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Load Cells Maximize Weighbridge Performance

What is a weighbridge? By definition, a weighbridge, also known as a truck scale or weight scale, is a large, heavy-duty platform scale used to weigh vehicles and their cargo. They are typically found in industrial settings where large or commercial vehicles, cargo, and various materials must be weighed.

Weighbridges come in all shapes and sizes and measure the weight of various products. The heart and soul of a weighbridge is a sensor that provides the user with accurate weight data.

Traditional weighbridges often rely on mechanical components that can wear down over time, leading to slight inaccuracies. Interface load cells are incredibly precise and deliver highly accurate weight readings, even with constant use. This minimizes errors in measurements, ensuring reliable data for every weighbridge operation.

One of the most common weighbridge applications using load cells is measuring large trucks at weigh stops on highways and in transport centers. However, weighbridge load cells are used in weighing applications for railways, waste containers, supermarket scales, warehouses, test benches, heavy-duty equipment, and industrial scales.

Typical Weighbridge Use Cases

  • Compliance with weight limits: Many countries regulate transportation, including a vehicle’s maximum weight. For example, weighbridges ensure that trucks are not overloaded, which can damage roads and bridges and be dangerous.
  • Shipping costs: Weighbridges are used to weigh shipments to calculate accurate shipping costs.
  • Track inventory: Warehouses, shipyards, manufacturers, and distribution companies can use weighbridges to track their inventory by weighing incoming and outgoing goods.
  • Waste disposal: Weighbridges can weigh waste materials during landfill disposal by automating equipment to manage waste.

Our load cells support many weighbridge applications because we supply highly accurate and reliable force sensor technologies commonly used in weighing applications across all industries. We understand weighing sensors must be highly accurate and reliable to ensure precise data. Check out our weighing solutions guide to help select the right measurement device for your application.

Interface weighing solutions that make an excellent fit for weighbridge applications include:

Top Five Benefits of Precision Load Cells For Weighbridges

#1—Precision load cells offer superior accuracy to traditional mechanical weighbridge systems. This minimizes errors in weight measurements, ensuring reliable data for transactions, compliance checks, and inventory management.

#2—Reliability is vital in these applications. Interface load cells deliver consistent weight readings even with repeated use. This allows for dependable performance, which is crucial for tasks like batching or monitoring materials.

#3—Unlike mechanical systems with moving parts, precision load cells are reliable instruments that increase lifespan and reduce maintenance costs and downtime for weighbridge operations.

#4—Precision load cells offer a broader range of weight capacities. This allows a single weighbridge with these load cells to accommodate various vehicle sizes and weights, offering greater flexibility.

#5- Interface offers a range of highly durable load cells designed to withstand harsh industrial environments, ensuring long-lasting performance and reliable weight measurements.

Truck Weighbridge Solution

A customer owned a truck company and needed to record the weight of loads being carried by their trucks. They wanted a wireless weighing bridge to transmit, log, and display the results in real time. Interface suggested installing multiple WTS 1200 LowProfile™ Load Cells under a weighing bridge. When the truck drives over it, the load cells transmit the force results wirelessly to the WTS-BS-4 Industrial Base Station connected to the customer’s PC with the provided Log100 software. The WTS-LD2 Wireless Large LED Display also displayed the weight inside for the driver to see in real-time. Using this solution, the customer successfully measured, logged, and graphed the different loads their trucks carried wirelessly onto the weighbridge.

Interface has also seen applications, including the use of weighcheck load cells in machinery for bag filling, bottle filling, high-speed check weighers, multi-head packing machines, silo and tank weighing systems, and conveyor scales.

Interface is the perfect force solutions partner for weighbridge applications across industries. To learn more about these solutions for weighbridges and other weighing applications, please visit our Weighing Solutions Overview and Applications.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Aquafarming Fish Weighing

Inventory Weighing

Mining Tank Weighing

Timber Weighing and Harvesting

Load Cells for Smarter and More Efficient Weighing

Medical Bag Weighing

 

Load Cells for Smarter and More Efficient Weighing

Interface load cells are a key part of the advancements in weighing technologies. Breakthrough applications utilizing force sensing for weighing are expanding across industries. No matter the use case, weighing and scales must be trustworthy and always provide accurate information, as outlined in Accuracy Matters for Weighing and Scales.

