At its simplest, a load cell is a device that converts energy from one form to another. In scales, a load cell converts force into a measurable output, such as a digital reading, that allows you to determine the weight of something. A common example of a load cell is a weighbridge, or vehicle scale, that measures the amount of vertical flexing of a platform when a vehicle drives onto it and converts it into a digital readout.

If you’re looking for reliable scale accessories, including load cell mounts, check out the selection available from Accurate Western Scale.

How Load Cells Work

How a load cell converts force into a measurable number, or reading, will depend on the type of load cell being used. There are several types:

• Hydraulic load cells
• Pneumatic load cells
• Strain gauge load cells

In the latter, strain (weight) creates voltage irregularities that are then converted into a digital reading. In Red Deer and across Alberta, strain gauge load cells are often found in vehicle scales, industrial scales, medical scales, and even retail scales.

Accurate Western Scale provides professional services such as scale load cell repair and vehicle scale calibration in Calgary and surrounding areas, ensuring your equipment functions at peak performance.

Choosing the Right Load Cell

As with any job, using the correct tools and equipment is the key to accurate weighing. Since load cells are designed for various loads, environments, and tasks, choosing the right one for your weighing needs is essential. The following table outlines some of the most common types of load cells available in Red Deer and across Alberta, as well as their characteristics and their applications.

Type of Load Cell	Characteristics	Application
S-Beam	High accuracy Tension and compression for low to medium capacity of 25 – 20,000 lbs.	Suspended hopper and tank Crane Scale Dynamometer Lever arm conversion Track scales Test machines
Single or Double ended Beam	Load capacity ranging from 500 – 35, 000 lbs. Double-ended are secured at both ends; force is applied in the centre Heavy capacity over 5t to 100t	Floor scales Light-duty platform scales Hopper scales Tank weighing Track scales Process weighing
Tension Link	Measuring pulling force  Range in size from coin-sized load cells to load pins capable of weighing over 100t	Crane scales Tension measurement
Compression Load Cell	Designed to withstand harsh environments High-capacity scales from 7.5t to 200t	Truck scales Railroad scales  Silo weighing systems Vehicle scales

Finding Load Cells in Alberta

Whether you need new load cells or require scale load cell repair or vehicle scales calibration in Calgary, Accurate Western Scale has you covered.

We supply a variety of scales, including vehicle scales, scale accessories, and software, in Red Deer and across Alberta. We also offer 24/7 service and scale inspection and certification on behalf of Measurement Canada.

From agriculture and manufacturing to healthcare and logistics, digital computing scales for industrial and commercial industries are being used for data management and financial decision-making in Calgary. The technological capabilities of digital computing scales have also caused them to be called smart scales.

Digital Computing Scales

The “smartness” of a scale is related to its accuracy and its ability to display, save, and utilize or share gathered data. The capabilities will vary from scale to scale and industry to industry. The most common smart features of digital computing scales are:

• Tracking features
• Data storage
• Memory and tare functions
• Connectivity to other devices, USB sticks, or Bluetooth
• Printout capabilities

Many smart commercial weigh scales also include a combination of software and hardware that allows the scale to create data such as:

• Price/kg
• Average/mean weight
• Standard deviation
• Cross-references

With such technology, it is not surprising that more and more industries in Calgary, from industrial to commercial, are adopting digital computing scales to make their data management easier and more effective.

Further Benefits of Smart Scales

In Alberta, the smart commercial weigh scales that are available are:

• Acurate and easy-to-read
• Portable
• Not as affected by temperature as analogue scales

Types Of Smart Industrial Scales in Calgary

In general, industrial scales are used to weigh commodities that would break a standard scale. The same holds for smart scales. Thankfully, there is a large range of digital industrial scales available in Alberta. These include:

• Belt scales
• Crane hanging scales
• Floor scales
• Forklift & material handling scales
• Front end loader scales
• Livestock scales
• Hopper and tank scales
• Truck scales

Commercial Weigh Scales in Calgary

On the smaller side of things, commercial weigh scales are available as:

• Bench scales
• Checkweighers
• Counting scales
• Laboratory and precision balances
• Medical scales
• Platform scales
• Price computing scales

The Benefits of Smart Scales: Enhancing Data Management in Industry

Industry team leads and managers have identified the following 5 benefits of Smart Scales:

• Accurate Inventory Management: All weights are precise and consistently measured. Smart functions display, record, and remember data, which can be output into spreadsheets and other type of records. Certain commercial scales weigh the placement and removal of stock and maintain a running tally of inventory.
• Data Integration with Other Systems and Data Bases: Connectivity with other devices and software simplifies the creation and maintenance of files.
• Enhanced Quality Control: Not only do all packages have the same amount of product, but the ingredients or supplies used to make the product are consistent and exact.
• Increased Efficiency in Shipping and Logistics: Knowing the exact weight of packages/shipments allows for better planning, as does having consistency from package to package.
• Regulatory Compliance and Reporting: Scales used in commerce, healthcare, and transportation must comply with stringent regulations to ensure accuracy, safety, and fairness. Weighing on-site helps industries stay within the established parameters.

