a magazine and reference tool for the …...measure the ingredients into a tray, with accuracy down...

A mAgAzine And ReFeRenCe TOOL FOR THe WeigHing indUSTRY / SUmmeR 2011 • iSSUe 1 • vOL. 8

SCAN IT

2 RiCe LAKe mAgAzine | www.ricelake.com

T H i S i S S U e

Editorial StaffCarol Ailes, Technical Writer

melanie Al Faraj, Technical Writer

Tamala Anderson, designer

Cheryl Aune, Literature manager

Bob Chatten, Translator

matt davis, marketing Specialist

Jessica de la Cruz, Writer

melissa Hjelle, marketing Specialist

Katy madden, Senior editor

Kelly musil, Catalog manager

Caleb Olson, Technical Writer, Reporter

Pat Ranfranz, marketing director

Hannah Rechsteiner, designer

Adam Sharpe, Web master

Tina Slayton, marketing Specialist

Kevin Theese, marketing Support

Stacy White, marketing Specialist

Kristina zengaffinen, Senior designer

Mobile technology is sweeping the world. handheld devices like sMartphones are playing a wider, and very soon indispensable, role in everyday life.

Rice Lake is ahead of the curve. Now our catalogs, technical manuals, literature, and part numbers are available on phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops.

We’re looking for the next innovation to make Rice Lake information even handier. For example, see the cube at the right? It’s called a Quick Response, or QR code—a unique matrix barcode readable by QR barcode readers and camera phones.

To try it, scan the QR with your smartphone—you’ll go straight to m.ricelake.com—the mobile version of our website.

There, you can even access this Rice Lake magazine. It is packed cover-to-cover with interesting scale applications in weighing and process control. You’ll find information about wireless technology including the differences between Bluetooth®, ZigBee® and Wi-Fi. We also visit Rice Lake equipment applications at a commercial bakery, a manufacturer of car racks for sports equipment, a busy stone quarry, and a facility that performs force testing on airplane wings.

Whether online or printed we hope you enjoy this issue. Then, feel free to take a moment to use any of today’s innovative forms of technology to tell us what you think. Call, email, or post a note on our Facebook page at facebook.com/ricelakeweighingsystems.

We enjoy hearing from you.

Pat RanfranzDirector of Marketing

Pat is a private pilot . He has spent years searching the Pacific for missing WWii American air crews—one including his uncle.

www.ricelake.com | RiCe LAKe mAgAzine 3

T H i S i S S U e

rice lake MagaZine

Online going green? access the rice lake magazine online.

you will enjoy the same great stories plus links to more

information. also, with electronic access, you can easily

share articles with employees and customers.

To Subscribego to www.ricelake.com/ricelakemagazine

and complete the online form. it’s that easy.

if you have any questions, please email us at

[email protected].

RICE LAKE MAGAZINE • Summer 2011 • Issue 1 • Vol. 8

Inside

page 4 What’s New 920i® FlexWeigh Systems, 720i™ Advanced Truck mode, Lift truck test

weight, RailBoss™ rail scale, and RS-232 to USB Smart Cable. page 6 Raising the Dough

How a single inventor fabricated a batching system for bakeries and burglars burgled the prototype.

page 9 Give Your Balance a Brain Using the 920i as a serial scale control adds

intelligence to precision weighing. page 10 Search for the Missing Part

Thule makes sure all the parts are in the box of auto racks for sporting equipment.

page 13 Smoothing the Road Chrysler uses four pit-style Roughdecks®

to checkweigh automobile center of gravity. page 14 Wing Walking the 920i

Stress-testing airplane wings with analog load cells disguised as digital load cells.

page 18 Time Flies at Tilcon Automated Ticketing Systems cut the chit-chat and

increase rock quarry throughput. page 22 Blowin’ in the Wind A comparison of

Bluetooth®, zigBee® and Wi-Fi wireless technology.

6

10

14

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ricelakeweighingsystems


FrOm OFF-The-ShelF TO ready-TO-weIgh

920i® Flexweigh Systems Process Control

Pre-engineered and programmed, 920i flexweigh systems are rice lake’s turnkey solution to manufacturers’ most com-monly used weighing processes. no need for lengthy quoting and design. Each 920i flexweigh systems model is a standard design, factory tested and programmed for your specific task—yet customizable to allow you to do it your way. for more information visit ricelake.com/920iflexweigh. ▪

The 720i™ yOu need FOr TruCk SCale enTerPrISeS

720i Programmable Indicator with advanced Truck mode (aTm)

advanced truck Mode offers more data storage

and reporting capabilities. ramped-up memory

capacity stores up to 99 unique customers,

material, or source files and 1400+ transaction

files. With ATM, the 720i programmable indicator

can provide a wide range of useful reports—by shift, customer, material and a summary

of the day or entire data range. see a demonstration at ricelake.com/webinars. ▪

CheCk lIFT TruCk SCale aCCuraCy wIThOuT dISmOunTIng The lIFT TruCk

lift Truck Test Weightoperators stay safely in the lift truck cab. no hooks, chains or spreader bars to adjust, and accuracy verification is fast and easy. drive in, lift, set down, and back to work.

designed for pancake cargo scales and fork truck scales. Mild steel painted weight. astM class 6 toler-ance. 1000- and 2000-lb weight. For more information visit ricelake.com/ltweight. ▪

W H AT ’ S n e W


wISh yOu COuld weIgh raIlCarS beFOre They leave yOur yard?

RailBoss™ rail Scale fits in your yard and your budget

Many scrap yards, agricultural operations and plants that could never afford the

installation downtime and cost of a conventional rail scale can afford to install

railboss. it usually takes less than eight hours to install and is one-third the cost

of conventional rail scales.

