vehicle scale solutions - mettler toledo

Weighing ProcedureAt a typical container terminal, each truck delivering a container passes through a security checkpoint and then proceeds to an inbound scale. After pulling the truck onto the scale, the driver gives the scale operator paperwork for the cargo. The scale operator records the vehicle weight (usually the truck/trailer tare and gross weight) and whatever information about the cargo is required. Upon completing the transaction, the driver receives a ticket and exits the scale.

The truck is then directed to an unloading area where a crane lifts the cargo con-tainer from the truck and loads it onto a ship or places it in storage. While some trucks leave the terminal empty, many are

NewsPorts

Industrial weighing and measurement

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The global economy depends on shipping for its ability to transport large amounts of cargo efficiently. Ports are especially important because they are the central transfer point between water, rail, and highway transport systems. At a busy port, getting cargo to and from ships requires a high degree of organization. Time is money, and a delay in one area can affect shipping schedules and profits.

A significant amount of goods are shipped in cargo containers. Although containers come in standard sizes, the weight of the cargo can vary considerably. To track the amount of cargo, containers must be weighed as they are shipped and received. At a large terminal, each truck scale can average more than 300 weighings per day.

Vehicle Scale SolutionsImprove Cargo-Handling EfficiencyKeeping cargo flowing in and out is a port’s primary business. Because

vehicle scales serve as entry and exit points, they are a vital part of the

process. The ability of a port’s scales to handle large volumes of traffic

on a daily basis is essential to the efficiency of shipping operations.

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METTLER TOLEDO Ports News 2

Publisher Mettler-Toledo, Inc. 1900 Polaris Parkway Columbus, Ohio 43240USA

MTMS

Subject to technical changes. © Mettler-Toledo, Inc.

loaded with a container for the outbound trip. The truck proceeds to the exit gate and is weighed on an outbound scale.

To meet a port’s needs, a scale must weigh vehicles accurately, quickly, and reliably. Accuracy is important because the weights are used to track tonnage, to ensure that ships are loaded properly, and to ensure that outbound trucks meet legal weight requirements on the roadways. Speed and reliability are essential to keep cargo mov-ing. If a scale becomes a bottleneck, it can slow down shipping operations through-out the port.

Truck ScalesTo handle large volumes of traffic, METTLER TOLEDO supplies truck scales with a durable orthotropic design. The driving surface is supported by orthotro-pic ribs that distribute concentrated loads more efficiently than other designs. To verify the durability of our designs, we use a unique life-cycle test stand that applies the equivalent of 20 years of traffic at a scale’s rated capacity.

Each truck scale is equipped with POWERCELL® load cells, which offer unequalled accuracy and reliability. A built-in predictive diagnostics system monitors the performance of every load cell and alerts the scale operator about potential problems so they can be solved before a failure or downtime occurs. Combining the strength of an orthotro-pic weighbridge with the reliability of POWERCELL load cells ensures years of trouble-free weighing.

METTLER TOLEDO truck scales are designed to handle the large volumes of traffi c that move into and out of a port on a daily basis.

Weighing in MotionA weigh-in-motion (WIM) system is one option for speeding up weighing opera-tions. It enables a terminal to weigh thou-sands of containers daily without requir-ing trucks to stop at static scales. Instead, trucks are weighed as they drive over a specially equipped scale.

The METTLER TOLEDO WIM system includes two staggered scale platforms, each containing four load cells and an

Each truck scale design is thoroughly tested to ensure that it can handle the real-world demands of heavy-capacity weighing.

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inductive loop installed in the concrete approach to the scale. As a vehicle crosses the scale, software calculates individual wheel, axle, and gross weights.

The weight data is made available for display on a computer screen or remote display, stored on the hard drive, sent to a printer, or transmitted to a remote device. The WIM system can also control traffic lights, gates, and other peripheral equipment. In many applications, the sys-tem is set up to interface with cameras or automatic vehicle identification (AVI) equipment.

Rail ScalesBulk materials and containers are often delivered to ports by rail. While a train can transport very large amounts of cargo, weighing rail cars can be a more com-plicated process than weighing trucks. METTLER TOLEDO offers a complete line of scales to weigh rail cars quickly and accurately.

