Lauded for their portability and the variety of their practical purposes, small electric scales are steadily growing in popularity. Small electric scales are often battery powered, have an assortment of possible applications and are essential for the livelihood of many people. They can and are being used today in the home, in schools, and in the workplace. Small electric scales are widely available for purchase by the average consumer in brick and mortar stores as well from online retailers. Small electric scales can be found in a great number of modern homes, and are not necessarily being used in the way that most people may first guess. Today people are using scales for more than tracking how much they weigh. Although bathroom scales that measure in pounds are [+]

Many different kinds of industrial measurement devices are used to obtain information that is used during an industrial process. This may be an electronic thermometer to keep track of temperatures while mixing chemicals. Or a flowmeter to measure the amount of liquid that has been dispensed. Or a pressure transducer to keep track of pressure inside a tank or cylinder. Or calipers or micrometers to carefully measure distance. Almost without exception, there is a standard trade off in choosing the best device. Greater accuracy means a higher cost. Less expensive tools are less expensive. This has also been true with industrial scales. For the same class and size of device, the more accurate scales are more expensive. Digital scales manufacturers have had a choice of two prevalent technologies. The most common has been industrial scales that use one or more strain [+]

Many industrial weighing applications are very simple and straightforward. A bench scale can be used to weight packages for shipping. A platform scale, pallet scale or floor scale can weigh larger items, while a drum scale will weigh cylinders, tanks, pails and drums. The industrial scale operator may be directly at the scale, and may only be interested in the weight shown on the display. 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 [+]

The postal system handles millions of pieces of mail each day. Many of these items are single pieces of correspondence, such as bills, checks, photos and personal letters. But a very significant number are associated with promoting or advertising products or events or organizations. Most often, the exact same promotional material is sent to hundreds, thousands or even tens of thousands of recipients. The US post office offers special postal rates for these mailings. Generally, the sending organization is responsible for sorting the mail in a manner that minimizes the efforts required by the postal system. It must also be labeled, and often coded in pre-determined ways. A primary requirement is that the number of pieces be very accurately known since the post office charges for each piece sent. The weight of an individual item must be determined, the total weight [+]