Smart Weighing

How advanced features of weighing and inspection solutions pay off for customers

Dynamic checkweighers, digital load cells or software are no longer just a means to an end: modern solutions score with intelligent functions that not only facilitate use, but also save time and money. Minebea Intec, a leading supplier of weighing and inspection solutions, offers a wide range of smart features that pay off for the customer.

In addition to quality assurance, modern weighing or inspection solutions and supporting software are also suitable for increasing the efficiency of production. The adjustment screws that production operators can turn are as versatile as the products they manufacture. Minebea Intec's portfolio offers a wide range of options for increasing output and product quality.

Checkweighers: How trend control eliminates overfills and underfills

For most checkweigher models Minebea Intec offers the option of a trend control. With this option, unnecessary overfilling or underfilling can be avoided, thus saving material costs.

Trend Control focuses on all customers in almost all industries who use filling, portioning or cutting machines. A prerequisite for the use of a trend controller is that these machines can be controlled externally, i.e. that they have suitable inputs for control signals. The checkweigher option trend control, contains software as well as physical outputs and has the task of controlling the machine upstream of a checkweigher via appropriate control signals in such a way that the weight value defined as the target weight is reached as accurately as possible and is kept constant. For this purpose, the weighing results are evaluated accordingly. The result of the evaluation is a control signal (manipulated variable) that is used to adjust the filling, portioning or cutting machine.

But not only the throughput of the production plays an important role here, the higher the raw material value, the faster investments in high-quality checkweighers equipped with trend control option pay back. A decisive prerequisite for the successful use of this feature is that the measuring instrument (checkweigher in this case) delivers highly accurate actual values (weight values), shows as little (temperature) drift as possible and is zero-point stable. But not only dynamic weighing offers possibilities for process optimisation: In tank and silo weighing, Minebea Intec offers an option to supplement analogue load cells to a digital solution with the Converter Connex.

From analogue to digital: Discover new possibilities with Connexx

Load cells provide precise and reliable solutions for weighing tanks or silos. Technologies such as SmartCalibration have long ensured PC-based calibration completely without weights. Minebea Intec goes one step further with the Connexx digital converter and offers the possibility to transform analogue load cells into a smart system as well. The digital upgrade works without having to make any mechanical adjustments to the silo or tank.

Connexx opens up new possibilities that already start with the installation: With the converter, the user saves time and money, as no cable connection box is required compared to analog load cells.

During operation, the fast signal runtimes ensure reliable and precise batching processes as well as optimum transparency. Since weight values are also available individually - per load cell - defective load cells can be easily identified and replaced. The standard CANopen interface enables easy commissioning and calibration via PC. In addition, cable lengths of up to 200 meters are possible. All settings can be viewed and adjusted via the VNC Viewer software - which is a plus in terms of user-friendliness.

read more: https://www.minebea-intec.com/en/latest/press-releases/articles/smart-weighing-how-advanced-features-of-weighing-and-inspection-solutions-pay-off-for-customers