Floor Scales

If you are tasked with finding floor scales, internet search will quickly reveal a wide variety of different floor scales, which can make it difficult to make a quick decision. This purchase advice is intended to help you find the right floor scales for your application. Below we will present the different models in order to evaluate the area of application of the respective floor scales.

Floor scales are the scales that are placed on the floor. The term “floor scales” therefore describes the installation location of the scale and does not yet provide any information about the technical specifications or the application.

Due to the installation location, however, it can be assumed that here it goes about the weighing of the products, which are weighed in the floor area due to the mass or the dimensions accordingly.

Pallets as well as individual bags or larger sheets or rolled products can be weighed using the floor scales.

We recommend observing the work processes at the place of application and consulting with the future user. Together, the appropriate floor scales can then be determined.

Due to the different goods to be weighed, the floor scales are available in different designs, which should then facilitate weighing and handling.

The floor scales can also be found as platform scales, bag scales, pallet scales, drive-over scales, built-in scales, U-shaped scales, beam scales and lift truck scales.

This type of scales is used as table / floor scales in the range of 30 kg up to 300 kg. The display stand is removable, allowing the display unit to be mounted in a variety of operating positions. The goods that are weighed on these floor scales are predominantly goods that are loaded onto the weighing surface either by hand or with a lifting aid. Goods that protrude beyond the weighing surface can also be weighed, but the centre of gravity of the goods should be in the middle of the weighing surface of the floor scales. This is due to the fact that these floor scales are equipped with only one centrally located weighing cell. Due to its design, a disproportionate leverage can damage the load cell. Due to its low price, these floor scales are often used as gas cylinder scales. As long as attention is paid to the leverage effect when loading the floor scales, these floor scales are also well suited for continuous weighing.

In the veterinary field, this type of the floor scales is widely used due to its mobility and flexibility. In addition, the floor scales are still provided with a non-slip rubber mat to ensure the animals a stable stand on the floor scales.

This type of the floor scales has a holder on the weighing plate. This holder is firmly attached to the weighing surface and is therefore a part of the weighing plate. The holder prevents the leaning weighing pieces from tipping over and thus ensures that the complete load can be weighed without errors. This type of the floor scales is especially popular for weighing bags and is also known as the sack scales. The weighing place is on the floor, so that the mostly heavy bags do not have to be lifted unnecessarily. The versions of these floor scales can be equipped with different superstructures depending on the material to be weighed.

In most cases, the term floor scales are associated with the following design.

This is the floor scales with a larger platform of approximately 800 x 800 mm up to special dimensions of 2 x 2 m. This type of the floor scales has at least 4 weighing cells and is often fixed to the floor with an access ramp. These floor scales are delivered ready-for-use and only need to be placed and aligned at the installation site. So, the big advantage of these floor scales is the easy start-up as well as the possibility to weigh the goods in the most different outer packages. Whether it goes about Euro pallets, big bags, drums, IBC containers or bagged goods, every weighing good placed on the platform of the floor scales is reliably weighed.

Due to its size, these floor scales are very massive and are therefore used stationary. The installation place with the appropriate base, as well as the access ways must always be provided for the floor scales. If an access ramp is also needed, the space requirement increases enormously, where other solutions may be necessary.

Due to the height of the floor scales, the access ramps must be correspondingly long. This results in a lower ramp angle and the employee can also drive the goods onto the floor scales with a hand pallet truck.

In order to reduce the space requirement for the floor scales, at least by the drive-on ramp, there is a design solution in which the weighing cells are not placed under the weighing plate, but next to it. These floor scales have an elevation on the sides where the cells are placed. The weighing surface is suspended and therefore not level with the side beams of the floor scales. This results in a larger installation area than the usable area. Example: 1500 x 1500 mm installation area results in 1500 x 1250 mm usable area. Thanks to the reduced height of the usable area, the length of the drive-up ramps can then be shorter.

These are the floor scales that are not placed on the floor, but embedded in the floor. However, for the inlet of the floor scales, there must be an appropriate pit in the ground. There the floor scales are embedded and form one level with the weighing surface and the useful floor surface. The installation space is optimally used due to the lack of the drive-up ramp and the possibility to load the floor scales from all sides. Another advantage of this type of the floor scales is the reduced risk of damaging the floor scales during loading due to collision and lateral forces. However, this type of the floor scales requires certain preparatory work at the installation site, which is not always easy to implement afterwards.

First of all, the pit must be excavated to the appropriate depth. The bottom of the pit should be provided with a slope and a drain, depending on the location, so that any water that may have entered can escape. If possible, the edges of the pit should be reinforced with a steel angle frame to avoid later edge breaks, which could falsify the measured values like a wedge between the pit wall and the floor scales. The installation surface where the feet of the floor scales will be placed when installed must be provided with the fixing plates to prevent the floor scales from slipping in the transverse direction. An empty pipe from the pit to the weighing place should allow the passage of the cable including the plug.

