Some commercial operations involve the use of aggressive acids or caustics that erode standard industrial scales. If you must weigh tanks, drums, chemicals, and other components in these environments, you require corrosion-resistant scales that are precise and reliable.
To ensure that you find the best scale for your operations, you must understand the components required to construct a durable weighing solution. Which coating is best for corrosion-resistant scales, and how do stainless steel load cells maximize lifespan?
In this article, the metrology experts at Arlyn Scales reveal why polyamine epoxy is the best coating for corrosion-resistant scales. Then, we identify the reasons that our scales are perfect for any industrial environment.
Which Coating is Best for Corrosion-Resistant Scales?
Water and wastewater treatment plants are among the most common types of hazardous, industrial environment. However, there are many other workplaces that are just as dangerous, including:
- Chemical Manufacturing Plants
- Electro-Plating Environments
- Fertilizer & Agricultural Manufacturing Facilities
In these situations, a coating must be applied to the weighing equipment for appropriate protection. The choice of coating is critical, as it must satisfy a number of requirements.
It must bind to the stainless steel of the scale tightly to ensure that it can resist the corrosive environment, just as it must be resistant to regular wear-and-tear. An excellent coating material is a polyamine epoxy.
How Does Polyamine Epoxy Coating Prevent Corrosion?
Polyamine epoxy exhibits excellent chemical resistance overall. It holds up well to both inorganic and organic acids, and even strong caustics won’t damage the material.
It offers protection against most solvents, petrochemicals, alcohol, water, and even brine. At Arlyn Scales, we apply the polyamine epoxy coating over the stainless-steel structure of our Neptune line of corrosion-resistant scales.
We mix a super-hard grit into the epoxy and spread it in a thick layer over the scale. This mixture provides an attractive, non-skid surface that prevents damage to the coating when heavy loads are placed on the scale platform.
Which of Arlyn’s Scales Feature the Polyamine Epoxy Coating?
While this coating is generally only used on platform scales from Arlyn Scales, it may also be specially ordered for scales with different sizes and capacities, including:
- Stainless steel drum scales with platforms ranging in size from 30” x 30” x 1⅞” to 36” x 36” x 1⅞” and capacities up to 1,000 pounds.
- Large floor scales with platforms ranging in size from 3’ x 3’ x 2⅞” to 7’ x 9’ x 4” and capacities up to 20,000 pounds!
Many of these epoxy materials are affected by sunlight exposure.
Excessive exposure to sunlight could cause eventual failure of the coating. The coating used on scales from Arlyn Scales offers maximum protection, even after many years of exposure.
However, there will be some discoloration, loss of surface gloss, and caulking & powdering of the surface eventually.
Stainless Steel Load Cells Maximize Lifespan
When choosing a corrosion-resistant scale, ensure that the load sensors are made from stainless steel. It’s not possible to apply the epoxy coating to the load sensors without causing undesirable side effects.
For this reason, the load sensors must never be exposed to the corrosive materials directly. Instead, they should be positioned internally within the scale. Although they will still be exposed to fumes, they will be protected from direct contact with the corrosives.
To minimize the effect of the fumes, the electronic elements in the load cell should be coated with an appropriate, compliant RTV material. This coating should be thin, for best mechanical properties, but should avoid pinholes and voids, for the best protection effect.
Optional Stainless Steel Construction
Certain high-quality platform scales, such as the Arlyn 3200 Series, may be ordered with stainless steel construction. This type of scale is suitable in wet or wash-down environments, and may even be suitable in somewhat more corrosive situations, such as those with brine or mild acids.
You can also order your scale to be constructed from the stainless steel alloy of 316, which is better for certain chemicals. Remember, however, that even this alloy shouldn’t be exposed to high concentrations of corrosives.
Find Scales Coated with Polyamine Epoxy at Arlyn Scales
Corrosion-resistant scales, coated with polyamine epoxy and constructed from stainless steel, are the perfect way to obtain precise weights in hazardous environments. To find the best weighing solutions for your operations, reach out to our team today.
