Small digital scales are used in a wide variety of industries, ranging from food to meteorology. Two basic considerations must be made in selecting a scale for use in a particular industry: weight capacity and resolution. “Resolution” refers to the precision, or the smallest unit measurable by the scale. Generally, higher-capacity scales have lower resolutions than scales with lower capacities.

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 [+]

An industrial scale is a wonderful instrument for determining the weight of an item. Bench scales accurately weigh small items. Depending on the capacity of the digital scale, the readability of the weight can be as small as 0.0001 lb. Platform scales weigh larger packages and drums up to 1000 lb, whereas floor scales and pallet scales can accepts loads up to 20,000 lb. The accuracy of the electronic scale is dependent on the type of technology used. High quality industrial strain gage scales have an accuracy range of approximately 1/10 of 1%. If greater accuracy is required, alternate ultra precision scales, such as Arlyn Scales Surface Acoustic Wave technology can provide ten or even twenty times better accuracy. But even an industrial scale with the best accuracy obtainable will not [+]

Counting parts by hand is inefficient, inaccurate and impractical. Whereas it may be suitable to count ten pieces into a package, it becomes cumbersome and unwieldy to count twenty five, fifty or one hundred pieces by hand. It becomes downright impossible to accurately count one thousand pieces or even more by hand. Parts counting scales are an ideal tool to use for counting parts that are identical in weight. Items such as bolts, screws, nuts, rivets, washers and other fasteners would fit this criteria. Similarly, electrical contacts, connectors, resistors, diodes, and integrated circuits would also be suitable. The scale operator places a small sample of parts on the digital scale platform, and through the keyboard, enters the number of parts in the sample. The industrial scale then calculates the weight of a single part. At this point, as parts are added [+]

Counting parts by weight is an efficient means of determining inventory levels. Any item that is consistent in weight may be counted by a parts counting scale. These items can include standard industrial hardware, such as fasteners, washers and clips. Electronic devices are another perfect item to count by weight. A good parts counting scale must have two primary features. It must have enough capacity to accept the full containers of parts. And it must be sensitive enough to accurately determine the weight of just a few sample parts. These two characteristics are often mutually exclusive. As a rule, the higher the capacity of the scale, the lower the sensitivity. The accuracy of the weight of the sample parts is the largest factor in determining the accuracy of the parts counting results. As [+]