When you require exceptional precision in your daily operations, you must have complete confidence that your weighing devices remains consistent in every measurement. Unfortunately, the nature of your materials may require you to measure them in cartons, bottles, or other containers.
Tasks like these are where the humble tare feature becomes invaluable. If you must use containers to accommodate the items to be measured, how do you deduct the weight of the containers?
Fortunately, at Arlyn Scales, we can help you to get the most out of the tare function on your scales. That way, your business can remain efficient, even when your products need to be supported when taking precise measurements.
What is “Tare” in a Weighing Scale?
The tare function on your scale recalibrates its display, and consequently, the balance of the current load, to zero (0). This is used to deduct the weight of a container from the total measurement being evaluated.
What Does the Tare Button do on a Scale?
When pressed, the tare button resets the displayed weight to zero, despite the container being on the scale. Then when you place the item into the container, the scale calculates the total and automatically excludes the weight of the container.
For example:
- You require the total weight of grain or powder.
- The nature of the material requires a carton or box.
- You place the empty container on the scale and press the tare button.
- A weight of “zero” is now displayed, negating the weight of the container when items are added into it.
Tare Weight is also called Unladen Weight.
The unladen weight is the balance of a scale that does not carry a load. Some items, such as grains and liquids, cannot be weighed loosely on a scale.
Your scale should measure zero when there are no items being weighed, for accuracy purposes, so the Zero function is used to set the unladen weight.
A.K.A. Gross or Laden Weight, When Weighed in a Container
When you’re weighing items within a container, the total measurement will factor in the tare weight. This refers to the actual weight of the item, with the container subtracted from the total.
Operators want to save time during regular activities, especially when handling bulk orders. This also saves costs in the long run, with more efficient weighing of unusual objects.
The tare feature on the scale handles deducting the container’s weight from the gross weight automatically. This improves efficiency by no longer requiring the operators to do the calculations manually.
A Tare Feature may be referred to as a Net-Zero Feature.
The tare feature on a scale removes the container’s weight to increase accuracy.
Some scales allow you to preprogram this for repetitive weighing, which saves on time.
Scale Tare vs. Zero
Mind that the tare function is not the same as the one used for total or gross zero, which applies when there is no weight on the scale at all.
Tare focuses on net zero, which is the balance after deducting the weight of the container.
Different Types of Scales Can Feature a Tare Function.
These include platform scales, kitchen, ultra precision scales, and scientific weighing scales that require frequent resets for containers. Trucks for shipping are one such example of items that benefit from tare features.
Usually these vehicles have an established curb weight, but companies have to pay shipping costs for transport with tolls. The total weight of the truck and the goods is called a gross towing weight.
Any additional equipment attached to the truck gets added as a part of the gross combination. Thus, tare features can calculate the exact amount of the items being shipped, without having to remove them from the truck.
Wheelchairs are Another Example.
Many wheelchairs are heavy, and hospitals or nursing homes use them for weighing patients that cannot sit or stand on platform scales. Having a tare function allows nurses and orderlies to get accurate patient weight, without skewed results from the mobility devices.
The Same Goes for Underwater Weighing.
With humans, this is also called hydrostatic weighing to evaluate body fat. Objects weigh differently underwater, as the Greek legend Archimedes found when testing a gold crown to see if it had blends of silver.
He discovered that the weight of an object underwater is directly proportional to the volume of water displaced by said object’s volume. This can include a crown, items, or a person.
When using these scales, a person sits in a mechanical chair underwater (or items are placed in an appropriate container). Underwater scales subtract the chair or container’s weight and consider that to be the tare weight, while the underwater weight is the remaining amount.
Never Use Tare to Exceed Your Scale’s Carrying Capacity!
When using the tare feature, make sure that the weight or mass of the container and the object are within the scale’s carrying capacity. Otherwise you run the risk of shock overload, which occurs when a force damages the strain gauge by exceeding the scale’s limits.
Shock loads, which tend to be dropped rather than applied slowly, are also a concern. Many mechanical scales lack a tare feature, compared to digital scales.
Instead, there is a tare bar that the operator needs to adjust. The operator needs to remember to weigh for tare, adjust the bar, and then reset to zero when using new devices.
With a Digital Scale, the Tare Feature is Much Simpler.
You just have to press a button, and the scale will deduct the container weight automatically. That is why we prefer digital scales, which are more convenient for our customers.
Go Beyond Just Pressing the Tare Button with Arlyn Scales
At Arlyn Scales, we want to deliver more than just the simple strategy of resetting the displayed weight for your regular operations. We design scales to benefit everyone, and our engineers work tirelessly to develop weighing equipment that optimizes precision and accuracy.
No matter the industry, we can provide the right scales and loading scales for manufacturing operations. Take advantage of gross zero functions for accuracy, and find other benefits that our scales can provide, with precision, accuracy, and long-lasting strain gauges.
One of our representatives can provide recommendations beyond standard kitchen scales. To get started on custom options for weighing systems, reach out to our team today.
