How do you improve quality control in production? Bench scales are your best friend. Let’s take a dive into what bench scales are, why they’re essential for production quality control, and how they can help improve your workflow.
What is a Bench Scale?
Bench scale is a blanket term for any higher-capacity scale that’s compact enough to be used on a tabletop. Bench scales, especially bench scales with a checkweighing function, are really versatile, meeting the demands of many industries, including production quality control.
Checkweighing is the ability for you to set high and low weight limits on your weighing scale. The scale will then indicate (whether it’s with a beep, colour-changing display or lights) whenever the weight of the object on the pan is more than, within or lower than those weight limits. Checkweighing is excellent for quality control because it helps keep products within specifications.
Why Weighing Scales are Essential for Production Quality Control
From the production of individual pieces to packaging, weighing scales are a crucial component of the quality control process.
Weighing scales help production quality control by:
- Being maneuverable between production lines, so they can be multi-use
- Weighing raw materials to ensure they’re ready to move on to the next stage of production
- Checking products throughout production to guarantee they’re consistently on the right track
- Guaranteeing that final products meet legal guidelines and requirements
- Recording your weighing results for your records, keeping your quality control traceable
How Bench Scales Help Improve Production Quality Control
Bench scales are particularly ideal for production quality control purposes, which is performed at multiple different stages in the production process. Let’s go deeper into how bench scales improve quality control in those stages.
Portable
One of the major benefits of bench scales to a quality control line is their portability. This is due both to their small size and their internal rechargeable batteries. Being able to move a bench scale to different locations reduces the need for multiple machines, especially if shifts are staggered.
Weighing Raw Materials
Your raw materials have a significant impact on how the final product turns out. Bench scales can help guarantee that your raw materials meet your weight specifications, so they can head to the next stage of production.
For example, a screw starts out as a bar of steel alloy, which is then cut to size. Once the size and shape are correct, the weight plays a crucial part – if the steel alloy doesn’t weigh what it should, it could indicate structural problems that would make it unsuitable for its final intended use, like inconsistent material density, surface defects or inclusions.
This can be applied to batch-production, as well. To make 50 bags of coffee, you need to have enough paper or plastic to create the bags. Then, to fill 50 bags with 226.8g of coffee each, each batch of ground coffee must contain at least 11.31kg. Otherwise, you risk underfilling bags when it comes time to package.
Weight Checks During the Production Process
Quality control is about ensuring your product is as consistent as possible, so mistakes aren’t released onto the market. Because production is so fast paced, it’s exceptionally difficult to notice all product defects with the naked eye. Spot-checking samples with a weighing scale can pick up on minute differences you and your team may not see. For example, a bag of coffee looks the same whether it’s been filled with 226.8g of ground coffee or 221.13g, but only one can get your company in trouble!
With a checkweighing bench scale, you can ensure that the sample of product falls within your set guidelines. If they weigh more or less than standard, it’s worth further investigation into whether it’s a batch-wide problem or a minor defect. Catching the problem early saves headaches later.
Another way bench scales can be used during the production process is to spot check production lines themselves. This helps make sure that equipment and automatic filling systems have been properly adjusted and calibrated, to guarantee the highest standard. If your ISO requires you to record and store the info, you’ll be interested to learn about our traceability options later in this blog.
Final Weight Compliance
Because of the legal requirements for packaging and sales, bench scales are important for checking the final product before it goes to market. According to the Weights and Measures (Packaged Goods) Regulations 2006, packages are required to clearly and accurately display the net weight of the product inside. Each country has similar guidelines that state that it’s illegal to sell a product commercially if the net weight is less than what’s declared on the packaging, to protect consumers from paying the same money for less product. Of course, you don’t want to sell an overfilled product, either. The company wastes product and loses money, at that point!
A bench scale can help catch those last-minute defects and protect your company’s bottom line.
Traceability
To catch inconsistencies before they become major problems, you’ll need a regular record of your weighing results. You can connect Adam bench scales to accessories like the , which will help keep an itemized list of weights and checkweighing results. For a more analytical approach, allows you to collect and analyze data from up to eight scales at once, via RS-232 or USB connections.
If you use a different form of data tracking, Adam’s new modules enable you to connect to a PC via Bluetooth, even if your scale doesn’t offer Bluetooth on its own!
Top 5 Adam Bench Scales for Production Quality Control
Adam is a leading supplier of industrial bench scales that are ideal for production quality control, including the five below.
1. Cruiser CKT Checkweighing Bench Scales
is the number 1 choice when you’re searching for an efficient, effective way to checkweigh. With capacities from 4kg to 48kg and readabilities from 0.05g to 0.01kg, it can handle large and small products with precision. Its bright, backlit display changes colour when the product is over or under your set limits, so you know the verdict in an instant. A pre-set tare limit function makes net-weight checks easy, so you can keep within packaging guidelines.
2. GBK-Plus Checkweighing Bench Scales
Our features an extra-large colour-changing display with 40mm-high digits. GBK models boast capacities from 8kg to 120kg and readabilities from 0.1g to 5g and a larger pan, for when you need heavy-duty checkweighing. The GBK-Plus helpfully offers selectable digital filtering for easier quality control of moving items, like liquids, so production isn’t slowed waiting for a reliable result.
3. Latitude LBX Compact Bench Scales
For those who lack space on your benchtop, Adam’s saves room and still provides checkweighing, with traffic light-style LED indicators. A simple display allows for a quick learning curve and multi-functional use, when the scale is shared between departments. With capacities spanning from 3kg to 30kg and readabilities from 0.5g to 5g, Latitude is small but mighty!
4. Aqua ABW-S Waterproof Bench Scales
Is your quality control at risk of getting quite messy? are IP68-rated for full protection against harm from fine particles and liquid. Get protection and quality results, with hidden colour-changing indicators that show up when checkweighing. Capacities from 4kg to 32kg and readabilities from 0.1g to 2g means you’re safe and sound with the Aqua ABW-S.
5. Gladiator Waterproof Bench Scales
For those whose messy circumstances require a bit more firepower, are the right fit for you. Gladiator Bench Scales are IP68-rated, with a large, colour-changing backlight when checkweighing. With your choice between two platform sizes (GGS 250x250mm and GGB 400x300mm models) you can customise your Gladiator experience. Gladiator is industrial strength, providing capacities between 6kg and 75kg, with readabilities between 0.2g and 2g. Make a splash on your production line with the Gladiator! Plus, if any of your products are sold by weight, the Gladiator boasts trade approved models.
Production quality control isn’t easy, which is why you want a reliable bench scale to take some of the pressure off. Adam can provide – give us a call, we’ll help set you up with the right scale.
