Tag Archives: custom solutions

Automated Steel Billet Checkweigher

Table of Contents

Automation sticker black

Custom Automation

Custom automation, what is that? A custom automation system is exactly what it sounds like – we take your current process and automate it with the goal of improving efficiency and quality and minimizing redundancy and error. Usually, these processes cannot be automated using an “out of the box” solution, which is where our customized approach comes in. What does this look like? If a producer is having an inefficient process that involves manually moving many objects they may get a robotic arm to move them, or they may slide items on conveyors. Additionally, it could be they want to cut down on waste when producing a product. In case you are looking to further optimize your process, we have a full team devoted to developing custom automation systems!

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Automated Steel Billet Checkweigher

Here is the latest custom system our team did. “The Billet Saw scale was developed in partnership with Mooney Saws to work in conjunction with their Nishijimax Billet Saw. The primary purpose of the system is to cut down on waste generated by out-of-tolerance cut billets, which in turn can also harm the stamping equipment downstream. Our system not only verifies that the cut billets are within the tight tolerances set by the saw but also reports the weights back to the saw so that the cut lengths can be adjusted on the fly to compensate for any abnormalities. Our system briefly stops the billet on the scale in order to capture the most accurate measurement possible, weighing the billets in 2-gram increments, and make the final pass/fail determination. In order to minimize any production throughput impact, the entire weighing cycle time is designed to average around 2 seconds per billet.” 

System In Action (video)

Utilizing Forklift Scales to Increase Productivity

We worked with an agriculture company that was having troubles obtaining information in an efficient manner. They were using forklifts to load pallets onto a floor scale to weigh the skids. This company had 2 floor scales and 5 wireless remotes, one for each forklift. The skids were weighed on the floor scale and a button from the associated forklift remote was pressed to associate the weight with the floor scale. All 5 forklifts were weighing skids from different lots and storing measurements on an indicator. When the lot was closed out, meaning all 10 skids from each of the 4 coolers were weighed, a different button was pressed on the forklift remote to print the accumulated report on one of the scales. The measurement information on the indicator was erased and sent to a PC to be stored.

The issue was that 5 forklifts were fighting over 2 floor scales during their busy season. This, in turn, resulted in less productivity and wasted time.

We worked with the equipment manufacturer to customize a software system that will allow any of the 5 forklifts to pick up a skid from any of the 3 lots. The customer is able to weigh the skid on the forklift itself which then stores the weight data in the indicator. Once a lot is closed out, data is sent to a central PC wirelessly and a report can be printed out. Grand Rapids Metrology took an outdated system and upgraded it. We created a custom software that would wirelessly communicate with a central PC, and we retrofitted a forklift scale carriage to an existing forklift to allow for weighing right from the forklift itself!

This saved the company significant time, costs and energy while increasing productivity and profit margins. Imagine it being your busiest time of the year and not being able to keep up with demand and production. You would be losing money.

If you are using a forklift to bring material to a floor scale repeatedly, you are using an outdated system. If your forklift scale doesn’t send data wirelessly, you are using an outdated system. Contact us to bring your system up-to-date.

Grand Rapids Metrology Travels the Globe!

We have worked with some of the top 10 automotive manufacturers in the world and are most known for our automated vehicle weighing systems! These systems weigh vehicles as they come off production lines to ensure quality standards are met. Projects have been done in Canada, Mexico, India, and China! Because we help make sure you are in accordance with rules and regulations, we get to work on some pretty cool projects. We created a floor scale system that communicates with a PC to record weights of packed shipping containers to guarantee our customer met international SOLAS requirements. We created this system in 5 different countries: China, France, Romania, Spain, and Germany! We help make your customers happy by creating an in-motion check-weighing system that will check the weight of packed boxes. This is to compare the weight of the packed box against the weight of the product to make sure everything equals out! No customer wants to receive the wrong product or missing products when they open their package. These systems have been installed in London, Canada, Ukraine, Turkey, Hungary, and Poland! To shed some light on the projects we’ve done in the United States, we’ve had the pleasure of doing business in New Jersey, Georgia, Washington, California, Illinois, Michigan, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, and Kentucky. We may be established in 5 different locations throughout Michigan, but that doesn’t stop us from striving to ensure safety, customer satisfaction and quality throughout the world! Contact us for more information on our custom solutions. We might just transform your process.