The system is a series of 5'10" rail sections fitted with strain gauges. Each rail

section is a weighbridge for a single wheel. the system provides total car weight

plus individual truck weight. (not legal-for-trade) for more information visit

ricelake.com/railboss. ▪

Plug In ThIS Cable and COnneCT SerIal devICeS TO yOur PC Or maC

RS-232 to USB Smart Cable

scales, balances, rfid or barcode readers

can be connected, allowing the operator

to instantly see output on screen.

no software or driver installation required.

the smart cable draws power from the

Usb port, requiring no external power

supply. windows® 7 no longer has a free

hyperterminal. with the smart cable, you

can test RS-232 and be sure data

is outputting. for more information visit

ricelake.com/smartcable. ▪

Unplugare you hardwired to rS-232?

“The scale industry is hardwired to RS-232,” Ann

crowley, rice lake product manager, holds up

one of many cables snaking off her desk. they

often overlook using ethernet® to send data from

the production line to their office.

“we recently had a request from a Motoweigh®

customer. they wanted a printer to carry around

occasionally to print data from the production

line.” Ann suggested they use a printer with

ethernet capabilities. “they can print out their

reports to the printer in the office as needed and

they don’t have to carry around a printer.”

the customer needed a small footprint and wide

printout. The TSP800 Star printer with Ethernet

option filled the bill. ▪

W H AT ’ S n e W


John imparato, the proud and colorful owner of giannella Modern baking company in paterson, new Jersey, has one of those

“bigger-than-life” personalities that makes meeting him an unforgettable experience. his bakery is famous for authentic old world breads baked from recipes handed

down through his family—recipes John wants kept secret.Marcelo Tise, engineer, inventor, and owner of Advanced Automation, Riverdale, N.J., had experience working with bakery equipment and knew what needed improving at Giannella. The result is a minor-ingredient batching system geared toward the baking industry and named

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the Batch Process Analysis (BPA) system, all designed, fabricated and installed by Advanced Automation in Riverdale. With BPA’s modular design, Marcelo and his team can design and build systems with as many ingredient hoppers as needed, and write all the software needed as well.

The BPA also allows bakeries to tweak recipes for maximum cost savings. For instance, if a recipe calls for five pounds of sugar, a bakery could leave out one ounce of sugar from each batch. The end prod-uct will be consistent from batch to batch, and the BPA allows a bakery’s recipes to remain secret under password protection.

The BPA has a very small footprint, taking no more room than the work

benches used today. The system also allows bakeries to track all minor in-gredients without having to put pen to paper. Giannella uses eight IQ plus® 355 weight indicators and one 820i® weight indicator. The IQ plus 355 indicators have analog outputs that the PC reads. It is used to monitor the weight in any one of eight feed hoppers that are filled with micro ingredients for commercial baking. The PC stores the many family-secret formulas. The operator can select the formula he or she wants. The 820i indexes a moving bench scale under the feed hoppers. As the hoppers get low on product, a signal is sent to the batch master who manually re-loads. Software automatically tracks and records daily

production runs, allowing bakeries to adhere to strict standards demanded by quality regulation associations.

Through the BPA’s touchscreen system, workers can select the recipe and the total batch count and hit “run.” The BPA will measure the ingredients into a tray, with accuracy down to the ounce, eliminating waste of expensive minor ingredients.

It took Marcelo about a year and a half to develop the BPA, from conception to programming to manufacturing. The machine and software system conforms to, and in some instances surpasses, all mandatory ingredient traceability and handling standards.Continued on page 8

John demonstrates the old way—when bakers mea-sured ingredients by eye and instinct, with a pinch of this and a scoop of that. He scoops and pinches ever more expensive ingredients like sugar and flour out of a barrel before weighing them on a baker’s scale. This inevitably results in waste and spillage.

With BPA’s modular design, marcelo and his team can design and build systems with as many ingredient hoppers as needed. The eight-silo BPA, 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide, stands in the back corner of giannella’s, turning out perfect batches every time.

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“i can’t control the prices of my ingredients, but i can control how much i use. bpa was the answer. since installing bpa we increased our yield, tracked our use,

and traced raw products via lot numbers down to the batch number. no more writing down lot numbers or errors in my batch. our operators just

select the recipe, select the mixer to use, and start the batch.”

John Imparato, president of giannella modern baking Company, Paterson, n.J.


During initial installation and setup, Marcelo ran into some glitches with one of the scales and called Joe Geisser, direc-tor of Rice Lake’s Northeastern region. Joe told Marcelo not to worry. He would be there the next day, and he would stay there until the system was up and run-ning perfectly.

Angela said, “It was this level of com-mitment that solidified the reason for Marcelo to depend on Rice Lake for all his needs when it comes to all scales and accessories.” Angela added, “Whether it is a Saturday at 2 p.m. or a regular work day, Joe Geisser and the Rice Lake team have been there to support us with ALL of our needs. We appreciate that. We be-lieve in that same level of commitment.”

Angela confides, “We love Joe...we love Rice Lake.”

What became of the missing trailer? It was found ditched along the roadside. Security video caught the thieves cutting the lock and hitching up the trailer. It turns out that the theft wasn’t to steal Marcelo’s invention. There was also a Harley-Davidson show going on, and the perps thought there were a couple of nice “hogs” in the trailer. The thieves went to prison for grand theft. The prototype was returned to Marcelo—disassembled. Had the thieves actually stolen a bro’s bike, they might have been disassembled and ditched themselves. ▪

Raising the Dough continued from page 7

angela recalls, “we were floating

on air— until we went outside to the parking lot; the trailer with the

prototype inside was gone!”

Just-in-time technologyThe introduction of the BPA to the market falls directly in line time-wise with President Barack Obama’s signing of the Food Safety modernization Act (FSmA) into law on January 4. The bill brings the first major updates to U.S. food safety legislation in more than 70 years. it requires food processors and manufacturers to be able to verify that any imported ingredients or products are produced in compliance with U.S. laws and regulations. The food safety bill also calls for increasing government inspections at food processing facilities and, for the first time, gives the Food and drug Administration (FdA) the power to recall unsafe foods.

