Supply LinesWeighing Your Options
by Tina Grady Barbaccia, Senior Editor Loadrite
The company identifies key benefits of the Pit Boss as the following: determines the blast efficiency; maximizes haul truck payloads; improves loader productivity; verifies haul truck capacity to ensure they are not overloaded; enables inventory control, beginning at the pit; maximizes loader/truck working hours; and provides pre-configured reports. Schenck Process
Hirschmann Automation and Control Hirschmann Automation and Control (PAT) has added the iFLEX2 mobile controller to its product portfolio. The programmable logic controller is specially designed for use in harsh environments. Using integrated CANopen interfaces, it can be networked with other iFLEX2 systems or other controls and extended with intelligent sensors and actuators to build a distributed network, making it suitable for load moment indication and for a number of control tasks for cranes and construction machines. The mobile controller is an IP65 system that is designed for a temperature range of -30 to 75 degrees Celsius and offers a very high EMC and vibration resistance, according to the manufacturer. The information from conventional sensors and actuators can be processed by digital and analog inputs/outputs. Because the inputs/outputs are individually configurable, they can be adapted to the respective application purpose. Proportional valves can be operated without additional amplifiers via PWM outputs with internal current measurement. In addition to the standard CANopen interfaces, the controller also offers the possibility of transmitting motor data in accordance with SAE J 1939. Cardinal Scale
With the company’s new model SST all-stainless steel hydraulic load cells, no power is required within the scale itself, which reduces maintenance costs associated with standard electronic load cell systems. Additional scale protection is accomplished through the control box, which converts the pressure signal from the hydraulic load cell to a standard electronic signal providing reliable weight even in the most hostile conditions, according to the manufacturer. With built-in immunity to weather and harsh conditions, the scale is ideal for harsh conditions such as an aggregates operation, the company says. Apollo
Thayer Scale-Hyer Industries The single idler Quarry King Conveyor Belt Scale from Thayer Scale-Hyer Industries has been designed for rugged outdoor conveyor weighing of dusty fines and aggregate materials. The scale’s rugged construction and spill-proof/jam-proof suspension design are the most valuable attributes, according to the manufacturer. It also complements the company’s Rocking Flexure fulcrums with a new pipestem single-idler suspension system, which incorporates built-in storage for its calibration weight. No test chains are required. Applications included troughed belt conveyors up 18- to 48-inch widths at operating speeds up to 600 fpm and inclines up to 18 degrees. Avery Weigh-Tronix
All models feature an integrated radio (RF) socket that allows wireless communications over thousands of feet using standard 900 MHz technology. Users simply plug the optional RF module inside the remote and connect a base transceiver to the indicator or PC. The remote displays, when integrated with a variety of industrial weighing equipment, work in several applications including the following: truck scales, rail scales, batching systems, tank scales, and floor scales. The displays come with a two-year limited factory warranty. BMG Seltec
Siemens
Rice Lake Weighing Systems
According to the manufacturer, the software is ideal for new or retrofit applications and is a progressive, networked solution for any multi-cell scale system. By combining load cell matching and scale calibration, the software provides diagnostic information for load cells, weighing errors, and system functionality. Advanced Weighing Systems The Remote Scale Appliance from Advanced Weighing Systems provides data collections at a remote location, allowing a truck operator to remain inside the truck while the transaction is taking place. All system components — including the controller, printer, and optional modem — are housed in a weatherproof enclosure. The system has an optional solar and cell phone data transfer capability and allows drivers to conduct a transaction at a remote site while letting the main office download data back to the main computer. Other options include video surveillance, badge or radio frequency ID reader, wireless serial communication, traffic light and gates/gate controls, pole assembly for mounting, intercom system, and remote display. Fairbanks Scales Fairbanks Scale’s Intalogix Technology comes as a standard feature on its line of Titan Steel Deck truck scales. The technology uses a digital signal that is more than 1 million times stronger than conventional signals, according to the manufacturer. The system was designed to eliminate voltage spikes and surges from lightning strikes, which is accomplished by optically isolating each load cell and electrically isolating the scale instrument from the scale platform. All of the scales in this line use rocker column load cells as the load-receiving elements. The load cells are also hermetically sealed with glass-to-metal welds, which create a seal impervious to moisture intrusion. Completely constructed out of stainless steel, the load cell has a rated capacity of 100,000 pounds with a 300-percent ultimate overload protection factor. Interface Logic Systems Inc. Interface Logic Systems Inc. (ILS) specializes in automated scale management systems to allow unattended scale operation. The company’s Remote Data Terminals (RDT) permit weighing when scale operators are not present. The weather-resistant enclosure features an infrared bar code scanner, numeric keypad, and liquid crystal display, which is designed for installation adjacent to the scales — allowing drives to remain in their vehicles. The terminals are suitable for outdoor installation in most climates and industrial