The built-in floor scales should at least allow the adjustment of the adjustable feet from above through the weighing plate. This allows the floor scales to be quickly and easily levelled to the height of the floor. This is very helpful for the setup and alignment of the floor scales. A better solution for the construction and maintenance of the floor scales is the construction solution where there is a possibility to open the platform. In this case, the upper weighing plate is either bolted to the base frame or connected by hinges. The floor scales with the hinges are often installed in the stainless-steel versions, because these floor scales are used where the requirements for hygiene are higher and the surfaces under the floor scales must also be cleaned regularly. Due to the more complex construction, this version of the built-in floor scales is the more expensive solution.

However, if flexible floor scales are desired, there are also mobile and variable floor scales that can be assembled and disassembled depending on the goods to be weighed and the frequency of use.

One of the classics is the so-called U-shaped floor scales.

This U-shaped floor scales allow the ground level weighing with the help of a lift truck or an ant, without having to use an access ramp. The user moves the product to be weighed between the two beams of the floor scale in the raised position and places it on the beams. Thanks to the reduced design and additional transport rollers, these floor scales can be set up and dismantled quickly and easily. The two beams of the floor scales are adapted to Euro pallets. Thus, the use of this U-shaped floor scales is reduced to the dimensions 1200 x 800 mm. The application of the industrial pallets is therefore problematic, since the distance between the installation surfaces differs from the dimensions of the U-shape floor scales.

If pallets or transport boxes of different dimensions have to be weighed, the beam scales as the floor scales can be the right choice. This type of the floor scales consists of two single beams connected by a cable. There are 2 load cells per beam. The length of the beams varies depending on the design of the floor scales and can be from 800 ... 2000 mm. Thanks to the cable connection, the distance between the two beams is flexible and can therefore be adjusted to a wide range of distances. Especially often these beam scales are used in the individual area, where they may be installed in existing substructures.

Another type of the floor scales is the lift truck with scales. This is the most mobile and flexible solution for weighing goods. Since the characteristics of the lift truck fully remain, these floor scales can always be used where a normal lift truck is used. However, it should be noted that the lift truck is a measuring instrument. Excessive mechanical loads, such as transverse and impact loads, which a conventional lift truck can withstand largely without damage, are transmitted to the load cells of the lift truck floor scales, which can be damaged as a result. This refers to the situations where the lift truck is mistakenly used as a battering ram.

The floor scales can also have a completely different shape due to the various applications. For example, floor scales can be found as animal scales or help determine the weight of vehicles.

So, the first step is to find the right type of the floor scales for the application.

The second step is to check any regulations and whether the floor scales you are looking for must comply with them. Regulations such as ATEX and/or calibration are common in the floor scales field.

The ATEX regulations govern the requirements for the equipment for hazardous areas. Only floor scales with a corresponding ATEX approval may be used in this area. The verification obligation comes into play where, for example, the determined weight serves as the basis for calculation. Thus, if the displayed weight value of the floor scales influences the invoice amount when buying or selling (price per kg), this weighing may only be carried out with the calibrated floor scales.

Once the legal requirements have been clarified, you can proceed to the desired technical specifications of the floor scales.

Maximum load and weighing accuracy are the core information to be considered when selecting the floor scales. Here, some deviations between user requirements and what is technically feasible can occasionally occur. A small overview, which maximum load with which resolution is realistic, can be found here. In the case of the floor scales with only one cell, there is also a limitation of the platform size due to the leverage effect.

Verification of the floor scales is performed in class III. This means a permissible verification resolution of 3000d. Therefore, the 1500 kg scales have a resolution of 0.5 kg in the legal-for-trade range (1500 kg: 3000 d = 0.5 kg). The resolution and the verification value must be identical for the verified Class III floor scales.

A persistent misconception is that the verified floor scales are more accurate than the unverified ones. You can see from this table that what is technically possible and what is legally required differ significantly, and that the legal-for-trade capability says nothing about the actual measuring accuracy of the floor scales. To be on the safe side, a possible measuring deviation of 3 to 4 times the measuring resolution (technically possible resolution) can be calculated as a rule of thumb for the non-verified floor scales. However, we recommend a regular check of the measuring accuracy of each floor scales with the help of the defined weights.

The main task of the floor scales is weighing. The question that now arises is what should happen to the displayed weight value after weighing. Is it sufficient for the user to read off the weight value on the display of the floor scales, or should the weighing data be transferred to a PC, for example, or printed out? Perhaps, however, the weight display should also be used to monitor, for example, the filling processes or stock levels. Therefore, the selected floor scales should include the appropriate interface. RS232 / USB / RS485 / MODBUS / CAN BUS / 4-20mA / 0-10V / IO switching contacts are only a small overview of the possibilities of the floor scales.

As with any purchase, the first thing to do is to clarify the requirements. Then the versions available on the market should be matched with the needs. If the floor scales from the standard program cannot cover the needs, a special solution concerning the floor scales can be worked out together.