The Food Safety modernization Act requires the FdA to establish a product tracing system, which, in turn, could force food companies to better track the supply-chain movement of each ingredient used in every batch. Bakers in new Jersey, for example, will need to document which sack of salt they used to make the last round of semolina bread, and more impor-tantly, which stores and restaurants received those loaves. ▪

what trailer?the Advanced Automation team showed their first BPA prototype at the Interna-tional Baking Industry Exposition in Las Vegas last September. Companies of all sizes showed great interest in Marcelo’s innovative solution.

Angela Falzarano, director of New Business Development, said, “After the show, we were floating on air—until we went outside to the parking lot. The trailer with the prototype inside was gone!” Angela recalls a comment Marcelo made at the time, ‘This is not going to bring us down!’ ”

Indeed, it did not. Marcelo’s team rebuilt the BPA and made it even better.

Today, the eight-silo BPA, 10 feet tall and 8 feet wide, stands in the back corner of Giannella’s, turning out perfect batches every time.

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Center: marcelo Tise, and left: Angela Falzarano


T e C H TA L K

Balances typically have some built-in functions for weighing, counting or percentage calcula-tions, but do not have configurable controls or outputs to each application. Rice Lake can cre-ate custom software linking the control power of the 920i indicator/controller to any precision balance application. Using the 920i as a serial scale controller (without an A/D scale) gives precision weigh-ing the same flexibility and programmability demanded in industrial weighing.

example 1: This custom program was designed for a pharmaceutical company.

The custom 920i program allows the user to directly interface a scanner to the 920i. The operator can either scan or input data through the 920i keypad. The scanner has the ability to scan code 39 or 128. The 920i interfaces to the Datamax® M-4206 label printer and produces a label bearing a Datamatrix barcode. These labels are manually applied to boxes. This system can also be connected to two serial scales.

Feature descriptionsStorage for 5000 Products.Data prompted for entry:

• Raw material grade• STD weight number

• Lot number• Expiration date

example 2: This solution was created for an application where micro ingredients as little as one milligram are precision-weighed before adding to batches weighing 1,000 lbs or more.

The recipe consists of several ingredients (up to 10) and each ingredient may have multiple lots (maximum lots per ingredient is three).

If the target for the the ingredient is 550 grams:

1. The operator places an empty pan on the balance and zeroes the scale.

2. The operator adds product to the pan.

3. The 920i prompts “Enter/Scan Lot.” The operator scans the 39 barcode with the lot number or keys it on the 920i front panel. If it is a valid lot for that ingredient in

the recipe database, it will continue, otherwise it will jump to the “Super-visor Needed” section.

4. The gross weight from the scale is stored and subtracted from the target.

example 3: The end user needs to mea-sure the density of pork skin. Pieces are measured and cut a determined length and width. The operator is prompted to enter this length and width in millimeters. The operator then pushes the print button on the balance and the 920i computes the value and displays in grams per cubic centimeter.

The 920i is programmed for a serial scale input using the TS-6200 balance. The TS-6200 balance was chosen for the platform size and IP65 rating for washdown.

Just three examples from many options, adding precision to the intelligence used in industrial weighing and giving your balance a brain—it’s the smart thing to do! ▪

give your balance a brain

Add 920i® intelligence to precision weighing

By Ann Crowley, Rice Lake product manager

imagine being responsible for quality control—

with newly hired packers packing thousands of car rack kits

containing dozens of parts during your busiest season.

Imagine being a customer service rep taking “missing part”

calls from people assembling their thule car rack

for a weekend trip leaving tomorrow.

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John Bova, Thule quality coordinator, acknowledges, “Last year was a phe-nomenal year for us. We were so busy; we set all kinds of records. The size of our workforce tripled. The ratio of new people to experienced people was four to one. That brought in a whole new array of challenges for training and quality control.

“We received complaints from customers about missing parts and hardware. At that time we were doing what we called

‘dock audits.’ We would go out to our shipping area a couple of times a day, open random boxes, see what was inside to make sure everything was there. If something was missing, packers would have to take apart the whole skid of boxes. It meant shutting down the line so they could go through every box, count the parts, re-pack and re-tape. If it was a big issue, we might ask them to go to the warehouse and check everything they had packed that day. We pack thousands

of boxes a week. So the likelihood of us finding something just by random checking was slim.”

Thule was determined to give their customers a product that presented the best buying experience. The Thule quality control group determined the cost of labor alone in one year to investigate customer complaints, find the missing part, write the order, and send to ship-ping was about $30,000. Thule created Continued on page 12

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who is Thule?The next time you see a sleek car rack for sports gear, look for the distinctive THULe logo, pronounced “Too-lee.” in 1942, Thule was founded in Sweden by the Thulin family, when erik Thulin put his name on a Pike Trap he designed and sold in Scandinavia. By the 1960s, the company concentrated on car-related products, and the first roof rack was born. new

product categories were added in the 70s, and new markets all over the world were opened.

Thule north America is headquartered in Seymour, CT.– a perfect setting. Thule employees share a common bond

of passion for their chosen sport. Seymour is surrounded by hilly roads along the naugatuck River Watershed. The parking

lot is filled with small, smart cars bristling with racks and carriers.

We are an international group of passionate people who help active families, outdoor enthusiasts, and professionals find safe, easy, and stylish ways to transport their gear. Working for Thule is more than just a job. Our employees live an active lifestyle and bike, ski, run, hike, sail, and camp—on their own or with colleagues at Thule supported events.

Connecticut is biking beautifulThe state extends 90 miles (145 km) from east to west and 55 miles (90 km) from north to south. The state is divided into two sections, the eastern highland and the western highland, which are separated by the Connecticut valley lowland. in the south, low rolling coastal plain leads to the Connecticut shore and the famous bike trails along Long island Sound.

“Fifteen or more people will go out for a noon ride. most of our rides are ten to fifteen miles. Some people take an hour; some can do it in thirty minutes. And we have lots of people who do marathons and triathlons.”

“i think the gas crunch gave our business a boost. People are buying smaller cars so they need racks and rooftop carriers. People are taking shorter trips by car and longer trips by bike, canoe, and kayak.”John Bova

some unique package-identifying procedures to reduce costs but were still not satisfied.