For decades, load cells have been used for a wide range of weighing use cases. Load cells are electromechanical transducers that convert a force into an electrical signal. This electrical signal can then be amplified and processed to determine the weight of the object being weighed.

In testing or standard weighing practices, the load cell is typically mounted in a frame that supports the object being weighed. The load cell is connected to a signal conditioner, which amplifies the electrical signal from the load cell and converts it into a digital signal. The digital signal is then sent to a weighing controller, which calculates the weight of the object and displays it on a display. The weighing controller may also have additional features, such as data logging, remote monitoring, and programmable functions.

Now, Interface high accuracy load cells are found in advanced weighing applications used to define center of gravity for equipment, control inventory through weighing automation, batching, check weighing, process control and sample testing. Learn more about these applications and products in our Weighing Your Options Webinar.

Smart cities use connected force sensing trash receptacles for optimizing schedules of waste removal based on weight to reduce costs and increase efficiencies.  Innovative smart pallet force sensing helps to track products and goods at the dock to reduce expenses and increase productivity using weight as the measurement. Silo weighing for inventory management uses setpoints that are configured to automatically generate purchase orders when product levels fall below a defined weight.

Weighing sensor technologies today are more than a standard measurement device. Interface load cells can measure across a wide range of force, from 0.02 to 2,000k lbf. As the types of applications mature in capabilities, innovation, and complexity, these requirements also help to define the type of sensors that will provide precision measurement.

Our weighing sensors combined with advanced instrumentation use a variety of communication methods, including analog, digital, wireless and cloud based, to allow users to gather data in-facility or remotely. We can customize sensors to meet specifications for weighing use cases, including the design of complete weighing systems.

Advanced weighing applications often require sealed sensors with submersible features, wireless output and communications capabilities, and ease of use to design into products, machines or equipment.

Digital scales with advanced features such as data logging, connectivity options, and programmable functions have become commonplace. From bench scales to platform scales, there is a diverse way for our load cells to be implemented and available to measure diverse types of weighing applications.

Popular Interface Products Used for Weighing Applications

Load cells are an essential part of many weighing applications. They are used to measure the weight of objects in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, food processing, and logistics. Load cells provide accurate and reliable measurements, which is essential for ensuring the quality and safety of products.

WeighingSolutions_InfographicPoster

Learn more in the application note details below.

Veterinary Weighing Scales

A manufacturer wanted two weighing scales for consumers like veterinarians who want to weigh large and small animals. Interface suggested using two different solutions. For the smaller scale, Interface’s SPI Low Capacity Platform Scale Load Cell was perfect for smaller, and lighter animals. As for the larger scale, the INFRD Platform Scale with pre-installed load beams worked best. Both scales included 480 Bidirectional Weight Indicators to display the total weight of the animals being weighed. Using this solution, the veterinarian was able to weigh both large and small pets easily and accurately with both scales.

Silo Grain Weighing and Dispensing

A customer wanted to measure and record the grain being put in and out of their grain dispensing container, as it dispenses content into a carrier truck for transportation. Interface suggested a wireless solution, installing a WTS 1200 Standard Precision LowProfile™ Wireless Load Cells at the legs of the grain dispensing container. The 1200 measured the distribution correlation of the grain as it inputted and outputted from the container. Results were transmitted and displayed using the WTS-BS-1-HA Handheld Display for multiple transmitters, and logged and graphed using the WTS-BS-4 USB Industrial Base Station. With this solution, the customer was able to log and graph the measurement results of the grain content that the silo dispenses into the grain dispensing container, and when the grain is dispensed into the carrier truck.

Weighing is among the oldest use cases for load cells in the world and Interface has been there nearly every step of the way, growing alongside our customers and developing new innovations to perfect accuracy, reliability and durability. To learn more about our sensor solutions for weighing application, please visit https://www.interfaceforce.com/solutions/weighing-solutions/.

Interface Weighing Solutions and Complete Systems

Sensors are commonly used for weighing applications throughout the product life cycle, from R&D to distribution. Sensors are used for weighing individual parts or components, inside equipment and machines for measuring weight during assembly and production, weighing ingredients, and weighing final products during distribution and transportation. Interface provides a range of weighing solutions for these use cases, including individual measurement devices, instrumentation, and complete systems to manage large and small projects.