Finding Digital Computing Scales

Accurate Western Scale provides for all your commercial and industrial weigh scale needs in Calgary, Alberta. We design accurate, efficient weighing systems that deliver optimal processes and designs that accommodate your industry and make your data management as easy as 1-2-3.

Knowing the weight of your livestock is about a lot more than calculating an animal’s market price. It is also an excellent tool used by cattle raisers for detecting health concerns within their herd and effectively treating disease.
Regular monitoring using cattle weight scales in Alberta can help identify changes in weight that may indicate health issues before they become severe. Additionally, accurate weight measurements are crucial for administering the correct dosage of medications and supplements, ensuring the well-being of the animals.

Manage Your Livestock Through Weighing

It may seem difficult to believe that regular weighing of select animals, or even an entire herd, has become an easy way to monitor herd health and to identify problems that your careful eyes may or may not suspect, but it is true. Modern cattle weight scales in Alberta can provide remote monitoring, data analytics, and quick and accurate weighing, which makes it relatively simple to add regular weighing to your herd health regime.

Through regular weighing, you can:

• Monitor for healthy growth or detect sudden weight loss, which could be an indicator of stress, parasitic infection, metabolic disorder, or any number of other concerns.
• Identify lameness or changes in an animal’s gait through changes in weight distribution on the hooves.
• Establish a feed efficiency program by monitoring the amount of feed consumed in relation to animal growth.
• Gain insight into the reproductive performance of your animals.
• Better manage vaccinations and medication by dosing according to an accurate weight

Scale Solutions

Today’s high-tech livestock and cattle scales in Alberta make it easier to weigh animals and obtain valuable, trackable data about their health. Modern scale indicators can do some or all of the following:

• Read EID or VID tags from a distance
• Maintain records for numerous animals
• Connect with your computer
• Cross-reference animal codes and ID numbers
• Draft/sort
• Provide statistics:
  • Headcount
  • Average
  • Minimum/maximum
  • Total
  • Standard deviation

One Cow, Two Cows, Three Cows, More Cows

Excellent mobile cattle scales such as The Mobile Group Animal Scale and the Rice Lake Single Animal Livestock Scale are now available in Alberta. They are durable and easy to transport to your herd, and no matter how rugged or off-level the terrain, they will provide a Legal-for-Trade weight. These scales provide a complete report for each group of weighed animals that can be transferred to a memory stick or computer, and/or printed out for your records. Both cattle scales are low to the ground and truly designed for out-of-the-barn weighing.

Mobile Livestock Scales in Alberta

To find mobile or other customizable livestock and cattle scales in Alberta, contact Accurate Western Scale for sales, installation, calibration, and 24/7 service. Our systems facilitate the monitoring of single or multiple animals and overall herd health.

Legal metrology is the administration of measuring and weighing through legislation and regulations. It ensures a consistent standard of measure, promoting fairness and establishing confidence between consumers and vendors. Certified scale calibration plays a crucial role in maintaining these standards, ensuring that all measurements are accurate and reliable.

By adhering to these regulations, businesses can guarantee their scales are precise, fostering trust and integrity in their transactions. Whether in retail, manufacturing, or any industry relying on accurate measurements, certified scale calibration is essential for upholding the principles of legal metrology.

The Importance of Legal Metrology

Because it authorizes a standard and precise concept of weight and measures, legal metrology is essential to the equitable sale of goods and the safe combining of products, chemicals, and ingredients. In Canada, weights and measures, and therefore scale calibration, are governed by the Measurement Canada Weights and Measures Act.

It is essential to follow all the regulations of the Act if you sell products by weight in Alberta or elsewhere in Canada. Failing to do so can result in fines and business closures. It can also cost you revenue, because if your business is not using a certified scale, your product may not be at its specified weight. This means you are either over or underselling, both of which affect your bottom line and your reputation. They could also result in customer complaints being made against you to Measurement Canada, which has the authority to investigate complaints and inspect your weighing equipment.

Compliance for Weighing Equipment

Since 2014, it has become a requirement for all weight-based businesses in Alberta and across the country to have their scales and pumps inspected by an authorized Measurement Canada service provider. The regularity of these inspections varies from sector to sector and device to device but ranges from one year to five years. You can find the specific requirements to ensure a certified scale on the Government of Canada website.

Sectors that Require Inspections

You must have a certified scale if you sell within the following sectors:

• Dairy
• Fishing
• Forestry
• Grain and field crops
• Mining
• Oil and gas
• Some retail

Scale Calibration Standards

For a scale to be considered a certified scale in Alberta, it must be serviced and calibrated by Measurement Canada requirements. After device approval, you are responsible for maintaining your weighing equipment through service, scale calibration, and monitoring of accuracy.
It is best to keep your certified scale protected from the elements and only use it to weigh the type of material it is calibrated and designed to weigh.

Where to Find a Measurement Canada Authorized Service Provider in Alberta

If you are looking to rent or buy a certified scale or seeking a scale repair, calibration, or inspection for your weighing equipment, contact Accurate Western Scale.

Located in Calgary, we sell, rent, and repair scales of all kinds, from industrial, heavy-capacity, livestock, and commercial and retail scales. We are at the forefront of smart scales and provide support and sales of software applications for your certified digital scales.