John Bova’s team decided to look into a checkweighing system that would also record product ID for traceability. John Russo, Jr., integration specialist with Progressive Scale & Software Solutions, Bethel, CT., designed the first system using four scales running off the 920i®. John Bova says, “We tried that for about six or eight months to work the bugs out. During the six months prior to in-stalling the system, we found 120 boxes with missing parts. Once the system was installed, the drop in missing part com-plaints was immediate. After we tested it, my plan was to spread the application through the entire plant, and I had a year to put together the plan, get capital funding, and marshal equipment.”

Thule corporate folks interviewed the distributors and end users at trade shows. When asked about product concerns, the most outstanding complaint involved missing parts in packages. Several dis-tributors objected to the cost for them to replace the part and meet customer deadlines. The package checkweighing

Search for the Missing Part continued from page 11

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John Russo, Jr., improved on the first 920i-based system. “To reduce cost, i used 720i’s. now the user can checkweigh and see the actual results.“ Operators can now enter a comment recording what was wrong or missing.

“all the cell leaders can change jobs; these

720i systems can be rolled to where they’re

needed. it’s a great benefit to have

the display right in front of them.”

John bova, Thule quality coordinator

solution became an obvious answer to the problem. Checkweighing 100% of the packages makes the best buying experi-ence for Thule customers.

“Corporate had been thinking of systems to ID product for traceability, and we were already on it from the checkweigh-ing for missing parts.” Representatives from the corporate office in Sweden came out, looked at the solution, and wanted it duplicated. “They’re talking about all the products and plants. In October we’ll do Chicago, then Florida, then Massachu-setts, then Europe.”

John Russo, Jr., improved on the first 920i-based system in the second build. “To reduce cost, I used 720i s instead of the 920i. Now the user can checkweigh and see the actual results whereas we were just running a light box with a remote 920i. When there is an error, the operator can enter a comment to record what was wrong and which part was missing.” The first system John designed was hard-wired. But because of the way Thule constantly

changes their packing areas, this second system has evolved into 16 wireless 720i units networked back to a computer run-ning MS SQL Server 2005 Express Editor. The units can be rolled to any work cell as needed. John is working on an even more sophisticated system which will include negative weighing—checking to see if the operator took a part from a bin.

John Bova is pleased. “All the cell leaders can change jobs; these 720i systems can be rolled to where they are needed. It’s a great benefit to have the display right in front of them. I can monitor the whole system at my desk and pull up all the scales or any one scale and monitor to read the comments in real time. If I see a lot of errors, I can go and investigate what may be going wrong; maybe they’re putting in the wrong hardware bag or maybe they changed cartons.”

When you assemble your car rack from Thule, they want you to be completely satisfied. It’s part of the Thule experience from start to the finish line. ▪

Smoothing the road:roughdecks® checkweigh Chryslers

in 1920, Walter P. Chrysler teamed up with three ex-Studebaker engineers to design a revolutionary new car. They defined the Chrysler brand as affordable “luxury” vehicles known for innovative, top-flight engineering. Within a decade of its founding, Chrys-ler Corporation had earned the title of detroit’s “engineering company.” Their automotive firsts included Floating Power (a new method of mounting engines to isolate vibration), replace-able oil filters, downdraft carburetors and one-piece curved windshields. For years, Chrysler enjoyed a premium luxury position competing with Cadillac and Lincoln.

Following Fiat’s acquisition of a 20% stake in Chrysler LLC, Fiat declared their plan to return the brand to an upmar-ket marque and launched their market-ing slogan—Imported from Detroit. One example of that return to top-flight engineering and luxury is a smooth, quiet ride. Toward that end, Ron Little, Kanawha Scales, michigan, has devised an unusual application of Roughdecks.

The system consists of four pit-style Roughdecks® and a 920i dual channel indicator that is set up in Chrysler’s “customer satisfaction audit area” at the auto manufacturing plant in east detroit. Ron explains that during each shift, twenty cars are “audited” by being driven over the four scales. The driver gets out and scans the vin number sticker into the 920i. The system weighs each wheel, records the individual wheel weight, combined weight, time and date. The information is then passed on to each local plant and then on to corporate over Chrysler’s dedi-cated server. The whole process takes about 30 seconds. Kanawha installed the first test system in 2008. After sev-eral months of testing, Ron has installed several more systems in Chrysler plants in the U.S. and Canada. ▪

Continued on page 16

an estiMated one oUt of three people is afraid to fly. their constant thoUghts of what Might go WRoNG CAN bE oVERWhELMING. AFTER ALL, WhEN SoARING 30,000 FEET IN ThE AIR, oNE CANNoT PuLL oVER FoR a pit stop in the rare case of an eMergency. Fortunately, innovations in the industry are helping to improve systems and equipment—and thus easing the fears of the bug-eyed flier.

Before assembly of an aircraft can even begin, one of a plane’s most essential elements—the wings—must undergo strenuous force testing. Sophisticated system diagnostics are integrated, and rigorous maintenance schedules must be followed.

One Quebec wing manufacturer has been performing these tests for over 25 years. Because of the wide range of plane sizes, wing specifications are diverse and so are their test requirements. A Cessna wing’s force threshold is obviously less than a passenger jet’s threshold. Sturdy wings can be guaranteed by using an indicator to interpret these force tests into a weight value. However, when Balances Industrielles Montréal (BIM) started working with the wing manufac-turer in 2006, they observed that inefficient data capturing and collection were elements that could be corrected and streamlined with Rice Lake’s durable load cells and 920i® programmable indicator.

Simon Grenier, programmer analyst for BIM, had an idea. Simon thought it would be ideal to use a variety of load


a cessna wing’s force threshold is obviously less than a passenger jet’s threshold. by using a 920i programmable indicator to interpret these forces as weight values, sturdy and balanced wings can be designed; providing smooth flights to soothe the bug-eyed flier.

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by Caleb Olsen, reporter

cells for different wings tests to accom-modate the different load requirements. With only two indicators on site, it would require the creation of a custom plug-and-play load cell system.