Interface supplies highly accurate and reliable load cells and sensor technologies for weighing and scale solutions, including complete weighing systems. Weighing and scales must be dependable and always provide correct data. That is why Interface’s precision sensors and instrumentation are preferred for weighing systems. To outline our breadth of this product line including complete systems, we recently introduced a new Weighing Solutions Overview.

Interface Weighing Solution Products

Interface offers weighing solutions that are standard products and engineered to order for weighing use cases. This includes our 2023 Weighing Review Award nominated A4200 Weighcheck Load Cells.

A4200 and A4600 WeighCheck™ Load CellsInterface A4600 WeighCheck™ Load Cells in stainless steel and A4200 WeighCheck Load Cells, which is zinc plated, are both high accuracy force measurement weighing solutions. Manufactured and designed by Interface engineers, these exclusive Interface products are specifically designed for tank weighing, where it is necessary to accommodate expansion and contraction of the tank. Interface has expanded with new model options that include signal conditioning features, including customized IO-Link Digital and 3-Wire options. The newly introduced customized A4200 and A4600 3-Wire Amplified Load Cells provide an internally amplified low profile load cell with a voltage or mA signal. This option eliminates the need for an external signal conditioner and comes scaled to the load cell and ready to use.

Standard A4600 and A4200 WeighCheck Load Cell features include:

  • Capacity ranges from 2.5K to 50K lbf (11.1 to 222 kN)
  • High output – 4 mV/V
  • Self-centering in all directions
  • High safe side load – to 400%
  • Standardized output – ±0.1%
  • Zinc plated (A4200) or stainless steel (A4600)
  • Factory assembled for easy field installation
  • Static, dynamic and in-motion capabilities
  • Low height – 4.0 in (101.6 mm) for 2.5K, 5K, 10K (11.1, 22.2, 44.5 kN); 5.0 in (127 mm) for 25K, 50K lbf (111, 222 kN)

Interface offers fully engineered to order and custom options to our WeighCheck load cell models that include our new A4200 and A4600 IO-Link Digital Load Cells with an industry stand M12 connector. IO-Link, a communication protocol used in industrial automation applications to connect sensors and actuators to control systems has multiple benefits. These include increased flexibility, enhanced diagnostics, simplified wiring, improved efficiency, and lower costs.

Engineering Insights to Build Complete Weighing Systems

Interface’s weighing solutions include single and multiple sensor systems, depending on the exact application requirements. Important for this type of test and measurement, we have wired and wireless sensors, data acquisition systems, weight indicators, displays, and transmitters, software solutions and accessories. A review of many of these products and applications are detailed in our popular recorded Weighing Your Options Webinar.

When helping to build customized full weighing system solutions, there is additional configuration and engineering work that goes into delivering the system. One of the most important aspects of building a system is load cell trimming. Excitation trimming the old way adds resistance to the excitation. The system load cell with the lowest output receives the full excitation voltage, while the other system load cells receive proportionately smaller excitation voltages. This creates matched outputs for all load cells in the system.

Signal trimming is the most common and popular type of trimming because it is the easiest to use. It involves adding a relatively high parallel resistance between the signal of each load cell, which creates a leakage path that diverts some of the available load cell signal away from the indicator. More load cell signal will be available to the indicator as parallel resistance increases.

Weighing Applications

 

Crude Oil Weighing

Hospital Bed Weighing

Inventive Agriculture Monitoring and Weighing Solutions

IoT Waste Management Container Weighing App Note

Snack Weighing and Packaging Machine

Ice Machine Weighing

Veterinary Weighing Scales

Weighing Your Options Webinar Recap

Interface Weighing Solutions Overview

Weighing Solutions Brochure

 

Quality Engineers Require Accurate Force Measurement Solutions

In engineering and manufacturing, when introducing a product onto the market the requirements and regulations can be immense. Each industry has strict guidelines to ensure safety, durability, quality, and overall customer satisfaction. To meet these requirements, most product and component maker will have experienced quality engineers to help meet the necessary requirements in production.

