Bench scales are versatile and widely used in various industries for a broad range of applications. Typically, bench scales are small enough to fit on counters, workstations, and tables. Despite a compact footprint, they’re often packed with useful features and functions. In this post, we’ll take a look at bench scales and the applications they’re best-suited for.
What defines a bench scale?
Bench scales are specifically designed to be placed on a table or counter during weighing. They have a small footprint yet still include a large weighing pan. Some bench scales are considered ‘compact’ as they have an integrated indicator and keypad. Others comprise a platform with a detachable indicator that can be wall-mounted for easy viewing.
Bench scales are an intermediary: they’re not designed to weigh very fine compounds or very heavy objects. Adam bench scales range from capacities between 5lb/2kg to 300lb/150kg, and readabilities ranging from 0.0005lb/0.2g to 0.01lb/5g. They can be used in various settings and are available in many different platform sizes and housing styles. Some bench scales are specifically designed for one application (such as counting or checkweighing), while others are multi-function, which allows a single scale to be used for several applications.
Affordable and easy-to-use, bench scales provide the features and precision needed for a wide array of businesses, from small offices to large factories. Bench scales make professional weighing solutions available to limited budgets, and can be used almost anywhere, from kitchens to veterinary offices, industrial settings or retail shops.
Applications for bench scales
The most frequent applications associated with bench scales are checkweighing and counting; some scales specialize in one or the other (like our Cruiser bench counting scales) while others allow users to take advantage of both functions. In assembly or manufacturing shops, bench scales are ideal for weighing raw materials, counting pieces before packaging, or checkweighing during quality control.
In shipping and receiving operations, bench scales of varying capacities can be used to weigh boxes to ensure accurate transport costs. The scales fit well on a countertop and can easily be connected to nearby computers and printers for greater efficiency.
Grocery stores and shops use bench scales to weigh food such as fruits, meat, candy, ice cream and more. Bench scales can also be used in production, to weigh ingredients when making small batches of things like food, soaps, and candles.
Features to look for when shopping for a bench scale
To ensure easy cleaning, look for a bench scale with a stainless steel platform and sealed keypad. Overload protection ensures the scale isn’t compromised by excessive weight, and can help it last longer.
When used in quality control settings, checkweighing scales like the Cruiser (CKT) allow users to set weight limits. The display on the CKT changes colors to show at a glance if an item on the scale is under, over, or within the preset limits. Some scales have an audible alarm, which comes in handy during checkweighing.
For easy portability, shop for a scale that includes a rechargeable battery in addition to an AC adaptor. Latitude compact bench scales have a rechargeable battery so they can be moved around or used in places where electricity isn’t readily available. Offering superior power options, Latitude can even be charged with a USB source for convenience. When searching for a bench scale with a rechargeable battery, be sure to take note of how long the battery can operate without being recharged.
Before you select your new scale, there are several power-saving options to consider. To save battery life, some scales allow users to program the backlight to ‘on’, ‘off’ or ‘on only when weighing’. Programmable or automatic power-off features mean the scale will shut off after a certain time elapses without it being used.
Interfaces and connections are an important consideration for some bench scale uses. Because they can be placed on counters next to computers or printers, bench scales are easy to integrate into some systems (like a shipping operation). It may be worth getting a scale that comes with an RS-232 and/or USB interface to connect to computers and print results. You can also pair your bench scale with Adam DU for data analysis and graphing. That can also be useful during inventory taking, to keep a trace of your records.
As always, before purchasing a scale, make sure to check that the capacity and readability suits your requirements, and that any features and functions, such as checkweighing, parts counting etc, that you may need are available on your chosen scale. If you need help finding the right bench scale, or you simply want to learn more, you can contact us. Follow us on social media for the latest Adam news and blog updates!