Industrial Scales for Ceramics, Stone and Glass Manufacturers

Arlyn Scales scales and systems help makers of ceramics, stone, glass and related products measure incoming raw materials, control inventory and monitor outgoing waste in order to operate as efficiently as possible. With expert knowledge from over 30 years in the field, trust Arlyn Scales to provide the right scale for your operation.

Ceramics Manufacturing:

Scales are typically used to weigh out dry materials for mixing batches of glaze or for weighing pieces of clay for uniform functional forms like cups or bowls. There are hundreds of options when it comes to selecting a scale, but we’ve made it easier by narrowing down our most popular options for ceramic manufacturers. When selecting a scale you’ll need to consider the weight capacity and accuracy. For mixing large glaze batches you’ll need a scale that can withstand the larger weight quantities and can give readability that’s within 1-2 grams accuracy. For mixing small batches of glaze or test batches, you’ll want to select a scale that can give you more precise readability that is closer to .1g- .5g.

Digital Scales

These are the most commonly used scales on the market today. They can be operated by battery or power plug and give you a digital reading in grams, pounds, or ounces. We recommend using a digital scale for small to medium size glaze batches that will give you a .1g readability and hold up to 5lbs, depending on the model. If you need to weigh larger batches of clay you might not be able to get such an accurate reading without spending a lot of money. We use a combination of scales in our glaze room including a digital scale for small percentages.

Bench Scales

If you’re mixing large batches of glaze or clay for a studio or classroom setting, this is an excellent option. Arlyn Scales gives you a range of quality Industrial Bench Scales from our Standard 6200 strain gauge scales to the select level D-6200 family, to the unmatched accuracy of Arlyn Scales SAW Ultra Precision technology. Your scale will be able to withstand the bumping and jostling that’s just part of your day-to-day work as a ceramics manufacturer. This makes it easier for your employees to operate the scale at a quick pace, which is an important part of many industries.

Industrial Digital Filling Scales

Industrial digital filling scales can be used for basic batching operations when many different ingredients will be used. For each individual ingredient, a separate set point value is assigned. The set point output stops after the first level is completed and the second begins, and so on. Scales with this function include floor scales, drum scales, and platform scales. Arlyn Scales offers a number of accessories on scales that help you build the data infrastructure you need to collect, store and transfer your measurements, and the hardware you need to use these measurements in your production process.

Stone Manufacturing: High Precision Scales used for Aggregate Testing

A number of related fields require understanding the particle composition of aggregate materials. These include asphalt production, the manufacturing of concrete, cement and cement products, soil testing, construction testing, and particle sizing, among others.

Asphalt is commonly known as the common black material that is used to pave roads. It is also known as tarmac, blacktop, or macadam. But it actually has a number of different components. Generally, the largest single ingredient is crushed stone. Depending on the expected use of the asphalt, the standard size of the individual stone pieces is specified. A number of other complementary materials are also used, such as gravel and sand. These components can make up as much as 90 or 95 percent of the total asphalt material. But it obtains its material properties and color from the black liquid binder material that holds it together, the asphalt cement. It is a very sticky black liquid that is a petroleum by-product.

Similarly, concrete is a mixture of a number of individual ingredients. Once again, the primary ingredient is crushed stone and gravel. By itself, this makes up more than 40% of concrete material. Sand composes another 25% of the total. Water and Portland Cement includes most of the remainder of the non-cured material. As with asphalt, the properties of cement are highly dependent on the particle properties of the materials used.

Of course, materials such as gravel, crushed stone and sand are far from being uniform. Any sample will consist of individual pieces of varying sizes. In order to determine the percentage of each range of sizes, it is necessary to take a sample of the material and then separate out each various size. The procedure used to do this is known as sieve analysis. This can be thought of as using a number of different screens or strainers. Each one has a wire mesh screen with different screen openings.

First, the material is poured into a screen with the largest openings. Only the largest particles will be captured at this first stage. The remainder of the particles will pass through. This remainder is then poured through the second largest screen. As previous, only the second largest set of particles will be captured. This process is repeated with the desired number of different sized screens, resulting in a collection of particles that match the screens used. Now each of the particle collections may be weighed. The percentage of the total composed of each particle size can be calculated, and then compared to the required material specifications.

The electronic scales used for this purpose must meet some very difficult requirements. For example, they must have a very significant capacity. Samples of aggregate materials may easily weigh 100 pounds. They must be very rugged, as large amounts of aggregate materials will be dumped onto the platform. And most importantly, they must be very precise so that the percentages calculated will be exactly accurate.

Standard load cell based industrial scales will generally not be accurate enough. The most common solution is to use a type of digital scale known as a force motor balance. For these high capacities, these scales will be extremely expensive. They are also not particularly rugged.