Quality Engineers work in a variety of industries including automotive, transportation, infrastructure, aerospace and defense, industrial automation, medical and healthcare devices, and consumer product manufacturing. Their role is to monitor, test, and report on the quality. They are also instrumental in strategy, process development, and increasing output. Depending on the position, they are responsible for inspecting and testing raw materials, components, mechanical systems, hardware and software, as well as final products.

The Quality Engineer works with manufacturers, developers, project managers. Commonly, they are aligned with quality assurance and quality control teams to develop processes, test procedures and implement systems that ensure manufactured products and fabrication processes meet quality standards, safety regulations, and satisfy all stakeholders. They are the safeguard for companies that are creating, building and distributing products and materials.

Accuracy of testing and measurement data is fundamental to quality engineers. Critical to quality assurance and control processes, quality engineers rely heavily on all types of Interface high-accuracy load cells, weighing systems, and instrumentation for force measurement quality systems. Manufacturing quality engineers rely on products from Interface to test both products and equipment on a manufacturing line to ensure they perform reliably and meet certain safety standards.

Force measurement systems also make role of a quality engineer easier through the use of accurate data. This is because force measurement often enables automated, real-time monitoring of many processes used in the making of things. Interface precision load cells are used to monitor assembly line machine processes, test and monitor automation equipment like robotics, and weighcheck systems, and ruggedized equipment for quality control onsite and in remote locations.

Included below are a few examples of how force measurement systems are used in quality engineering.

Medical Device Interventional Guidewire Quality Inspection

A medical device manufacturer needs to do quality checks on threaded ends of their interventional guidewire devices. The threaded end of the guidewire contains an extremely small 000-120 thread that needs to be tested with go and no-go gauges in order to see if it will mate with other critical subassemblies. They requested a custom made turnkey test stand that is both inexpensive and flexible for varying lengths and models of guidewires.  Interface suggests a system where the customer can axially load and insert the guidewire through the MRT Miniature Flange Style Reaction Torque Transducer, secure it, and use an automated stepper motor on a slide base to test the thread quality. When in use, the MRT measures the torque magnitudes of both no-go and go gauges which indicate quality of the threaded guidewire.

Snack Weighing and Packaging Machine Quality Monitoring

One aspect of quality in the consumer packaged goods space is ensuring equal distributions of individually wrapped snack bags such as chips or candy. When snack manufacturing brand wanted to weigh the amount of their snacks that is automatically dispersed into the bags during the packaging process, Interface offered a solution. We suggested multiple SPI Platform Scale Load Cells, and installed them to the potato multi-head weigher and packaging machine. The SPI Platform Scale Load cells were installed inside of the mount that attaches the head weigher to the packaging machine. Force results from the potato chips were read by the load cells and sent to the ISG Isolated DIN Rail Mount Signal Conditioner, where the customer is able to control the automated production from their command center. The customer was able to determine the weight of the potato chips being distributed into their bags with highly accurate results. They also were able to control the automated production process with the provided instrumentation. They will use this same weighing method for other snacks that need to be packaged utilizing this machine.

Vehicle Crash Test Load Cell Wall Quality Inspection

A facility wanted to do crash tests on their vehicles for quality inspection. There are multiple tests such as structural testing of the vehicle, developmental tests, and regulatory and compliance tests and they needed to measure the force of the vehicle crash tests, on all axes. Interface’ suggested using multiple 3A400 3-Axis Force Load Cells, and attach it to the back of a cement crash wall. When connected to the BX8-HD44 Interface BlueDAQ Series Data Acquisition System, force result measurements will be recorded and displayed with the customer’s PC or laptop. The customer was able to measure the force of impact for all of their different vehicle crash testing demonstrations.

The applications of force measurements for quality engineers are large, and the necessity of obtaining this data is critical to creating, safe, reliable and high-quality products.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Interface Solutions for Material Testing Engineers

Why Civil Engineers Prefer Interface Products

Why Product Design Engineers Choose Interface

The Five Critical Factors of Load Cell Quality

Our Reputation is Defined by Our Industry-Leading Quality

Interface Solutions for Research and Development

Weighing Sensor Applications and Innovative Use Cases

The advancements in sensor technologies have expanded the capabilities of how accurate data can improve performance of weighing equipment, tools, machines, components, and products. Design and manufacturing engineers are using precision weight measurements today with higher frequency to improve durability, usability, and reliability.