environments. The company also offers a radio-frequency tag reader that automatically captures the identity of any equipment with a radio frequency identification tag. When used in conjunction with an RDT, drivers can be prompted to enter any variable data required to process the transaction. TruckWeight TruckWeight Inc. is now offering the Smart Scale wireless scale for commercial vehicles as an installed option on Benson International trailers, which are designed for flatdeck loads, construction material, and other weight-sensitive trucking applications. The scale also is available for sale and aftermarket installation through Benson dealers. The product measures temperature and pressure changes in a vehicle’s air suspension and wirelessly relays this data to a handheld receiver using a low-powered radio transmitter, resulting in an axle weight and gross vehicle weight measurement that’s within 0.3 percent of the actual gross vehicle weight. The wireless reader has a range of 500 feet line-of-sight. The scale’s waterproof, weatherproof, shock-resistant, and non-corrosive housing requires no regular maintenance. The sensors are accurate in temperature extremes ranging from -40 to 70 degrees C (-40 to 158 degrees F) and use common AA batteries. Loup Electronics The Advanced AxLog Alpha Truck Scale Overload Warning System from Loup Electronics features audible alarms, and an optional light bar shows load progress at 50, 75, 100, and 110 percent based on gross vehicle weight. The system is designed for use on trucks with air or spring suspensions and may be used with multi-axle applications. The system’s internal memory can also store weight totals. Vulcan On-Board Scales
Mettler Toledo Mettler Toledo’s IND56D industrial weighing terminal features conventional strain gauge or high-precision electromagnetic force restoration weighing technologies, PLC or PC communication interfaces, and digital I/O control. Measurement or control applications may be enhanced with a faster A/D conversion rate of 366 Hz, digital filtering technology, and an I/O bus update rate of 50 Hz. The system configures standard filling sequences with a graphic system that prompts operators for action and reduces errors, according to the manufacturer. Direct PLC connectivity is available with several protocols, and interfaces are also available for serial data through RS-232/422/485 and Ethernet TCP/IP networking. Alliance Truck Scale The Alliance Truck Scale from Alliance Scale is an above-the-ground scale that features a new controller that automatically takes the driver through every step of the weighing process. The scale features a modular Survivor EZ Steel Deck from Rice Lake and the company’s ATS-2 unattended scale controller. Incorporating up to 12 load cells, the scale permits the setting of parameters for load weight validation and employs iQUBE self-diagnostics. Providing a 2-65 deflection factor, the scale is constructed with 3/16-inch plate, supported by 12-inch H beams for optimum rigidity, and offered in lengths from 10 to 117 feet by 10 to 14 feet wide. The ATS-2 controller automates all operations including, weighing, invoicing, and account management.
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Loadrite North America has released
its Pit Boss, a customized solution that provides
productivity information and reports for pit operations. The
product combines the power and ease of use of the company’s
scales, with productivity reporting software, according to
Loadrite. It provides aggregates operations with information
such as shot effectiveness and tonnage per hour straight
from the pit, allowing pit operations to be streamlined. The
Pit Boss includes a scale with a customized user interface
and the company’s latest version of the Material Management
System (MMS) software, which allows the blast efficiency,
pit productivity, and cycle times to be reported.
The BEMP Belt Scale from Schenck
Process precisely weighs continuous flow rates of sand,
gravel, and crushed stone in processing plants outputting up
to 15,000 tons per hour, according to the manufacturer. The
measuring system for dry bulk-solid materials is offered for
single and multiple idlers. Measuring accuracies are ± 1
percent of totalized weight. Each unit is designed with
NTEP-approved single-point load cells, integrator, and
configured for use with 18- to 60-inch wide CEMA idlers. The
measuring system is packaged in a NEMA 4 enclosure and
features two-line alphanumeric display, three internal
totalizers, and a menu-driven interface for programming,
calibration, and operation. 
The Guardian Hydraulic Truck Scale
from
The Zeus truck scale from Apollo
Scales Ltd. was the first truck scale in the United States
to have an NTEP Certificate of Conformance with a
100,000-pound dual-axle rating carrying a 200,000-pound
total capacity, according to the manufacturer. The scale
uses 117-pound-foot W24 wide-flange beams and the company’s
patented swing-and-roll mounts, which eliminate mechanical
weighing errors. The company offers a 10-year weighbridge
warranty. In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the
scale, the Zeus 70- by 11-foot truck scale will remain on
sale throughout 2007.
Avery Weigh-Tronix, Inc. introduces
its XR Series Remote Displays, which provide bright, clear
characters for remote viewing of scale information. The XR
Series offers the largest LED digits available industry wide
— 2, 4.5, and 6.5 inches — and the brightest for easy
viewing indoors or outdoors and in direct sunlight,
according to the manufacturer. The series offers
high-performance optical LEDs and a non-glare filtered lens
for clear visibility in all lighting conditions and at long
distances, up to 325 feet depending on the model. A built-in
photo sensor automatically adjusts display intensity to
select between eight brightness levels for day and night
operation. The XR Series’ Auto-Learn technology
automatically interprets the communication format and data
stream of virtually any instrument for plug-and-play
operation. 
The VIRTUi software from