Simon contemplated the possibility of starting with a six-wire cable, but using only the standard four-wire connection and repurposing the additional two wires.

Could he disguise an analog load cell as a digital load cell that could be recognized by the controller?

Simon began work on the plug-and-play load cell system. He applied resistance to the two supplementary wires—which are only on the connector and are not going to the load cell. “When we connect, it is linking the analog input that is sending a signal to it,” Simon explains. “The signal travels through the resistance and returns with a value we use to assign an ID for that load cell. Because each

load cell undergoes a 25,000-pound bench test for calibration and we use the same simulator for each load cell in the system, we are able to calculate an accu-rate resistance factor for each load cell.

“In the database, we have a correction factor to the calibration that we have done with the simulator. So when we perform the 25,000-pound bench test, we determine the difference between

what it’s supposed to show, with what we get. The multiplier required to bring it back to the correct value is added to the 920i database. If a portable bench test for 25,000 pounds would be easy to bring to the customer, we could have used some-thing much simpler, but they are sending the load cell here without an indicator.”

Simon explained when they plug in the load cell, it uses the calibration and applies the correction factor before dis-playing the weight. “No linearity point is required, but it gives the correct calibra-

tion for wherever the load cell is plugged in on any indicator. We mirror the same database in all their indicators, and it’s adjusting the weight automatically to give them the correct value.”

Each indicator reads two load cells simultaneously and captures one weight per second for 45 minutes at a time, recording immense amounts of information. This data is stored in the

920i’s internal memory for up to 12 hours before it is downloaded to a PC via a 920i WLAN option card. Prior to BIM’s system, only raw data could be recorded. Now, with the comprehensive 920i da-tabase, more meaningful data can be collected.

“When weights are cap-tured, we link all informa-tion through the database, including employee num-ber, time, date, and type of wing. We create a graph showing the high and low values and the estimated breaking point assigned to that wing. The client imports the database access file and can immedi- ately see the test results by looking at the graph. They used to spend significant time analyzing the data. It would take a full day for only a few tests. Now, they just click a button and the job is done.”

Wing Walking the 920i continued from page 14

Simon says “plug in your load cell.”With Simon grenier’s one-of-a-kind system, any load cell can be connected and display an accurate weight on the fly. Referencing a database of predetermined correction factors paired with load cell ids, the system applies the appropriate factor before displaying the weight value.

BIM also incorporated another visual aid into the system—a warning light that indicates when the test is approach-ing the estimated breaking point. This decreases the possibility of too much weight being accidentally applied to a wing. Since each wing’s test specifica-tions are in the 920i database, adding the light was a breeze.

BIM is not done with the system yet, however. The client has been working on external battery power, and BIM is pro-gramming a low-battery alert. Using the


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same analog input, BIM is programming the 920i to get a battery voltage reading at specified time intervals (every five minutes). When the voltage drops below a certain level, an alert will be displayed. “It is another step to make them more efficient,” Simon says. “After they saw the improvements with our first system, they are all about efficiency.”

Simon explains before the new system was in place, the old setup was con-stantly breaking. “The load cell was like a plastic box. It was a nightmare. The solution we had at first was a simple system with a competitor’s indicator. The project really evolved after we had training with Rice Lake.” The com-petitor’s indicator used a programming language that was too difficult. “With a book, I could read the code if it was very small, but it seemed like gibberish. These days, a lot of people are familiar with the basics of programming, and when you look at the Rice Lake code, it is structured like any PC programming language. You just need to learn the spe-cific commands for the application.”

Simon recalls that a lot of programming was involved, but when it was up and working, he was pleased, though not surprised. “I was confident in the Rice Lake equipment. Recording everything was no problem.”

Capturing a stable resistance value through the repurposed load cell wires was more of a challenge. When the load cell is connected, the wire is moving and the resistance gives different values. Simon decided to put a timer on capturing the resistance—when a change in voltage is detected, a three-second timer begins before the value is captured, allowing for stability. When a load cell is con-nected to the calibration system at BIM, an automated message, “Recondition in Progress,” is displayed and a confirma-tion message appears when the load cell is complete. “It’s perfect!” Simon explains. “We have never had a load cell that didn’t detect, and we are very happy with them. The client is rough on their connectors, which is why the old ones were always breaking. We have a good load cell with a good connector now.”

Adding new load cells to the system is easy; the client simply sends it to BIM for calibration. Once finished, BIM sends the load cell back with an updated data file containing the new load cell ID. Current data is updated with the new calibration factor.

The client is currently manufacturing the lower portion of the wings, but they are in the process of adding the upper part, so the system will need to be modified to accommodate a different test. BIM is also working on automating the system with hydraulic jacks controlled by the 920i.

A once simple application has evolved into a sophisticated data collection behemoth with plug-and-play, auto-matically calibrated load cells. With the help of Rice Lake as co-pilot, Balances Industrielles Montréal has been able to soar to safe new heights. ▪

O n L O C AT i O n

New scale techs learn a lot on the job, and they learn even more in our classroom. Even experienced scale techs benefit from ongoing training to keep up with the latest weighing equipment, software and techniques.

Rice Lake Technical Training Seminars are the quickest, surest and most economical means to bring all your scale techs up to speed. Newcomers learn the basics— old hands learn new skills.

Grad School for Scale Techs

Go to ricelake.com/training for class dates and details, or call Paul Cernick: 715-434-5128

800-472-6703 • www.ricelake.commobile: m.ricelake.com


automated Ticketing Systems increase plant throughputTime Flies at Tilcon

O n L O C AT i O n



tilcon owns and operates doZens of qUarries, asphalt and recycling plants, water terMinals, and highway constrUction divi-sions, in new york and new Jersey. At the Mount Hope Quarry alone they weigh hundreds of trucks on a busy day. Advance Scale Company, Inc., Rockaway, N.J., has installed Automated Ticketing Systems (ATS) on the truck scales to handle that volume of traffic and the enormous amount of data they generate.