What has changed in the last decade that has spurred this high demand for weighing sensor technologies? Primarily it is related to the capabilities and features. This includes the ruggedization of load cell form factors to withstand harsh conditions, wireless capabilities to transmit and analyze data for continuous monitoring, smaller sensors like load buttons, ease of use and installation, and submersible options. There is also a growing requirement to design weighing sensors into a product to activate components for real-time user feedback and ensure safety.

Examples of how sensors in weighing applications are supporting innovation are abundant. Manufacturers utilize weight in design, build and supply. Defined weight is used in most product specifications, which requires precise accuracy in measurement. Utilizing precision force sensing solutions and instrumentation allows product engineers and manufacturers of all types to collect data in real time. IoT enabled weighing and scale solutions are frequently used in the modernization of products and industrial automation.

Interface supplies highly accurate and reliable load cells and sensor technologies for weighing and scale solutions. Industry use cases range from medical bag weighing to ice machine weighing. Weighing and scales must be dependable and always provide correct data. Precision sensors are a critical part of this requirement.

Common Weighing Use Cases for Advanced Sensor Technologies

  • Center of gravity testing
  • Inventory management and control
  • Batching and packaging
  • Check weighing
  • Process control
  • Sample testing and material testing
  • Equipment safety monitoring
  • Transportation technologies
  • All types of scales

The abilities to use precision weighing sensor devices in the form of load pins, load shackles, tension links, load beams, miniature load cells, and wireless load cells continues to expand the boundaries beyond what has been known as test and measurement. Facilities and cities use connected force sensing trash receptacles for optimizing schedules of waste management companies to reduce costs and increase efficiencies.  Innovative smart pallet force sensing helps to track products and goods at the dock to reduce expenses and increase productivity. Silo weighing for inventory management. Setpoints are configured to automatically generate purchase orders when product levels fall below a defined threshold.

Additional applications recently featured in Weighing Your Options Webinar demonstrate how Interface weighing solutions support breakthrough use cases and inventive new products. Here are a few examples of these weighing applications.

Tank Weighing and Center of Gravity Using Weighcheck Load Cells

Interface’s customer needs to monitor the amount of material in a tank by weight and locate the center of gravity. The proposed solution is to use Interface’s A4200 Zinc Plated or A4600 Stainless Steel Weighcheck Load Cells, along with Interface instrumentation 1280 Programmable Weight Indicator and Controller. Interface provided a solution that monitors the amount of material by weight in their tank while locating the center of gravity. Watch as Ken Bishop demonstrates the A4200 and A4600 weighcheck load cells  https://youtu.be/G6NA84I73Zo .

Produce Weighing Using Platform Scale Load Cells

A customer owns and operates a fruit packaging plant. They want to weigh the bins full of fruit that are loaded onto conveyor belts that transfer the fruit to other steps of the distribution process. Interface suggests installing SPI Low Capacity Platform Scale Load Cells, along with WTS-AM-1E Wireless Strain Bridge Transmitter Modules, in the center of the platforms the bins of fruit are loaded on. The WTS-AM-1E’s wirelessly transmit the data collected from the SPI’s to the WTS-BS-1-HA Wireless Handheld Display for multiple transmitters, and the WTS-BS-6 Wireless Telemetry Dongle Base Station when connected to a computer. Results can be graphed, logged, and seen during operation using this system.

Livestock Weighing System Use Sealed Beam Load Cells

A rancher wants to accurately weigh their cows for multiple reasons. They want to make sure their cows are at a healthy weight and want to maintain their weight. But they also want to know the optimal time for breeding based on the weight of their livestock. Interface’s solution is to bolt four SSB Sealed Beam Load Cells at the bottom of a metal platform, that is placed on the inside of the customer’s cattle cage. Once the cow has walked onto the plate, the SSB Sealed Beam Load Cells will measure the force pressure applied. With all four connected to JB104SS Junction Box, which is then connected to the 480 Bidirectional Weight Indicator combined accurate weight results for real-time display.

