Scales

The Production Reporting Station software supports a couple of types of scales and several different physical scales and interconnection methods.

There are a couple of different types of scales that you might use depending on how your lines are set up.

Scales

No Scale

The default scale type is no scale. This is often used for testing, or for when you will be entering weights manually into the station, or generating net-weight items.

Static Scale

These are typical scales where the operator puts a carton onto the scale, or rolls it onto a set of rollers which are on the load cell. Typically case creation for this type of scale is done when the operator hits the "make case" button on the screen. This scale type can also used for bulk items where the scale is a large floor pallet scale or some similar large load cell. Automatically scale settling is available. For netweight items, the system captures a giveaway record with the actual weight captured.

Weight in Motion

This is an automated scale which is placed in a conveyor line. This is sometimes called a "catchweight" or "checkweight" scale. These are for more automated lines, usually with an automated applicator printer. These types of scales typically generate one weight as the carton passes over the scale conveyor. Case creation is usually automatic as this weight is registered.

Photo Eye

This is another type of "pseudo" scale. It doesn't actually measure weights, but does note the passing of a box over the conveyor and reports the "fill weight" of the carton and makes a case similarly to a Weight-In-Motion scale.

Other Units of Measure

It is also possible to integrate other other unit of measures for reporting besides weight. These are usually for bulk items, not for case tracked items.

Each Counting

It is possible via many different kinds of counters, photo eyes, or even full blow vision systems to identify items on a line and count them so they may be recorded as "eaches" or any other similar unit of measure. This is often done for processing the WIP of netweighted consumer level at some stage before it is packed off into its distribution packaging.

Flow Meters

It is also possible to do something similar to the "each" counting, where output from a flow based system is used to capture gallons, or some similar measure. This is often much less expensive than putting a load cell under large tanks, though not as accurate.