On earthmoving machinery, accurate scales ensure adherence to load bearing capacities and keep machine operators safe from overloading the machine and causing an accident.
Even the highest quality industrial scales become less accurate over time, so it’s important to get them calibrated every 12 months generally, every 6 months in strenuous environments, or every time major hydraulic work is done on them. But how do you do it?
Step 1 – Call Aptella Scale Calibration Services
Aptella provide industrial scale calibration services and accurate weighing solutions for your earthmoving machinery. Our Topcon on-board weighing systems provide accurate weight information on an easy-to-read control box mounted inside the cab. All our industrial scale calibration technicians are trained by the product manufacturer, giving them unrivalled expertise in our calibration services. We provide our scale calibration services on-site from our local service centres.
Call Aptella today on 1300 867 266 to calibrate or re-calibrate your scales!
Step 2 – Choose the right time
Getting your industrial scales calibrated and recalibrated takes time, and you can’t use the scales during that time. That means it’s best to schedule a technician to come out to your workshop, depot, or job site when business is quiet, to ensure as little interference with productivity as possible. If you know you’re busy in November, for example, maybe avoid that month for booking your scale calibration service.
Scale calibration takes about a day, but the exact time depends on how big the scale is. The more weight a scale is designed to take, the longer it takes to calibrate.
Step 3 – Get your mates in on it
Industrial scale calibration technicians are usually stationed in cities or regional hubs, so travel costs to a rural area can be quite high. One way to reduce this cost is to ask other businesses in the area if they need their scales calibrated, and organise to get it done all in one go. That way, you can share the costs involved in bringing the technician out to your area.
Aptella’ licenced technicians are stationed in every state and capital city in Australia. Get a Aptella technician out to your facility now.
Step 4 – Prepare your machine
Your industrial scales should be well maintained in all other aspects before calibration. If the scale is broken or damaged, the damage may affect the calibration service. If the scale is calibrated while damaged, the calibration could be inaccurate once it is serviced. In extreme cases, the scale could be deemed unfit for use before the calibration occurs.
While our industrial scale calibration services amend for the natural wear-and-tear of scale use, if there are underlying problems causing the scale’s inaccuracy, those should be addressed before the technician arrives on site.
For machine scales, getting the scale calibrated on an otherwise damaged machine is like putting new wheels on a broken-down car. There’s no use having accurate machine scales if the loader or excavator cannot safely lift the load it’s weighing.
Step 5 – Aptella calibrate and verify your machine
According to Australia’s National Measurement Institute (NMI), trade measurement law states that scales used for trade must be “reverified after repair or adjustment”. Aptella’ technicians can verify your industrial scales directly after calibration. They send off some paperwork to the NMI for record-keeping purposes, but you don’t need to wait for anything to come back – as soon as Aptella leaves, the scale is good to go.
If the instrument doesn’t pass verification, the technician will assess why, and if it is scale related, try to fix the issue then and there. If it is not scale related, the technician must remove the previous verification sticker and notify the NMI. Aptella technicians will let you know what is broken and ask you to re-book calibration once the machine is fixed.
If you are getting your industrial scale calibrated for non-trade uses, it does not have to go through the verification process. Learn more about what makes a scale trade vs non-trade here.
Step 6 – Get our regular scale calibration service
Industrial scales need to be re-calibrated every 6-12 months depending on the stress of the environment, or whenever the machine has any major hydraulic work completed. After servicing your scale, Aptella technicians can offer a regular scale calibration service based on the frequency that the industrial scale is used, the surrounding environment, their age, their manufacturer, and whether they’re moved from place to place frequently.
Contact Aptella for scale calibration today!
Need your industrial scale calibrated? Call Aptella on 1300 867 266 today, and we can organise a one-off service, a service for your and your mates’ scales, or a regular scale calibration schedule.
We source, deploy and support intelligent positioning solutions to enhance our customers’ productivity.
Aptella Pty Ltd
ABN 56 130 367 065