How to Increase Quality of Food Production and Avoid Potential Recalls

According to the USDA, 1.5 million pounds of meat & poultry were recalled in 2018 due to extraneous material (plastic fragments, metal shavings, latex pieces, or other foreign materials). “The average cost of a recall for a food company is $10M in direct costs” according to a joint study by the Food Marketing Institute and the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

Grand Rapids Metrology helps you keep your profit and avoid potential recalls in two ways: through metal detector systems and calibration! We were presented with an opportunity to make a customer’s food manufacturing process more efficient while mitigating extraneous material risk. As finished product is passed along a conveyor belt, the installed in-motion checkweigher simultaneously weighs the product, and the metal detector ensures product quality.

Metal detectors are an extremely useful tool. When utilized within your current process flow, product is efficiently checked. However, one should not overlook the power of calibration. The food industry prioritizes accurate weight and quality of substance, and therefore, food manufacturing standards are among the most heavily regulated.

Routine calibration helps to avoid potential recalls, due to bad batches, through obtaining reliable and accurately measured values. Many regulation and management standards for food quality stress the importance of calibration. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control (HACCP) regulations that are mandated for meat and poultry, seafood and juice references “verification records that document the calibration of process monitoring instruments.” ISO22000, the food safety management system’s requirements, states in Section 8.3, “The organization shall provide evidence that the specified monitoring and measuring methods and equipment are adequate to ensure the performance of the monitoring and measuring procedures”. Both require documentation of calibration activities to monitor the performance of equipment. Effective procedures for calibration and quality assurance can help achieve this.

Due to wear over time, instruments require calibration at set intervals. This is to ensure equipment is running at prime conditions. Putting off calibration can cause a variety of quality and compliance issues which could result in product recalls and heavy costs.

Don’t be a recall statistic. Our custom engineered solutions team will analyze your current production process and look for ways to increase efficiency as well as quality! Rely on us to keep track of your calibration needs. When a year has passed, we’ll remind you to schedule calibration! Not to mention the new and improved CERTLINK. CERTLINK is our customer portal that will allow you access to all of your calibration certificates and schedules. Reach out to us for more information!

SOURCES:

USDA

Food Safety Magazine

Process Industry Informer

Increasing the Efficiency Rate of Water Consumption in Agriculture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, Agriculture accounts for 70% of all water consumption; however, the efficiency rate of that water consumption is very low. Most of the water drains off or is evaporated. Only a small percentage of that water consumption is actually used for plant growth.

What effect does this have on the Agriculture industry? A lower efficiency rate results in wasted resources and decreased productivity. As fresh water supply becomes increasingly limited as the years go on, it is imperative for the Agriculture industry to strategize ways to increase water consumption efficiency for sustainability.

A University measured plant performance based on efficient water consumption. Their goal is to secure future food production no matter what climate challenges are faced. Potted plants were monitored continuously for their water consumption during growth and weighed in ambient conditions.

The measurement system needed to be resistant to temperature noise to provide reliable and accurate results. Load cells that were specifically tailored to greenhouse conditions were used to track small increments in weight over a long period of time. These load cells withstood the temperature fluctuations and high humidity environmental conditions. This measurement system is expected to save costs by optimizing nutrient delivery and boosting crop yield, due to early detection of stress and reducing water and fertilizer use.

Though this was not a Solutions Project GRM was involved in, this goes to show how metrology is used to solve various problems. If you’d like to decrease wasted resources, increase productivity and efficiency, we’d love to help you strategize! Our Solutions Team specializes in process automation and custom measurement systems to meet your specific goals.

 

 

SOURCE:

“Load Cells Help Optimize Water Efficiency In Stressed Climate.” Weigh & Measure, Apr. 2019, pp. 10+.

Filling System Based on Time or Weight

Avery Weigh-Tronix Indicator

 

 

 

 

 

 

Data from the US Department of Labor declares performing physical activity and operating machinery constitutes 30% of time spent working (NCCI, 2017). Companies are wasting hundreds or thousands of dollars each year. GRM can custom engineer automated systems to better utilize resources, save time and money.

 

Problem

A customer, who had been using an outdated process, contacted GRM to make adjustments and engineer a system to control overflow. They were filling tanks with non-flammable gas using obsolete equipment.

