Metrology equipment is vital for a diverse range of industrial and commercial operations. The good news is that there is an abundance of options available to businesses, both large and small.
However, as your operators become more familiar with your weighing systems, they’ll begin to notice inefficiencies. In these cases, it’s often sensible to turn to other scale manufacturers to find a resolution.
That’s where industrial scale integration services come in to provide the right tools to automate processes and streamline the overall procedure. But, how do you integrate 3rd-party metrology solutions? Fortunately, the scale experts at Arlyn Scales have the knowledge, the experience, and the collaborative spirit to help you find the answer.
The Need for Integration in Modern Industries
The swift pace of technological advancements has brought about a paradigm shift in how industries operate. Integrated scale systems are no longer a luxury but a necessity in ensuring seamless processes and operations. Standalone weight scales, while reliable, often lack the ability to communicate effectively with other systems, leading to manual interventions, potential errors, and inefficiencies.
By leveraging data integration, companies can automate the flow of weight information from the scales directly to other systems, such as inventory management, billing, or quality control platforms. This not only streamlines operations but also ensures that the weight data being used in various processes is accurate and up-to-date. In essence, integrated scale systems are bridging the gap between traditional weighing equipment and the digital tools that modern industries rely on, creating a harmonized ecosystem that drives efficiency and accuracy.
Benefits of Third-Party Tools and Platforms
Incorporating third-party tools and platforms into weighing equipment magnifies their capabilities, foremost being enhanced accuracy. Integrated scale systems, when paired with advanced software, ensure weight information is precise and cross-referenced in real-time, enabling instant insights vital for swift decision-making in industrial settings.
Moreover, these platforms bridge the gap between weighing data and various industrial applications like inventory and shipping logistics. The seamless connectivity and user-friendly interfaces of these tools allow industries to harness the full potential of their weighing equipment, streamlining processes and elevating efficiency.
How to Integrate 3rd-Party Industrial Scale Hardware
To efficiently integrate alternative metrology hardware into your current workflow:
- Confirm Scale Compatibility
- Connect Hardware to Scale
- Configure the Hardware
3rd-Party Scale Integration, a Case Study: Arlyn UpScale
The weight indicator is a common target for upgrading, and digital scale displays are increasingly popular for their ease-of-use and functionality. Therefore, we’ll focus on integrating a digital indicator.
For this demonstration, we’ll look at the Arlyn UpScale Touchscreen Indicator for Industrial Scales. To integrate this digital indicator into your weighing platforms, you must:
1. Confirm Scale Compatibility
The UpScale is compatible with several industry leading brands and models. Some compatible models (and their supported functions) include:
- All Ohaus Models (Weight Streaming)
- A&D Model EK-600i (Weight Streaming, Remote Keys)
- All Mettler Toledo Scales (Weight Streaming)
2. Connect Hardware to Scale
By connecting your scales to the UpScale Indicator, your operators can access exclusive features that meet the special requirements of your application.
Integration with A&D, Mettler Toledo, or Ohaus Scales
Any scale manufactured by A&D, Mettler Toledo, or Ohaus must be equipped with the RS-232 Interface Kit to be properly integrated with the Arlyn UpScale.
The RS-232 connects to the RS-232 connector of the Arlyn UpScale.
This exchange of data enables the Arlyn UpScale to process the weight data from your scale.
3. Configure the Hardware
Follow these steps to configure your new hardware for the first time.
Remember to refer to the Arlyn UpScale: 3rd-Party Scale Integration Guide often.
Screenshots are provided to clarify the steps below.
Configure the A&D Scale (for EK-600i)
Make a note of which model scale you have. Depending on the model, keys on the front panel will have different names for some functions.
The EK-600i, for example, has:
- ENTER (instead of) PRINT
- TARE (instead of) RE-ZERO
The A&D EK-600i
Using the button presses associated with your scale, follow these steps:
- Press and hold the SAMPLE key until you see the “Func” (Function) class.
- Press ENTER/PRINT key to enter this class.
