Arlyn Scales has been a recognized leader of industrial-scale design and technology for more than 30 years. Our company manufactures a diverse selection of weighing devices suitable for a range of industries and purposes. And customers have the opportunity to choose from a mixture of scale options and customizations.
Arlyn Scales’ collection of weighing devices includes floor scales, platform scales, drum scales, parts counting scales, veterinary scales, and more. Customers more often than not have the option of choosing between aluminum and stainless steel scale construction. And Arlyn Scales provides a variety of additional scale options, such as: corrosion-resistance and connectivity capabilities.
Connectivity Can Improve Your Business
Industrial scales are designed to measure objects and display weight readings. Scales are usually equipped with digital indicators so scale operators can view weight measurements quickly and easily. Sometimes scales are able to display multiple weight units, such as: pounds, kilograms, ounces, etc. And a number of scales are capable of displaying tare, net, and gross weights.
The data industrial scales collect can be very useful for companies. By recording weight readings industrial scales collect, businesses can recognize fluctuating measurements and adjust weigh processes accordingly.
Before connectivity was an option, many companies recorded weight data by hand. This was a lengthy process and oftentimes resulted in many errors. Arlyn Scales offers connectivity options with every industrial scale we sell.
Arlyn Scales’ Connectivity Options
The standard communication port commonly found on industrial scales is the RS-232 communication port. RS-232 is typically used to connect scales to printers, but it can also allow a scale to communicate with a programmable logic controller or computer. The RS-232 is a bi-directional interface and makes it possible for a scale digital indicator to send data to a computer and receive commands from a computer.
Arlyn Scales offers customers the option of adding a RS-232 communication port to any of the scales we make for an additional cost. We also offer RS-485, which is superior to RS-232 because it is capable of supporting multiple scales at once, where RS-232 can only support one scale. For companies that want data in standard USB format, Arlyn Scales supplies a RS-485 to USB adaptor, which can read data on each scale and convert it to the standard USB format.
USB
USB ports are found on most computers today, so it would only make sense for Arlyn Scales to make our scales capable of communicating via USB.
With this connectivity option a scale will record data onto an inserted USB flash drive, which can then be removed and inserted into a computer at a scale operator’s convenience.
Datalogging
For companies who want to keep track of weight data in addition to time, date, group, and item information, USB connectivity makes this possible. Datalogging allows a large amount of data from a scale to be recorded onto a flash drive. A 1-gigabyte flash drive can hold more than 4 million weight readings.
Ethernet and Wi-Fi
You can connect your scale to your company’s local network, which makes it possible for you to monitor and control your industrial scale from a nearby computer. By doing this, weight readings can be recorded, sorted, grouped, and analyzed. If you want to do this wirelessly, Wi-Fi connectivity options are also available. It is also make possible for you to access your industrial scale from any location in the world with Wi-Fi.
Bluetooth
Arlyn Scales offers Bluetooth as a connectivity option on our industrial scales as well. Bluetooth makes it possible for an industrial scale to communicate with another Bluetooth-enabled device. Bluetooth is less expensive than other connectivity options but can only transmit information from the scale to a device less than 30 feet away.
What You Can Do With Your Scale’s Data
When your industrial scale is capable of communicating with a computer, there is so much you can do to improve your business.
First, you should download Arlyn Scales’ free Remote Indicator Software. This allows you to see what is displayed on your scale’s digital indicator without you having to look at the scale. You can download the software from Arlyn Scales’ website. The software makes it possible for scale operators to view weight readings from a distance and control the scale.
With connectivity capabilities and Arlyn Scales’ software, all of the data a scale collects can be transmitted to a computer. Once the information is on the computer, the software makes it possible for various Windows programs to read and analyze the data.
Control Your Scale
You can use a number of programs to control what your scale does each day. For example, you can use programs to control peripheral hardware, such as: feeders or fillers. You can use programs to turn switch valves, solenoids, and pumps on or off.
Arlyn Scales’ set point controller, for example, is useful in filling operations. When certain filling requirements are met, it gives a signal to external equipment to alert scale operators the task is done.
Transform Your Company Processes
There is a lot a company can do with all of the data an industrial scale collects. For example, a company can look at inputs and outputs to see if numbers are consistent or fluctuating.
If any issues are discovered, companies can look into their data further and pinpoint what is going wrong. By addressing issues as they arise, companies can continuously improve business processes, which can make processes more efficient and save the company time and money in the future.
Companies can attach recorded data to accounting software. They can import data into Access or Excel to make graphs or charts. And data can be imported to in-house software or applications.
Learn More About Arlyn Scales, Connectivity and Software Today
If you want to learn more about the scales Arlyn Scales manufactures or the connectivity options we provide to our customers, visit our website today. Contact our team with any questions or comments by calling 800-645-4301 or fill out our online contact form.