 

Solution

We put in a floor scale, replaced the old unit with an updated indicator and installed customized software to control flow monitoring based on weight or time. When the fill operation begins, valves open, and a timer starts. Once the timer times out, the current weight is recorded, timer 2 starts and the user programmable rate of change value is added. Once timer 2 times out, the weight is checked to see if it has increased by the rate of change value. If it has, the weight is recorded and the timer 2 process is repeated. If the weight did not increase by the rate of change value, then the process is halted and the valves close.

 

The installed software is 100% customized to their specific measurement process. This automated system saves time and resources, minimizes error and allows the operators to focus on more imperative matters. Contact GRM to discuss how we can optimize your process!

 

Precision Counting in 30 Seconds

When we think of the colors red, yellow and green, a stoplight probably comes to mind. In the weighing industry, these colors have different implication. The iconic color trio can not only be found at intersections but also in stacked light indicators. At GRM, we often attach these indicators to scales to help customers visualize the accuracy of their weighing process.

A recent solutions project allowed Grand Rapids Metrology to use these indicators and a high resolution, digital scale to demonstrate the speed and accuracy of our counting capabilities.

With a stacked light and an Avery Weigh-Tronix ZK840 fully programmable counting scale, Grand Rapids Metrology’s Solution Team was able to make precision counting easier than ever. Watch the latest custom solution meet our customer’s exact needs!

 

 

Does your operations call for precise counting of parts or product? Or maybe a visible stacked light would go a long way on your production floor? If so, Grand Rapids Metrology is able to set up a counting application to your requirements with unparalleled accuracy.

Send us a message and let’s start your solutions project today!

Simple Steps to Automate Your Precise Weighing Process

 

A recent project gave Grand Rapids Metrology the opportunity to automate a customer’s manual process. We’re breaking down the project and explaining simple steps you can take towards automating your own weighing process.

 

PROJECT

An international analytical instrument manufacturer had a slow, manual weighing process that was costing them unnecessary time and money. The customer used an outdated scale and, to make matters worse, the scale was not the appropriate resolution for their specific application.

Cue Grand Rapids Metrology.

STEP #1: Look at your own weighing process. Is it performed manually? Do you have the appropriate equipment for your application? If you’ve identified issues within your process, let us know and we’ll be happy to solve them. If you haven’t, consider using GRM’s Process Improvement Service – we’ll find the problem and the optimal solution for you!

 

INITIAL NEEDS & CHALLENGES

Before Grand Rapids Metrology’s intervention, the company’s process of weighing product and recording data was performed manually. An employee would place the product on a scale, hand-write the information onto a label, and finally place the label on the product.

It was tedious and inefficient to say the least.

What they needed was to be able to store equipment part information in the scale so the operator did not have to continuously write in the data. Similarly, the outdated scale needed to be replaced and it’s replacement needed to have a suitable capacity and resolution.

The manufacturer also required a custom programmed label to be printed after the weight was taken. The label would provide traceability for their products.

A challenge we faced was determining the customer’s desired sequence of operations.

STEP #2: Know your process. Think of your ideal sequence of operations — once you’ve envisioned it, we’ll figure out the rest.

 

SOLUTION

GRM knew the most efficient use of the customer’s resources would be to automate the weighing/printing process. This would aim to save time, increase accuracy and alleviate man-power.

The solution would use an Avery Weigh-Tronix ZM405 digital indicator with a high-resolution base. The indicator would communicate with both the base and the printer.

Our Solution Team was able to program the indicator to follow the exact sequence of operation the customer needed. The high-resolution base allowed GRM to provide the customer with the accuracy they required. Likewise, our team’s design of the printed label included all of the necessary part information.

Now, the only thing the operator has to do is enter the product’s part numbers into the indicator and place the label on the product.

You can see the operator entering equipment part information before adding products to the scale.

 

STEP #3: Consider using equipment that is able to communicate with one another. This can help eliminate any transitional steps that may have been done manually.

 

RESULTS

The instruments manufacturer was very happy with GRM’s solution. After a few minutes of training, their team was operating the scale and indicator with ease.

The proper sequence of operations the customer initially desired occurred with the use of the ZM405 and GRM’s innovative solution. The products were now traceable because of the use of custom printed labels.

Could a new printing process or an equipment update improve your operation?

STEP #4: Let’s talk about it.

