How accurate can my Belt Weigher be?

Accuracy in belting weighing is one of the most commonly misunderstood areas and can be likened to fuel economy statements from vehicle manufactures. Fuel economy tests for vehicles tend to be either simulations or tests in closed circuit environments that are generally overoptimistic in the real world. It is the same for, and is often very misleading, when belt scale manufactures quote accuracy for their products, with the implication that this accuracy can be universally achieved,whatever the site conditions.

More than 25 years experience in the in motion weighing industry has convinced us this is not true. For example, if we take a consistently .25% accurate belt weigher from an environment (actual site or test lab) and install this on a new site it will be "lucky" if the belt scale was able to repeat the same results from the previous environment. The reality is that every site is different and there are many factors that will change from site to site, such as forces from the conveyor, temperatures, gravity etc.

At CST we firmly believe that every scale solution needs to be engineered and custom made to suite the requirements of each application. Once the engineering is completed we will be able to produce a belt weigher with a guaranteed accuracy.

If you want solid information to give you assurance that your belt weigher can meet your accuracy requirements, there are some important questions you need to ask:

• If you are wanting to purchase a belt weigher - Ask the manufacturer to provide the engineering proof for your belt scale solution. If you need help CST can undertake an engineering assessment of your application. We will need you to provide information such as complete our inquiry form and provide a General Arrangement drawing of the conveyor and photographs where possible. We can guide you through this process.

• If you already have a belt scale installed - Ask the manufacturer to prove their accuracy claim by running real world tests by using a controlled testing instrument such as a weighbridge.