“Safety–Productivity–Data Security–Lower Overhead”

There are four major reasons for using the Rice Lake Automated Ticketing Systems. You might even be able to justify the purchase of an ATS if you had only two of these im-portant reasons, but when you can hit all four, you will have made a big contribution to your company’s bottom line. The management at Tilcon. recognized this important tool several years ago as a means of gaining more throughput from their truck scale transac-tions, and have instituted a program to install an ATS at all of their truck scales.

efficiencyIn the past it took an average of three minutes (and sometimes up to eight minutes) for a truck to drive on a truck scale, capture a weight, drive off the scale, have the driver

automated Ticketing Systems increase plant throughput

ellen Hays, Tilcon weigh master, has a large sign taped on her window: “geT OFF YOUR PHOne, please.”

Ronnie mattia, Tilcon weigh master, has seen incredible improvements in efficiency. “it wasn’t so long ago, everything—driver id, weight, product—was recorded manually.”

Time Flies at Tilcongo into the scale house to get his ticket, get back in his truck and drive off. These trips were sometimes drawn out by con-versation and coffee.

Rice Lake Weighing Systems’ ATS has reduced this three-minute process to 45 seconds. The driver now drives on the scale, takes the ticket from the kiosk with-out leaving the cab, converses through an intercom with three of the most efficient (and friendly) weigh masters in the indus-try, and moves on.

Inside the scale house, Ellen Hays, Ronnie Mattia and Chrissy Bishop, weigh mas-ters, say “saving time” is the first advantage of the ATS. Weigh masters like to keep the line moving fast; it makes time fly. When truckers came into the scale house, they were likely to visit a few minutes. According to Ellen, “We would talk about traffic or weather or family. We are still able to offer a friendly greeting over the intercom and keep the traffic moving without ignoring the personal contact”. Cell phones can be a problem when the

O n L O C AT i O n


driver is chatting instead of processing the ticket. Ellen has a large sign taped on her window, “GET OFF YOUR PHONE, please.”

SafetyDan Batelli, supervisor of Tilcon’s scale operations, is enthusiastic about auto ticketing. And, surprisingly, not primar-ily because they are operating far more efficiently. “Safety” was the first benefit he mentioned—keeping truckers in their vehicles. “Tilcon is committed to a full-bore safety program.”

It was obvious that this statement is true. When we got out of our vehicle, Paul Gerard instructed us to turn our wheels into the curb so that the vehicle would

not go straight down the incline where we had parked. Hard hats and safety vests were the order of the day while out of the vehicle. We knew going in that safety was not just a slogan on the wall at Tilcon.

When the driver gets out of the truck, there is an increased opportunity for injury. With hundreds of trucks passing through the yard daily—in snow, ice, and rain—keeping drivers in their trucks keeps them safer and lowers liability risk for Tilcon.

reduced CostsBefore the ATSs were installed, each of the scales needed a weigh master stand-ing at a booth taking care of drivers, one at a time. Now three weigh masters handle all the scales with the streamlined process created by the ATS.

O n L O C AT i O n

Time Flies at Tilcon continued from page 19

The dirt on gravelgravel is any loose rock that is of particular particle size. geologic classes place gravel between sand and cobble. gravel can also be classified by size—gran-ule and pebble. One cubic yard of gravel typically weighs about 3,000 pounds; or a cubic meter is about 1,800 kilograms.

gravel can also be distinguished by type.

• Bank gravel is gravel intermixed with sand or clay.

• Bench gravel is a bed of gravel located along the side of a valley, usually the former location of a stream bed when it was higher.

• Creek rock is rounded, semi-polished stones, potentially of a wide range of types, dredged or scooped from river and creek beds.

• Crushed rock is rock that is mechanically broken into small pieces then sorted by filtering through various size screens.

• Crushed stone is crushed limestone or dolomite, screened to size classes, widely used in concrete and to surface roads and driveways, often topped with tar.

• Limestone crushed stone is dense grade aggregate (dgA), or crusher run, a mixed grade of mostly small crushed stone in a matrix of crushed limestone or dolomite powder.

• Fine gravel consists of particles with a diameter of 2 to 4 mm.

• Lag gravel is a surface accumu-lation, or topping, of coarse gravel produced by removing finer particles.

• Pay gravel is also known as “pay dirt”; a nickname for gravel with a high con-centration of gold and other precious metals, which are famously recovered by panning.

• Pea gravel consists of small, rounded stones used in concrete-surfaced sidewalks and driveways, and in home aquariums.

• Piedmont gravel is coarse gravel washed down from high ground by mountain streams and deposited on relatively flat ground, where the stream runs slower.

• Plateau gravel is a layer of gravel on a plateau or other region above the height where stream-terrace gravel is usually found.

• River run gravel is naturally deposited gravel found in and next to rivers and streams.

Source: Wikipedia.org

Secure dataWeights are captured electronically and information is streamed to their Enter-prise Software that keeps track of all costs, inventory, and billing. No keying errors. Keying errors cost most companies 1% to 2% in annual revenue. No paper to lose or misplace. They have captured the information, which is only going into their system.

Dealing with the environmental issues on the high-activity truck scales at Tilcon represented a challenge that Paul and Kyle Vough, Advance Scale senior techni-cian, had long prepared. The kiosks are located out in the weather. Hot in sum-mer, and way below freezing in winter. High volume meant frequent changes of ticketing stock.

Everyone interviewed explained how the ATS improved their workday. Efficiency, safety, reduced cost and secure data—those are the four big reasons Tilcon lists. How would Automated Ticketing Systems improve your workdays? ▪

Right: Paul gerard, Advance Scale vice president of operations, and Kyle vough, Advance Scale senior technician, installed and maintain ATSs on the Tilcon truck scales to efficiently handle hundreds of trucks a day.

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mobile: m.ricelake.com

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Blowin in the Wind


wireless technology made simpleby Jim Daggon, Rice Lake senior engineer, Emerging Technologies

T e C H TA L K

Blowin in the Wind


The first wireless message sent over the open sea was “Are you ready?” Guglielmo Marconi sent that message across the Bristol Channel over a distance of a little under four miles, a record for wireless broadcast distances and the first to prove that wireless communica-tion over long distances including ships at sea was possible.

