge amount of laundry produced institutionally and commercially. Restaurants must launder their table cloths, napkins, and kitchen and server outfits. Although hospitals use many disposable items, they still require commercial washing of their bed linens and many other items. Hotels have a daily need to wash towels, sheets, items from their food facilities, and uniforms. These needs are repeated by many other institutions, schools and companies.

The weight of the laundry must be determined. For the best levels of efficiency, washing machines should be loaded with the correct weight. If they are underfilled, more loads will be required. This causes increased costs, and increased burdens on the environment in terms of water and energy usage. If they are overfilled, the machines may be unable to properly clean the clothes. It may also damage them.

Industrial scales are useful for weighing the laundry. Often, laundry carts are used. These may be rolled onto platform scales. Arlyn Scales manufactures a line of platform scales with a very low profile platform, making it much easier to roll the carts on and off. These electronic scales are built from aluminum, so the water and detergents that are present will not cause corrosion. The load sensors are made from a special type of stainless steel, which are also resistant from water. Furthermore, this type of load cell is much more resistant to damage that can be caused by overload or shock loading. If a laundry cart hits the laundry scale from the side, standard types of electronic scales may sustain damage. An additional feature of this laundry scale is a digital readout with over size numbers. It is easy to obtain an accurate weight reading, even if the scale operator is not standing right next to the digital scale.

The weight values that are shown on the indicator of an industrial scale are of critical importance to the scale operator. A bench scale may be weighing small packages. Or a parts counting scale may be determining the number of parts in a container. Larger drum scales and platform scales may be determining the amount of liquid in a tank or dewar or drum. And large floor scales will be weighing totes, pallets and large tanks. Besides reading the weight information, the operator of the electronic scale can also perform certain control functions, such as applying a tare weight, zeroing the weight on the scale, and choosing the units of measurement, such as pounds or kilos.

While it is required and expected that all digital scales provide all of this functionality locally, it is often desired to be able to also perform all of these functions from another location. In these cases, the most common requirement is to read weight data and control the scale from a local computer. Arlyn Scales provides optional Remote Indicator software that can be operated from any Windows based computer. The electronic scale must be connected to the computer. Typically, this connection would be an industrial standard RS-232 communication line. Alternatively, the USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection may be used.

Now, the computer operator can read weight data directly on the computer screen. They can also save this data in some other computer format, including spreadsheets and databases. Furthermore, the industrial scale can also be controlled directly from the computer. If the scale must be switched from the Net mode to the Gross mode, or the weight of a container must be subtracted, this may be accomplished from the computer keyboard.

For any wheelchair bound individual, the ease of use of items within their environment is critically important. Often, patients with limited mobility may need to have their weight monitored. This may be to insure that there is no significant loss in body weight due to improper nutritional intake. Alternatively, rapid weight gain may be a sign of build up of fluids caused by different types of medical issues. Wheelchair scales are used to accurately weigh these individuals.

Some important features of this type of platform scale include a large platform size, making it easy and safe to position the wheelchair on the scale. The height of the top of the wheelchair scale should be as low as possible. This makes it easier for the patient to wheel themselves up a ramp and onto the platform, or for a care giver to push the wheelchair up. Furthermore, a very low scale platform will only require a short ramp, avoiding the need for additional space required if a longer ramp must be used for a higher scale platform. Arlyn Scales achieves extremely low wheelchair scale height by incorporating high strength stainless steel load sensors. Most other scales use other types of metal for the load cells, which must be considerably larger for the same load capability. Furthermore, Arlyn Scales embeds the load sensors directly into the frame of the scale, further lowering the overall height.

The construction of the wheelchair scale itself, and the ramp, is of welded aluminum. This provides the dual benefit of a very rugged and durable platform that is also quite light in weight. Therefore, the scale can be easily moved throughout a facility or home. It may even be stored by placing it on its edge, leaning against a wall, thereby minimizing required floor space.

Alpacas are animals that are closely related to llamas, and less closely related to camels. They originated in South America, especially in the Andes Mountains where their meat, and more importantly, the fiber from their coats was highly prized. Alpacas are raised by thousands of breeders, owners and small farmers in the United States. The animals are considered by some to be pets, by others to be a source of valuable fiber to be sheared and sold, and by others as in investment.

As with any other animal, alpacas must be carefully monitored for health. They receive a variety of dietary supplements, and when ill, must receive the proper dosage of medication. Alpacas vary significantly in size. Of course the baby animals, known as crias, are quite small. Adults may range up to 150 pounds, or even larger. When determining the correct amount of medication, it is critically important to know the weight of the animal.

Alpaca scales, such as those offered by Arlyn Scales, are designed specifically for that purpose. The scale platform is very low to the ground, making it easy for the animal to step up. For comfort, it is covered with a rubber mat. The indicator includes special software to accurately weigh an animal that will not stand still. The digital display on the alpaca scale has large, black, graphics digits, making the weight easy to see. Although the scale capacity is 500 pounds, the readability is one tenth of a pound, allowing accurate weights to be determined for even the smallest alpacas.

In addition, the alpaca scale can serve a dual purpose by using it to weigh the fiber from the sheared animals. With the excellent sensitivity provided the Arlyn Scale can accurately provide fiber weights for both statistical and marketing purposes.

All of these standard electronic scales share similar user interfaces. Generally, the weight will be shown on a digital display with numeric characters. Small indicators or legends may also be present to note the units of measurement, such as pounds or kilograms. A few buttons on the front panel perform standard functions, such as zeroing the scale, accepting a tare weight, or changing the units of measurement. In these cases, there is no need for further expense or complication in the user interface.

But there are other situations where there is a need for more complex interaction with the scale. For parts counting scales, it may be convenient to recall the piece weight of an item from memory. Control of external devices may be required, with target weights determining the type of control. The data may need to be stored for future evaluation, or immediately shown as a graph on the digital scale display. A large number of control buttons may be needed, such as an alphanumeric keypad, and alternate functions.

For these situations, and any custom weighing applications, Arlyn Scales provides an advanced color touch screen for the user interface. The large screen will show only the information required for the specific task desired, so extraneous details do not clutter the image. When the task changes, the information shown on the screen will also change. Control buttons will also appear on the screen for just those functions which are called for. Again, the buttons shown will change as the industrial scale changes its mode of operation.

The most common type of device used for this purpose is a platform scale. They are available in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from as small as 20” x 27” up to sizes of 48” x 48”. Weight capacities are usually up to 1000 lb. It is useful for the platform to have a very low profile. This makes it much easier to place product onto or remove product from the platform.

A platforms scale should be very rugged, so that it can be used in any industrial environment. Ideally, the component that actually converts weight into an electronic signal, the load cell, should be manufactured from stainless steel. This provides both ruggedness and long, trouble free life.