“Rewriting” the Food Industry with Custom Solutions

Project

A national food products manufacturer located in Michigan had issues with their scales and printing program. The company was a long-time customer of Grand Rapids Metrology and was well aware of our extensive scope of metrology capabilities, including weighing solutions.

The system used prior selected a product to be weighed and then printed a label that was placed on a corresponding storage tote. The current label did not contain enough data to meet the customer’s needs. They contacted GRM to edit their existing system so it could include more relevant and timely information on the printed label.

Initial Needs & Challenges

In order to comply with specific food-industry regulations, the food product company needed to add Date of Manufacture and Lot Number. A Lot Number identifies the product’s expiration date, scale and shift.

An initial challenge was to determine how the current program was operating and what needed to be modified to accomplish the customer’s project. To do this, our engineer’s downloaded the existing program from the scale units. After the download, the team noticed several modifications had previously been made to the program which presented challenges when it came time to edit the program’s operation.

Solution

After addressing the needs and challenges of our customer, Grand Rapids Metrology developed a solution focused on rewriting a portion of the existing program to clean up the previous modification. During the rewrite, our team added the Date of Manufacture and Lot Number to meet the customer requirements of the revised labels. The Days until Expiration information was not printed but stored as data within the system. From that, the Expiration Date was automatically calculated.

Here is the label crafted by GRM and used everyday by the customer:

The data produced from GRM’s label is very specific and time-bound. Before this solution, the customer printed a label with much less information, as seen here:

Results

After Grand Rapids Metrology’s weighing solution was implemented, the program rewrite and label modification gave the customer traceability on labels regarding the Date of Manufacture, Expiration Date, Line Number and Shift.

Aside from fulfilling the customer’s requirement, the rewrite meet labeling standards set forth by food industry regulations. The new program also eliminated human error in the calculation of the expiration date and alleviated the tedious work of the manual calculation. The customer was so pleased with the results they asked GRM to implement the program for two additional scales at their facility.

Making operations quicker, more efficient and more accurate is what we do! To start a solution project of your own, contact us and we’ll help make your life a little easier.

[Video] In-Motion Checkweighers: The Perfect Accept-Reject Solution

[tbc_video_embed url=”null”]Checkweigher systems can accurately weigh 650 pieces of product per minute moving over an conveyor belt or assembly line! For production floors, that speed and certainty are of utmost importance. For operations that don’t employ in-motion checkweighers, how do you ensure the weight is correct and the speed is at its full potential?

Before we examine precisely what a checkweigher conveyor can provide, check out this quick demonstration video from our shop floor in Detroit:

This is an OCS Checkweigher system set into service by Grand Rapids Metrology. Now it’s obviously not sending widgets through at a speed 650 pieces per minute. This system is equip with the ability to customize features including the speed of the belt and the mechanical arm. As you can see, the system moves the widget along a conveyor belt where it is accurately weighed. An appropriate range of weight, or tolerance, can be set through the easy-to-use, touchscreen monitor. As the widget it weighed, the in-motion checkweigher will identify if it’s weight is in or out of that set tolerance.

In the video, we see that the first widget makes it successfully to the end of the conveyor. It’s was within tolerance, however the second widget was pushed off the conveyor by the mechanical arm. This widget had a weight that was either over or under the pre-set tolerance.

Now, the in-line checkweigher above was in Grand Rapids Metrology’s shop and not yet running at our customer’s site. To get an even better idea of how these systems work, watch this video of product being weighted and consequently accepted and rejected as it moves through the line at one of our customer’s facilities.

Did you catch some of the products flying off the line? The conveyor belt is working with the in-motion checkweigher at such an incredible speed that it was easy to miss. The system was able to accurately identify that those products weighted too much or too little and responded accordingly.

A checkweigher can add tremendous value to a production floor. The speed and accuracy these systems produce are unlike any human operated process. Companies who’ve employed checkweighers consequently free up manpower, improve efficiency, increase quality, and reduce costs of operations and lead times. This particular customer saw a return on investment within a few months and they’ve never been happier with their weighing process.

Looking for a solution of your own? Grand Rapids Metrology has an entire division devoted to solving problems and enhancing procedures. View our previously implemented solutions here or contact our Solutions Team Member, Terry Benjamin, at terry.benjamin@grmetrology.com, to start improving your process today!