A new technology, introduced by Arlyn Scales, uses Surface Acoustic Wave, or SAW transducers. These Ultra Precision Scales combine all of the required features of high capacity, extreme ruggedness, and exquisite accuracy.

For example, the 100-pound capacity industrial scale has a readability of one-thousandth of a pound, an accuracy of greater than one-hundredth of one percent, and an overload capacity of two hundred percent. As an added advantage, they may be equipped with an optional battery pack, making them ideal for use at construction or paving sites.

It is often necessary to record the particle size percentages. These Ultra Precision Scales may be equipped with a USB connection that accepts standard USB flash memory drive. Thousands of readings may be stored on the drive. This data can then be downloaded into any computer system. When used with a database program, or entered into a spreadsheet, the data can easily be compared with the required aggregate specification. Alternatively, the digital scale can be directly connected into a computer system using a serial RS-232 communication connection, or with a wired or wireless Ethernet port.

Glass Manufacturing: Custom Scales for the Glass Packaging Industry

Glass jars were a canning staple since the 1800s. As the years passed, glass became an indispensable staple in homes around the world. Supermarkets, groceries, liquor stores, the pharmaceutical industries and more, all rely on the glass packaging industry to provide the vessels that are an integral part of their industry. The Process Pure silica or sand is used and comprises up to seventy-five percent of glass. Sodium Carbonate or ash from certain plants is used to lower the melting point of the silica. A third ingredient, lime or calcium oxide is garnered from limestone.

Magnesium oxide and aluminum oxide are added to ensure the glass is chemically durable. This sort of glass known as lime glass represents nearly ninety percent of the glass made for consumers today. With the addition of certain ingredients, the usage of the glass changes.

Producing glass that will perform to its desired expectations requires specific and detailed weighing equipment that is both accurate and reliable. When this process is accounted for, the bottles must be shipped in consistent weighted pallets.

The automation for this operation is provided for with conveyor belts, which can be incorporated onto our Series 3200 Platform Scales. Arlyn Scales is a manufacturer of the world’s most accurate and dependable scales. Built using our own subassemblies in our New York-based factories, we maintain quality control throughout the entire process.

Myriad of Choices

We offer this scale in a variety of platform sizes ranging from twenty inches by twenty-seven inches all the way up to forty-eight inches by forty-eight inches square. This variety of dimensions should be capable of handling most pallet sizes and operations; however, we are equipped to design and implement the proper fit for your existing operation.

Most platform scales utilize aluminum load cells and they are merely bolted to the bottom of the scale’s platform. These load cells are not only vulnerable to moisture and corrosive materials, but they are easily damaged by accidental pallet jack hits. Our engineers have devised what has proven to be the proper methodology for ensuring long-lasting and accurate results. We manufacture our load cells from the highest industrial grade stainless steel and choose four equal output load cells that are equal in sensitivity and place them in machine pocketed housing in the welded aluminum frame. We then enclose the digital indicator with a molded display replete with a rubber gasket to ensure water resistance.

The selection of material for the platform is based on the application. For the best non-corrosive and rigid material, we advise full stainless steel platforms. For applications that require portability, the aluminum platforms will prove to be much lighter.

Additionally, they can be stored on their side, which proves useful in operations where space is at a premium. To provide easy on and off access, we also manufacture ramps to fit each individual platform. For glass packaging, the low profile of our platforms coupled with the connecting ramps makes this scale a sure bet as the angle of the pallets being placed or removed from the scale is basically level with the surrounding ground. We have made sure that shifting of the glass vessels is a non-issue.

Interface Options

Every industry today relies on some sort of computer interface. We provide several options that allow you to capture data and/or operate the scale remotely. Our RS-232 and RS-485 protocols along with the USB connectivity allow for a complete bi-directional interface. Data is relayed to the computer along with all other pertinent information and cataloged through the use of Microsoft Excel. The option to control the functions of the scale is present, and with the RS-485 Protocol, up to ten scales can be tethered, forming one network that enables operations of the scales over a distance of four thousand feet. The automation aspect is inherent in our offerings and especially present with our SetPoint option. Using individual relays, one has the capacity to set up simple batching and programmable logic controller functions. As a factory direct manufacturer, we are able to keep our prices low because there are no middlemen to raise them.

Our engineering team can customize any of our scale models from platform size to capacity, choosing the load sensor design and microprocessors to accommodate your specifications. Arlyn Scales respects the challenges that come with the complexities of today’s technological and rapidly changing industrial weighing specificities and as a highly specialized manufacturer, guarantees the design and operation of our scales.

Explore the Various Scales for Ceramic, Stone, and Glass Manufacturing

You can be certain that with an Arlyn Scale, you are getting the best product for the best price. Browse our selection and for more information on customizing a scale for use in these or any other industries, contact us today.