- Set the Data Output Mode to Command and Stream:
Toggle the SAMPLE button until you see “Prt” (Data output mode) function. Press the ENTER/PRINT button to set this to 0.
Press the MODE button to back out. - Set Baud Rate to 9600 bps:
Toggle the SAMPLE button until you see “Bps” (Baud Rate) function. Press the ENTER/PRINT button to set this to 2 (9600 bps).
Press the MODE button to back out. - Set the Data Bits to 8 bit at No Parity:
Toggle the SAMPLE button until you see “BtPr” (Data and Parity) function. Press the ENTER/PRINT button to set this to 2.
Press the MODE button to back out. - Press the MODE button to back out all the way to the main weight screen.
Configure the Arlyn UpScale for A&D Integration
- Third Party Model Select: AND_E600i
- Communication Setting:
Baud Rate: 9600
Data Bits: 8
Stop: 1
Parity: None
Flow Control: None - Advanced Settings:
Coupler Mode: Callback
Leave the rest of the settings as default. - Press the APPLY button on the screen to finalize the setting.
Configure the Mettler Toledo Scale
- Press and hold the MENU button.
- Go to INT.FACE and press ENTER.
- Navigate to the following options and change each of them accordingly:
BAUD: 9600 // Baud Rate 9600
BIT.PAR.: 8/NO // Data Bits 8, No Parity
STOPBIT: 1 BIT // Stop Bit 1
HD.SHK: OFF // Handshaking off
RS E.O.L: CR LF // End of Line – Carriage Return & Line Feed (CR LF)
Press the “C” button to back out one level. - Set the Print Output Frame to print out Gross Weight, Tare Weight, and Net Weight.
Navigate to SINGLE and press ENTER.
Set the value to “G/T/N” and press ENTER.
Press the “C” button to back out one level. - Set the Print Interval to print out every 1 second.
Navigate to INTERVL and press ENTER.
Set the value to 1 second and press ENTER. - Press the “C” button to back out all the way to the main weight screen.
The Mettler Toledo scale is now set for communicating with the Arlyn UpScale.
Configure the Arlyn UpScale Indicator for Mettler Toledo Integration
- Third Party Model Select: Mettler Toledo
- Communication Setting:
Baud Rate: 9600
Data Bits: 8
Stop: 1
Parity: None
Flow Control: None - Advanced Settings:
Coupler Mode: Callback
Leave the rest of the settings as default. - Press the APPLY button on the screen to finalize the setting.
Configure Ohaus Scale
- Press and hold the MENU-CAL button.
- Toggle the FUNCTION button multiple times until the RS-232 function is shown on screen.
- Configure the RS-232 function (default settings):
Baud: 9600
Data Bits: 8
Stop: 1
Handshake: None
Parity: None
End: Yes - Toggle the FUNCTION button multiple times until the PRINT function is shown on screen.
Stable: Off
A-Print: Off
End: Yes - Press the MENU-CAL button again to exit the menu
Configure the Arlyn UpScale Indicator for Ohaus Integration
- Third Party Model Select: Ohaus Navigator
- Communication Setting:
Baud Rate: 9600
Data Bits: 8
Stop: 1
Parity: None
Flow Control: None - Advanced Settings:
Coupler Mode: Command Pull
Leave the rest of the settings as default. - Press the APPLY button on the screen to finalize the setting.
Optimize Your Scales with Superior Hardware from Arlyn Scales
When your weighing systems begin to reveal their inefficiencies, don’t hesitate: find superior alternatives that fix that gap in your workflow. At Arlyn Scales, we have decades of experience designing, producing, and improving industrial metrology solutions.
The Arlyn UpScale, for example, was born from a need for a versatile, reliable, and efficient digital indicator that could be compatible with a wide range of scales. In fact, since its introduction, we’ve discovered a number of advantages from upgrading to the UpScale.If your operations could benefit from an upgrade, then you’re reading the right paragraph. To determine the best 3rd party tools and platforms for your scales, reach out to our team today.