Factors Contributing to Common Scale Malfunctions in Calgary

Your Lethbridge or Red Deer company’s scales and weighing systems are an important part of making sure that your business runs smoothly and that all trade is conducted fairly. At Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd., a trusted distributor of scales in Alberta, we’ve seen time and again the factors that cause scales to stop working as they should.

To ensure that your scales in Lethbridge, Red Deer, and throughout Alberta are working properly, it is important to be aware of the leading causes of common scale malfunctions:

– Mechanical Factors

Scales often malfunction because of issues with the mechanical components of the scale’s load cells. For example, if the load cells’ curve significantly deviates from a straight line, then you will receive inaccurate readings. Malfunctioning load cells can also cause an effect known as “creep,” which is when the load cells indicate a change in output after a load has been left on the scale for a period of time.

– Load Factors

Rather than issues with the scale itself, how the load is applied to the weighing system can also cause inaccurate readings. A load that is improperly aligned will not be picked up accurately by the load cells, and neither will a load that is not entirely supported by the load cells. It is also very important to make sure that the floor under the scale can support both the scale and the load.

– Environmental Factors

It is possible for scales in Lethbridge and Red Deer to display inaccurate readings because of factors in the surrounding environment. Wind and air movement, even in indoor facilities, can exert enough force on a load to alter the weight reading. Temperature changes are also important to consider, especially if they occur during the weighing cycle, because they can cause the load cells to expand or contract. Even vibrations from nearby heavy equipment can be read by the scale as additional force.

– Electrical Factors

Electrical signals are an important component of a weighing system, as they are sent from the load cells to the weight controller, which then displays the weight results. If something interferes with this signal along the way, then the resulting output will be inaccurate. Excess moisture, large temperature changes, electromechanical interference, and radio frequency interference can all result in disturbances to the electrical signal.

Keep Your Alberta Scales Working Properly with Accurate/Western Co. Ltd in Alberta
It is crucial to make sure that your scales in Red Deer, Lethbridge, and throughout Alberta meet all Measurement Canada requirements. Your company’s reputation and success relies in large part on how accurately you provide your products to consumers and clients.

Are you worried that your scales may be malfunctioning? The Lethbridge and Red Deer scales technicians at Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. offer a variety of services for scales in Alberta that can help ensure your weighing equipment is properly installed and properly maintained.

If you need repair services, scale certifications, or to schedule regular maintenance for your weighing equipment, then you can get started by getting in touch with Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. today.

How Are Scales Certified in Calgary and All Over Canada?

If your business and livelihood rely on any form of weight and measure, then you want to ensure that the equipment you use to do that weighing and measuring is accurate otherwise you’re leaving profit on the table or setting yourself up for a major financial loss – neither of which are desirable. To ensure a scale is accurate it requires routine calibration or to be calibrated, the oversight of which is managed by Measurement Canada.

Measurement Canada’s overall objective is to promote fairness in the marketplace by creating a level and fair playing field on which everyone plays by the same rules. Some of the strategies used by Measurement Canada to create this equality include defining units of measurements; maintaining standards of measurement; the approval of trade devices; the making and administering of regulations that govern the installation, use, and performance of trade devices like scales; developing specifications for trade devices; and finally, conducting inspections on trade devices and commodities. Certification Process for Scales and Weighing Equipment
According to Measurement Canada, the Weights and Measures Act (Section 8) states that “any (weighing) device for use in trade must have been approved for its class, type or design and have been inspected by an inspector who has certified that the device meets the requirements of this Act and the regulations. The inspector who inspects the device shall issue a Device Inspection Certificate to the owner or person in possession of the device, showing whether the device meets the requirements of this Act and the regulations, mark the device and attach seals, if any to prevent the making of adjustments to the device.” This certification is required by Measurement Canada each time a scale is moved or installed. This includes requiring the scale owner to provide the following information to nearest Measurement Canada office within five days of the installation:

  • Name and address of the Contractor;

  • Make, model and serial number of the device(s);

  • Capacity of the device, and

  • Address and description of the place where the device is installed.

Alberta Transportation also specifies that before a scale is used the Contractor is to complete an accuracy test and inspection in the presence of the Consultant. Those results are to be provided to the Consultant who forwards a copy of the results to the Alberta Transportation Project Administrator.

Contact Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd.: A Measurement Canada Accredited Company
Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. is Measurement Canada Accredited, which enables us to be authorized scale inspectors; we are able to perform inspections and certify specified legal for trade devices on behalf of Measurement Canada under the Weights & Measures Act. For purchases, maintenance like calibration with the latest electronic testing equipment, or questions about your industrial and professional scales needs call us at 403-250-3232 today.

How accurate are digital scales?

Weights and measures have been the backbone of our economy going back to ancient times. The most ancient relics of a weighing scale have been discovered in the Indus River valley, near present day Pakistan, and are dated back to over 4,000 years. There is little evidence of change until around 1770 during the industrial era when the spring scale was invented by Richard Salter, a British balance maker. The spring scale, as the name implies, measures the pressure (or the tension) exerted on a spring to deduce the weight of an object.

Today, spring scales are still fairly common but when accuracy is essential, electronic systems designed and perfected during this century or digital scales for weighing and displaying the results in a digital format, are now the norm. Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. offers a variety of scales and indicators for your needs, including analog and digital models. We also have options in printers for custom receipts, orders, digital load cell technology and more.

How Is Accuracy of a Digital Scale Measured?
When your business relies on the accuracy of weight measures for profitability, then digital scales can provide you the confidence you need. Accuracy, the degree to which a measurement relates to its actual (true) value, is a hot topic of debate in the weighing industry as the usage of the term varies between weighing professionals. Accuracy is usually stated as a percentage and it is important to determine if the percentage is that of full scale (%FS) or that of actual reading (%AR). All measuring devices have some degree of inaccuracy since infinite precision can never be achieved. Some of the primary factors contributing to scale inaccuracy are readability, repeatability, linearity, and uncertainty of measurement. The accuracy of a weighing device can only be determined by direct testing of the device at its intended location of use. So, if a scale manufacturer claims an accuracy of 1%F.S., they mean the scale should have an error of less than 1% of full scale if the scale has been properly adjusted.

Types and Variations of Digital Scales
 Digital scales come in a variety of sizes and purposes each with their own comprehensive specifications. For example, Platform Scales, also known as parcel scales and packaging scales, are used for heavier weighing tasks, while Hanging Scales are popular for receiving docks and warehouses to check the weight of merchandise as it is unloaded or relocated using an overhead crane. Precision Scales, depending on the model, have higher weighing capacities and weighing ranges from readings in milligrams (0.001g) to a capacity of 31,000g.

Contact Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. for Measurement Canada Accredited Digital Scales
Whether you need a weighing system large enough to weigh trucks and livestock, or you need a scale small enough to fit the countertop of your retail shop, you can count on Measurement Canada accredited Accurate/Western Scale Co. Ltd. to supply it. For purchases or questions about your industrial and professional scales needs call us at 403-250-3232 today.