Crane Weighing Verification Using Wireless Tension Link Load Cells

A customer wants to verify that their crane is strong enough to safely lift a heavy load, at its rated maximum load capacity. A wireless solution helps to avoid long cables and for faster installation time. Interface WTSLTL Lightweight Wireless Tension Link Load Cells can measure the load’s maximum capacity. The WTS-RM1 Wireless Relay Output Receiver Modules also can trigger an alarm that can be set when the maximum capacity of weight/force has been reached. The data is transmitted and can be reviewed with the WTS-BS-1-HS Wireless Handheld Display.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Cranes and Lifting

Garbage Truck On-Board Weighing

CPG Snack Weighing and Packaging Machine

Weighing Your Options Webinar Recap

CPG Veterinary Weighing Scales

CPG Water Bottle Dispensing and Weighing

CPG Water Bottle Dispensing and Weighing App Note

 

 

Weighing Your Options Webinar Recap

Most often the subject of weighing is a reference to scales. Although most of the world knows Interfaced for our expertise in test and measurement, aerospace, automotive, energy, and medical industries, we know our way around all kinds of weighing applications and scales.

In fact, load cells are truly the heart of every scale system and make modern use cases for highly accurate weight data possible. At Interface, we design, manufacture, and guarantee the highest performing load cells in the world.

In our online seminar, Weighing Your Options, Keith Skidmore, and Jeff White detail Interface products used for weighing, along with engineering tips, applications, and frequently asked questions.

How have sensors historically been used for weighing and lifting? The most common uses are in weigh modules, floor, and bench scales, along with truck and rail transport weighcheck systems. Interface’s involvement in providing measurement solutions have traditionally focused on test and measurement applications, sensors for machines and rigs, as well as use in weighing components. Trends are moving to complete weighing solutions.

Sensors are used throughout the product life cycle, from R&D to distribution, including

  • Weighing individual parts or components
  • Equipment and machines that measure weight during assembly and production
  • Weighing ingredients in food and chemical processes
  • Weighing products during distribution
  • Weighing before and during transportation

Interface load cells can measure across a wide range of force, from 0.02 to 2,000k lbf.  Interface products used in weighing applications are diverse in design, including:

Our weighing sensors combined with available instrumentation use a variety of communication methods, including analog, digital, wireless and cloud based, to allow users to gather data in-facility or remotely. Junction boxes such as our JB1100 4-Channel Advanced Signal Conditioning Transmitter Indicator and Junction Box are frequently used for weighing systems. We can also customize sensors to meet specifications for weighing use cases.

Most Common Types of Instrumentation Used for Weighing

  • Analog Signal Conditioners
  • Digital Signal Conditioners
  • Active Junction Boxes
  • Digital Displays
  • Programmable Weight Controllers
  • Data Acquisition Systems
  • Wireless and Specialty Devices

Interface has also introduced several weigh system modules, like the WSSCLC-Mount Weighing Assembly. It is a stainless-steel construction and available in three sizes. It incorporates a safety retainer to prevent accidental vessel lifting or sliding. When used with Model WSSCLC Load Cell, the system is IP68 rated and good for rugged applications.

The place to start with any new weighing application is what do you need to weigh by and what is the smallest increasing increment? Interface application engineers can help you choose the correct equipment, including the load cell, weigh module, instrumentation, and any accessories. They will review the requirements such as live load, dead load, number of supports, washdown, weighing materials, temperature and temperature swings, hazardous environment and exposure, type of vessel, measurements of compression or tension, mixers or shakers attachments, rigid conduit, or piping and even shock loading issues.

Watch the complete online seminar to learn more about weighing systems used for tank and hoppers, conveyor belts, industrial equipment, continuous weighing and automation features for alarms and safety requirements. We detail do’s and don’ts along with frequently asked questions.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Accuracy Matters for Weighing and Scales

Livestock Weighing System Application Note

Fruit Weighing

INF4-EtherCat Two, Three, and Four Sensor Weight Transmitter and Indicator

CPG Water Bottle Dispensing and Weighing

New Interface Case Study Exams Weighing and Scales

CPG Veterinary Weighing Scales

 

 

Weighing Your Options Webinar

Interface force measurement experts detail solutions used for all types of weighing and lifting applications. We discuss sensor models, capabilities, features and tips using various load cells, load pins, shackles, tension links, weighcheck systems and instrumentation. Learn about use cases, FAQs, measurement applications, options for harsh environments and OEM products. If you are exploring quality measurement solutions that provide high accuracy and reliability for scales, cranes, lifting equipment or tools, join us.