Ready or not, ever since that day—May 13, 1897—the use of wireless communi-cation has continued to increase in both distance and capability. Wireless commu-nication has been all around us, invisible to all but those who are actively using it.

Today, turning on a radio, TV, or GPS, using a Bluetooth® headset for our phone, or even a laptop in a coffee shop, transforms us into users of wireless technology. There are many different uses, implementations, applications, and frequencies in use today. They all co-exist in the same air space that we live in, blissfully unencumbered by its presence until we request it.

In this article, we look at three specific implementations, their uses, and advan-tages and disadvantages for certain appli-cations: Bluetooth, ZigBee, and Wi-Fi.

bluetoothBluetooth was initially just a code name for the technology and was taken from the nickname of Harald Blåtand who was the King of Denmark between AD 940 and AD 985. The rumor was that the Danish king was given the nickname “Bluetooth” because he was so fond of blueberries that his teeth were stained blue. The founders of the Bluetooth SIG (Special Interest Group) felt that the name was appropriate because Harald Bluetooth and the technology are both of Scandinavian origin. Just as King Harald Bluetooth united the warring factions in parts of what are now Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, Bluetooth technology unites multiple forms of wireless communication such as the computing, mobile phone, and automotive markets into a single, secure,

low-power, low-cost, globally available radio frequency.

Bluetooth wireless technology is geared toward voice and data applications in what is referred to as a Personal Area Network. Bluetooth wireless technology operates in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz spec-trum, and is therefore able to penetrate solid objects.

The range of Bluetooth wireless technol-ogy is application specific. The Bluetooth Specification mandates operation over a minimum distance of 10 meters or 100 meters depending on the Bluetooth device class, but there is not a range limit for the technology. Manufacturers may tune their implementations to support the distance required by the use case they are enabling. Bluetooth technology sets up a Personal Area Network and is primarily used for connecting devices in a small physical perimeter.

A maximum of seven devices can be paired with a master device. The master Continued on page 25

T e C H TA L K


honey bee danceScout bees look for nectar. Once they find a source they return to the hive and perform a dance which tells the forager bees where the source is located.

The forager bees dance behind the scout bees until they learn the location. Once they know they fly out to collect the nectar.

why bluetooth?if you are in your car, it is convenient to set up your cell phone, your car’s gPS, and your hands-free headset to “talk” to each other. That way, if you have your headset with you, as you get in the car, your headset can talk to the phone. if you forgot your headset, the gPS can be paired with the phone to allow you to talk on the phone via the microphone in the gPS. Since they are close to each other and need to be paired up differently each time you use them, it is convenient to pair them once, and when they are in range, have them connect automatically.

in a scale application, you could use Bluetooth for a master device that occa-sionally has to travel around to different scales and get the readings from them when the operator is close by.

why Zigbee®?The main advantage to zigBee is its ability to self-form a “mesh” network to get the message through. A good example of this would be in a building where you wanted to collect the temperature in every office on multiple floors, to balance the heat or air conditioning. if someone rearranged his or her office and unknowingly placed a big steel file cabinet in front of a node, it might be cut off from the rest of the network. However, only the messages from that node would be lost. The rest of the messages that used that node as a routing device would simply form a new route around it by using another path. it would also make it very obvious where the problem was, rather than a whole section of the network going down and having the old “Christmas tree light” problem of locating the fault or faults.

A load cell (and its associated A/d circuitry) could be connected to a zigBee end device and transmit weight on a regular basis to an indicator that was within range of either the load cell or a coordinator node to extend the distance.

why wi-Fi?Wi-Fi is rapidly growing in use. The advantages are the ability to handle large amounts of data with a long range (see chart on page 27) between devices. PCs use this regularly to communicate on the internet, at home, or in coffee houses and other establishments that offer free Wi-Fi. Hotels use this since it is much easier to equip an existing hotel with Wi-Fi than it is to hard wire ethernet® to every room.

A scale indicator can be equipped with Wi-Fi to communicate wirelessly to either an existing ethernet network or the internet.

T e C H TA L K

Blowin’ in the Wind continued from page 23


energy) and 1-3 Mbps to 2.5 milliwatts with a data rate of up to 24 Mbps.

Bluetooth technology is omnidirectional and does not require line-of-sight posi-tioning of connected devices.

Security has always been and continues to be a priority in the development of the Bluetooth specification, which allows for three modes of security.

The cost of Bluetooth chips is under $3.

Zigbee®The ZigBee technology was initially designed to make a mesh network of sensors for use in building automation for lighting and temperature control. The name of the brand is a reference to the behavior of worker honey bees after they return to the beehive.

When food is discovered by scout work-ers, they return to the hive. Shortly after their return, many foragers leave the hive and fly directly to the food. The remark-able thing about this is that the foragers do not follow the scouts back (the scouts may remain in the hive for hours). So the

device is placed in a discovery mode, and the slave device is also placed in a pairing mode. When the master detects the slave device, a confirmation is usually required. Once this is acknowledged, the master can be placed in a mode that will always acknowledge the slave with or without a manual confirmation. Manual confirmation is slower but more secure. Also, master units can be set to non-discoverable mode to prevent them from sending out discovery packets.

Technical SpecsBluetooth uses adaptive frequency-hopping spread spectrum modulation (AFHSS), which uses 79 channels or frequencies at 1 MHz intervals between 2.4 and 2.485 GHz. It is unlicensed in most countries. Because of this, it can easily co-exist with other technologies and modulation schemes even in the same frequency.

The peak data rate of Bluetooth technol-ogy depends on the version and power, which ranges from 2.5 microwatts (low

scout bees have communicated to the foragers the necessary information for them to find the food on their own by a dance. The scouts zig and zag back and forth in a certain manner and number of repetitions to convey to the foragers in-formation about the odor of the food, its direction from the hive, and its distance from the hive.

