RODER · Inspection · Mechanical quantities
Weight and industrial weighing
Industrial scales and crane scales are weighing instruments intended for production environments, warehouses, logistics, incoming-material control and finished-product control. They differ from commercial scales (for retail use and legal-for-trade weighing) in their greater robustness, their integration into production lines, their ability to weigh even very heavy loads (tens of tonnes) and their connectivity with company management systems. They include bench scales, floor scales, crane scales suspended from hoists and cranes, weighbridges for heavy goods vehicles, and batching scales for dosing ingredients.
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What the measurement is for: weight and industrial weighing ↑ up
Industrial applications are varied: in-line weight checking of finished products (production output, supplier acceptance); weighing of ingredients for chemical, pharmaceutical and food production; weighing of scrap and raw materials in foundries and steelworks; logistics and shipping (weighing of packages to calculate transport costs); toll collection for road haulage (weighbridges); weighing of goods entering and leaving plants, for flow control and for tax records; and weighing of waste at separate-collection facilities and treatment plants.
Types of industrial scales ↑ up
The main types are: bench scales (capacity 3-100 kg, for weighing finished products, components and batches); floor or platform scales (capacity 100-5000 kg, for weighing pallets and medium loads); crane scales (with a suspension ring, capacity from 500 kg to 50 tonnes, for weighing loads lifted by cranes or hoists); industrial weighbridges (for trucks, capacity up to 60-80 tonnes, 8-18 m long); vessel scales (for weighing silos, tanks and hoppers, with load cells built into the legs); rail scales (for wagons); and pallet scales (for logistics and warehousing).
Technical features ↑ up
Industrial scales use strain-gauge load cells (the most widespread) or digital ones (high-end, with the electronics integrated into the cell and a Modbus digital output). The typical accuracy class is III (the designation defined by OIML), with a resolution of 1/3000 to 1/10000 of the maximum capacity (for example 5 g on a 50 kg scale). The basic functions are: static weighing, tare, totalising, limit checking, printing of tickets or labels, weight output, piece counting (from an average piece weight) and formula weighing (multi-ingredient dosing).
Connectivity and integration ↑ up
Modern industrial scales incorporate digital interfaces (RS-232, RS-485, Ethernet, Profibus, Profinet, EtherCAT, WiFi, Bluetooth) for automatic transmission of weighings to company management systems (ERP, MES, warehouse management). Each weighing is associated with a product code, batch, operator and order, generating complete traceability. The most advanced systems manage automatic multi-ingredient dosing with a touchscreen operator interface, process control, stored recipes and production statistics.
Standards and calibration ↑ up
Scales for legal-for-trade use (transfer of goods, toll calculation, tax declarations) must comply with the NAWI Directive 2014/31/EU (Non-Automatic Weighing Instruments) and follow standards OIML R76 and EN 45501. Metrological verification is a legal requirement: initial verification on commissioning, mandatory periodic verifications every 2 years in Italy, and traceability to national primary standards. Scales for internal company use (process control, R&D) are not subject to mandatory legal verification, but it is nevertheless good practice to calibrate them to ISO 17025 with certified masses. Crane scales follow OIML R51. Weighbridges for heavy goods vehicles follow OIML R134.
The information on this page is provided for information purposes. Although it has been compiled with the greatest care, it may contain transcription errors or typos: for precise, up-to-date information please contact RODER SRL directly.
Contacts & Information
Contact for general information : info@roder.it
Machine Vision Division of RODER : www.visiotronix.com
RODER Instruments Division : www.innovacheck.com
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The information contained in this website is provided for information purposes only. Although it has been prepared with the greatest care, it does not constitute a contractual offer or a binding commitment to supply. It may contain transcription, translation or typographical errors. For precise and up-to-date information, please contact our company directly.
Note: Some images on this website have been intentionally generated using artificial intelligence (AI). This is because, for many applications and projects, photographs of the actual installation or system cannot be disclosed owing to confidentiality agreements, contractual clauses and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).