Inventory Scales

Companies that are inventory-obliged must carry out an inventory of their assets once a year. The material goods must be recorded in terms of quantity by counting, measuring, weighing or, in special cases, estimating. The inventory scales are used as part of the inventory for the physical stocktaking. For this purpose, depending on the type of the items to be recorded, the scales must be able only to weigh or to weigh and convert the weight into quantities. With the increasing number of the items to be recorded, more and more attention is paid, when selecting the inventory scales, to the fact that the weighing data can be transferred directly from the scales to a PC via an interface. Even more convenient are the scales to which scanners and printers or scanners and PCs can be connected and which also have an internal article database. Of course, besides the inventory, the inventory scales can also be used for weighing and determining the quantities. During the inventory, it is advantageous if the scales can be moved without major problems to where the goods to be recorded are stored. For many parts, the easy-to-transport compact scales or platform scales can be used as the inventory scales. For other objects, e.g. those stored in big bags or lattice boxes or for long goods, however, the pallet truck scales, pallet scales or crane scales are more suitable. Some crane scales offer the possibility of entering freely selectable factors, so that, for example, instead of the weight of bundles of pipes or profiles, the numerical value for their length can be displayed.

If you are looking for the inventory scales that are only to display the weight, the selection of the available options can first be limited by the maximum weight to be weighed and the required display accuracy. If it is necessary to weigh both very light parts and very heavy parts, this cannot be implemented with just one device. With the scales that can weigh, for example, 300 kilograms, light small parts cannot be weighed accurately. The usual resolution of the scales with a maximum weight of 300 kilograms is 100 grams, and 10 grams for the models with an increased resolution. After determining which weighing ranges with which resolution are necessary, it should be considered how to weigh and where to place the respective inventory scales. What is the best way to get the parts on or to the scales and back to their storage place? What size should the weighing surfaces have so that the parts can be placed safely? Does the weight of different packaging and storage containers have to be taken into account? How can this be done with as little effort as possible? Almost every inventory scales have a tare function with which the initial weight is reset to zero after the storage container or empty packaging has been placed. Many scales can then display not only the net weight but also the gross weight after weighing. To record the quantity of incomplete packaging units, it is the easiest to first place an identical empty packaging on the inventory scales, then press the tare button and then exchange the empty packaging for the opened one. To determine the weight of the partially filled big packs or storage boxes, for example, crane scales or pallet scales can be used as the inventory scales.

The inventory scales with counting function facilitate the stocktaking for larger quantities of similar parts that have to be recorded piece by piece. Here, too, care must be taken to ensure that the weighing range and display accuracy of the inventory scales fit for the parts to be recorded. If there is no separate indication in the specifications or in the operating instructions of the inventory scales as to what the minimum weight of the parts to be counted must be, it generally applies that the resolution of the scales is the value for the minimum weight of the individual part. In order to determine a number of pieces from the total weight of several parts, the weight for the individual part must be known. So that the inventory scales displayed the number of parts correctly, the piece weight must first be stored in the scales. Almost all the scales with counting function offer the possibility of reference weighing for this purpose. In order to avoid errors in the piece counting due to the tolerances permitted for individual part, the reference weight is usually not determined by weighing a single part, but from a larger number of pieces. In the scales with a simple counting function, it can only be selected between the reference quantities offered by the respective scales, e.g. 10, 20, 50 or 100 pieces. After selecting the reference quantity, the corresponding number of pieces is placed on the weighing surface and confirmed by the button-press. The determined piece weight is then stored in the scales. Afterwards, the piece-counts for larger quantities of this article can be determined. For items with a different individual weight, the new piece weight must again be stored in the inventory scales by means of a reference weighing.

Professional counting scales facilitate the work when the number of pieces has to be determined for many different articles. They have extended input and display functions and can therefore already be recognized by the display and the number of input keys. When the counting function is activated, these scales simultaneously display the total weight, the number of pieces and the piece weight on which the count is based. For this purpose, the display can be divided into several lines. However, the values are even easier for the user to identify if the inventory scales are equipped with three separate displays. Professional counting scales also have an extended keypad with a numeric keypad from zero to nine. Using these numeric keys, the piece weight can be entered quickly and easily and does not have to be determined by reference weighing directly before counting the pieces. The tare weight can also be easily entered via the numeric keypad, so that taring with empty containers is no longer necessary. The values for the various item weights and containers or packaging can be determined in advance by weighing or, if they have already stored in the merchandise management system, they can be queried there and entered in the inventory lists. If the quantity of similar parts from several containers is should be added together, the totalizing function is useful. With this function, the quantities from several consecutive weighings can be summarized in the inventory scales.

If the inventory scales have a suitable interface, the weighing data can be transferred directly to a computer or printer. Many scales have a built-in RS232 or USB interface for this purpose. Some models are equipped with both as standard and the others offer an option of selecting a second interface in addition to an existing RS232 interface, which can be RS232, RS485, USB or LAN. If special software is installed on the computer, the data from the inventory scales can be transferred directly into inventory lists, document forms or also into any warehouse management or merchandise management program opened on the computer. The software transfers the data from the scales to the current cursor position on the computer screen. If certain items need to be weighed more frequently, it is practical if these items are stored in a product data memory in the scales and can be retrieved when needed. For example, in the inventory scales with a product database, the item name, scanner code, unit weight, permissible weight tolerance and item-specific packaging weight can be stored for each listed item. Before an item is weighed, the barcode from the label of the packaging or storage box can be scanned with a scanner connected to the scales, for example, and the scales retrieve the associated item data from the internal database as soon as it has assigned the barcode. However, the item data can also be selected without a barcode, for example, via the item number.