In the same manner, ZigBee wireless devices have the ability to create ad hoc networks dynamically, so that messages can get through even if the environ-ment or the different nodes in the net-work are changing or adversely affected in some way.

There are three different types of ZigBee devices:

ZigBee coordinator (ZC): The most capable device, the coordinator forms the root of the network tree and might bridge to other networks. There is exactly one ZigBee coordinator in each network since it is the device that started the network originally. It is able to store in-formation about the network, including

T e C H TA L K

Owner benefits: fast throughput, low maintenance,

Top AccessSURVIVORS’® bolt-free covers permit easy access to load cells and electronic components through the scale deck. Side access can be difficult depending on the scale location to buildings. Harsh weather and age also cause bolts to seize up or break off.

Blowin’ in the Wind continued from page 25

maintenance, long service, and bragging rights―you own the toughest truck scale on earth

Patented MountsSURVIVORS’ exclusive G-Force mount system also eliminates excess movement and troublesome check rods and bumper bolts. Bumper bolts often cause binding and end up loose if they are not properly tightened when set.

Open BottomSURVIVORS’ open-bottom design eliminates enclosed areas where moisture builds up and causes rust. Rice Lake’s unique asphalt emulsion coating is applied to non-visible steel surfaces and under-sides before pouring concrete decks.

ditional spectrum at 915 MHz and 868 MHz in Europe. It uses direct-sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) modulation and a very powerful 128-bit AES encryption scheme. The ZigBee network can have as many as 65,000 nodes, all of which can be with routers, or end users, but only one coordinator! With all the traffic going along its network, collisions are avoided and corrected when they do occur using CSMA/CA—Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance. This means that whenever a device has a need to transmit, it listens for a free carrier, and then transmits. This method

avoids collisions, rather than trying to sort them out later.

One advantage of the low power (multiyear) specification is that it includes a very fast “wake-up time” for end devices.

wi-FiThe term Wi-Fi is almost always associ-ated with the IEEE 802.11x standard. The term Wi-Fi was originally coined as a twist on Hi-Fi, and references to Wireless Fidelity appear in some early documents from the Wi-Fi alliance. The Wi-Fi alliance serves a purpose similar

Potential wireless lan uses802.11 a b g n

data rate 6-54 mbPS 1-11 Mbps 1-54 Mbps 7.2-72.2

MiMo 1 1 1 4

Modulation odfM dsss ofdM,dsss ofdM

indoor range 115 125 125 230

outdoor range 390 460 460 820

acting as the trust center and repository for security keys.

ZigBee Router (ZR): As well as running an application function, a router can act as an intermediate router, passing on data from other devices.

ZigBee End Device (ZED): Contains just enough functionality to talk to the parent node (either the coordinator or a router); it cannot relay data from other devices. This relationship allows the node to be asleep a significant amount of the time, thereby extending battery life. A ZED requires the least amount of memory, and therefore can be less expensive to manufacture than a ZR or ZC.

Technical SpecsZigBee is also referred to as the IEEE 802.15.4.

Low Power—Individual devices must have a two-year battery life to pass ZigBee certification.

ZigBee operates in the 2.4 GHz region also, in most of the world, with an ad-

T e C H TA L K

maintenance, long service, and bragging rights―you own the toughest truck scale on earthWatch the video, send for the book, and register for a free

SURVIVOR safety vest at ricelake.com/survivor

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Rodent BarrierSURVIVORS’ flexible steel conduit at the connection point to the load cell and steel con-duit throughout are the ultimate protection against rodents chewing through to wires. They can chew through braided or sheathed cable causing scales to malfunction or fail.

Stone CrusherSURVIVORS’ exclusive rock guard crushes stones before they find a spot to bind the scale.

to both the Bluetooth SIG and the ZigBee alliance—to provide testing and assurance of conformity to the standard. It is almost synonymous with computer wireless communications.

Wi-Fi is used for a Local Area Network of PCs. These can be connected in an ad hoc network or as a more static method using either MAC addresses or fixed IP addresses.

Technical SpecsThere are 14 channels designated in the 2.4 GHz range spaced 5 MHz apart

Comparison Chartmode Power data rate

(Max bps) Cost minimum range nodes determinism ease

of Setup Security

bluetooth pairing 1mW-100mW 24M low 10 Meters 7 high very easy fair

Zigbee Zigbee 1mW and lower 250K low 75 Meters 65,000 little or none simple good

wi-fi tcp/ip 100mW 54M Med 95 Meters 4 million + little or none Moderate very good

(with the exception of a 12 MHz spacing before Channel 14). Because the protocol requires 25 MHz of channel separation, adjacent channels overlap and will inter-fere with each other. Consequently, using only channels 1, 6, 11, and 14 is recom-mended to avoid interference.

Potential Wireless LAN uses of this range are documented by IEEE 802.11a, b, g and n. Countries apply their own regula-tions to the allowable channels, allowed users, and maximum power levels within the frequency range. (See Potential Wire-less LAN Uses chart.)

So, which is best? It depends on the ap-plication. (See Comparison Chart).

Need an easy-to-set-up, on-the-fly net-work with a limited number of nodes that you can simply pair up? Use Bluetooth.

Need a very low-power network to reli-ably send small amounts of data over a wide range regardless of network condi-tions? Use ZigBee.

Need a fast network that can be ex-panded, can send large amounts of data quickly, can be scaled quickly, and is future-proof? Use Wi-Fi. ▪

T e C H TA L K

Who knew weighing equipment could be so interesting—or so critical to an enterprise?

But it is. Scales touch our lives every day. So let’s stay in touch.

Catch up with old friends, make new ones, collaborate on solutions, share weighty stories, and keep up with what’s new.

Just go to www.facebook.com/ricelakeweighingsystems, click the Like button, and join the conversation. Share a snippet or story involving Rice Lake equipment and we will enter your name in a drawing to win this iPad. That’s something else you’re bound to Like!

*Do it before July 1, 2011, and you’ll be in the drawing to win this iPad.

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