A&D Weighing, an ISO 9001 certified company, designs and manufactures a complete line of electronic balances, scales, viscometers, moisture analyzers, weighing indicators and controllers.

GF USED IN COUNTING APPLICATIONS

The D.R. Templeman Company Plainville, CT


Richard, Arthur and David Williams, owners of The D. R. Templeman Company, knew that they had a problem with accurate spring counts.  This was especially true for the smaller springs with unit weights as low as 0.005 pounds per thousand (2 grams per thousand).  The problem was compounded by the fact that the unit weight would vary each time the physical dimensions were adjusted to meet critical load specifications.  The process of counting out a sample of at least 100 pieces, weighing them on a mechanical balance beam scale, calculating a unit weight and using the unit weight to determine piece counts was both time consuming and error prone.  To compensate for these deficiencies, Templeman was routinely giving away an extra 2% of springs in every box in order to avoid complaints of short shipments.

In their search for an accurate counting system, they discovered electronic balances that would give them an accurate unit weight, but would not transfer that unit weight to a larger scale for bulk counts.  They discovered larger capacity scales that could count in bulk, but did not have a high enough resolution to accurately determine the unit weight.  Then they contacted Bob Dumas at Commercial Scale and Balance Company of Agawam, MA.  Bob listened to their concerns and provided a unique solution to their problem.

Using the flexibility built into an A&D balance (200g x 0.001g), Commercial Scale was able to couple the balance to a programmable indicator, which was also coupled to 5 pound and 50 pound scales.  Commercial Scale was then able to write a program for accurately determining unit weights using input from the A&D balance and then use that unit weight to determine piece counts on the balance, the 5 pound scale or the 50 pound scale.  Also built into the program is the ability to store Customer and Part Number data and to print customized barcode labels right at the scale location.  This system gives Templeman the range needed to count their smallest and their largest springs.

Richard Williams says that the unique solution developed by Commercial Scales has greatly increased the accurate of their piece counts and the efficiency of their packing operation.  They no longer feel the need to add an extra 2% in each box and have had fewer complaints about short shipments.  The accuracy of the new counting system has given them the confidence to challenge the complaints they have received and to prevail.