Scales have long been part of trade and agriculture. From ancient Egypt and China to the Roman Empire and onward, various traders and merchants have used scales to assess the value of goods. In modern times, farmers have adopted digital scales, such as hopper and tanks, truck, and livestock, as tools to enhance farming practices.

Modern Weighing Systems

Balance scales and the use of counterweights were the sole weighing systems available until the late 1700s when the spring scale came into use. This system of measuring the pressure exerted on a spring is still used today, some 250 years later, but, as with everything, vast changes and improvements have been made to the scale. Of note is the digital scale, which received its first patent request in 1980 and opened the door to many improvements and technological tweaks. The modern digital-certified scale offers exceptional precision and performance.

Who Cares?

Farmers from Alberta to Australia are adopting the practice of precision agriculture as a means to enhance their farming practices and increase profitability. Through weighing everything from livestock to feed, seed, and fertilizer, agricultural professionals have identified four benefits for Alberta and other Western Canadian farmers:

I. Optimized Fertilizer /Pesticide Application
By weighing the products farmers apply to their crops, they can eliminate overbuying and over/under fertilizing and spraying, which is suitable for the bottom dollar, crop production, and soil care.

II. Accurate Seed Planting
Using a certified scale, farmers can buy the correct amount of seed per acre. Furthermore, knowing the precise weight of seed allows grain farmers to calculate and ensure an even distribution of seed.

III. Efficient Harvesting Operations
Hopper and tank scales and truck scales help grain growers measure crop yields and determine storage and transportation needs.

IV. Livestock Management
Certified livestock scales are extremely valuable for cattle and other livestock operations. Through accurate measuring of feed, farmers can limit waste and ensure adequate nutrition for their animals. Weighing animals on livestock scales is extremely useful for monitoring individual animal and herd health.

Proper weighing of milk and eggs in dairy and poultry barns has become a vital tool for inventory management, quality control, and monitoring of individual animal productivity and health. As with meat animals, precisely measuring feed rations in poultry, dairy, and other product-based operations saves farmers from waste and optimizes animal nutrition and health.

Precision Agriculture

There are many financial and environmental benefits to adding the practice of precision agriculture to your farm operation. In addition to limiting waste of everything from feed to fertilizers, it also minimizes any negative impact on your soil and the water sources surrounding your farm.

Certified Scale Solutions in Alberta

To find certified scales to enhance your farming practices in Alberta, whether it be livestock, hopper and tank, or truck, contact Accurate/Western Scale. We represent several manufacturers and sell a variety of state-of-the-art scales, accessories and software applications. We also provide scale repair, calibration, and certification. Furthermore, if you’re not yet sure that weighing is right for your farm, or if you only need a scale a few times a year, you can rent a certified scale from us.

Processing and selling food is a highly regulated industry. It requires adherence to safety standards and protocols, including precise measuring on a certified industrial scale in Alberta. This article will explore scale certification and how compliance with Measurement Canada’s regulations ensures safety in the food processing industry.

Scale Certification

Alberta is under the jurisdiction of Measurement Canada. Therefore, industrial/commercial scales used in Alberta’s food processing industry must be examined by a certified Measurement Canada inspector following the established schedule: some sectors need to have their scales examined every year (i.e. fishing), every two years (i.e dairy), or every five years (i.e. retail).

To be certified, the scale must be calibrated per the national standards. If it is not, the business owners can be fined from $2,000 to $50,000.

The Importance of a Certified Scale

Scale certification is not simply a question of Measurement Canada compliance; it is also a means to ensure:

• Quality Assurance for your product and comparable products on the market. By implementing rigorous quality control measures during weighing processes, you will maintain product consistency and safety.
• Precision Measurement of ingredients, final product, packaging, and shipping requires precise weighing instruments and techniques.
• Adherence to Regulations for your specific food industry’s regulations and standards that guarantee food safety and meet legal requirements.

Types of Scales in the Food Industry

Various certified scales are used in the food industry to meet the three elements mentioned above. In Alberta, the main types of scales used in the food industry are:

• Floor and bench scales: measure pallets of products, trolleys, bins, small packages, individual items
• Checkweighers: allow for a weight range of separate items of different weights
• Industrial Counting scales: useful for weighing a high volume of the same product

Industrial Counting Scales

Industrial counting scales are an excellent time-saving tool in Alberta’s food industry sector because they allow the quick and easy calculation of individual packages or products. They are an excellent example of integrating technology into the weighing process to enhance efficiency and minimize errors in the production process.

Training & Certification

Whether you use an industrial counting scale or another certified scale, comprehensive training for all personnel involved in weighing processes is required to ensure proper handling and compliance with safety protocols within your industry. Proper training also helps maintain calibration and certified scale status.

Where to Find Food Industry Scales in Alberta

Contact Accurate Western Scale in Calgary, Alberta, for industrial counting scale sales and services. We offer a variety of scales, accessories, and software applications for all your weighing needs. We are also accredited by Measurement Canada as an authorized scale inspector, so we can inspect and certify your scale.