Our static rail scale is designed to weigh an uncoupled rail car that is stopped on the weighbridge. A typical installation uses two separate weighbridges that are spaced to accommodate rail cars of vary-ing lengths. The scale terminal sums the

OverDrive vehicle scale software can be confi gured to collect exactly the data required for each truck.

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weights from the two weighbridges and displays the total weight.

Our coupled in-motion (CIM) rail scale is designed to weigh rail cars that are coupled together and moving across the weighbridge at speeds of 3 to 5 miles per hour. It can make weighing quicker and safer by eliminating the need to couple and uncouple rail cars for weighing. Wheel detectors provide input to an in-motion controller, identifying rail cars and signaling when to begin a weighing sequence.

Data ManagementRecording data can be a time-consuming part of weighing vehicles. OverDrive® vehicle scale software saves time and money by providing complete control of the weighing operation. It processes transactions quickly and accurately to keep traffic moving over the scales. For each weighing transaction, the OverDrive database stores a detailed record that gives you instant access to a wealth of informa-tion for administration, billing, inventory control, and compliance.

OverDrive software provides the brains to run a complete inbound/outbound weigh-ing operation, including multiple scales, traffic lights, gates, and ticket printers. It can be used as a stand-alone system or integrated into a computer network. It increases efficiency and profits by making a truck scale an integral part of a facility’s business operation.

Find out how a complete weighing solu-tion from METTLER TOLEDO can help your operation run more efficiently.

A robust weighbridge design enables our static and in-motion rail scales to stand up to heavy-duty use.

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Protect Your Profitsfrom Costly Environmental Damage

No matter what climate you are in, envi-ronmental forces can be relentless. They attack your scale every day, impairing its ability to weigh accurately. METTLER TOLEDO POWERCELL load cells have demonstrated the ability to stand up to the world’s toughest environments, from the frozen polar regions to the scorching

Your vehicle scale takes a beating. Constant exposure to environmental forces can reduce weighing accuracy

or shut down a scale completely. POWERCELL® PDX® load cells protect your profits by ensuring that your

vehicle scale continues to weigh accurately day in and day out.

heat of the desert and the wet conditions of the tropics.

The POWERCELL PDX load cell sets a new standard for vehicle weighing. It has a robust design and innovative fea-tures that provide a clear advantage over other vehicle weighing technologies. The

POWERCELL PDX load cell is designed to provide complete protection against the forces that can eat into your profits.

LightningFew environmental forces affect a vehi-cle scale as dramatically as a lightning strike. Lightning damage can be very costly, often requiring the replacement of electronic equipment. Even if a warranty covers repairs, you still face the cost of the business and productivity you lose while the scale is out of commission.

The POWERCELL PDX load cell’s built-in lightning protection has been proven effective. At independent testing laborato-ries, the load cell survived multiple light-ning strikes up to 80,000 amperes. That is more than twice the destructive power of the average lightning strike. Adding METTLER TOLEDO StrikeShield™ light-ning protection provides a potent defense for your entire scale system.

Extreme TemperaturesTemperature changes affect weighing ac-curacy even in moderate climates. If your scale is subject to extreme temperatures, the weighing errors can be significant.

Each POWERCELL PDX load cell is de-signed to maintain weighing accuracy in any environment. An internal micro-

Snow and Ice

Lightning

Rodents

Rust and Corrosion

Water and Flood

Extreme Temperatures

Radio Frequency

Interference

Physical Damage


processor compensates for temperature changes to deliver the same accurate weight in the heat of summer and the dead of winter.

Water and FloodTo operate properly, a scale’s electronic components must remain dry. Conven-tional vehicle scales house vital electron-ics in leak-prone junction boxes, which are weak links in the system and a com-mon cause of failure.

POWERCELL PDX load cells connect to one another in a simple network, elimi-nating high-maintenance junction boxes. Electronic components are fully protected inside the watertight load cell enclosure. The cables and connectors are designed to keep out moisture even when fully submersed. As a result, the entire POWERCELL PDX load cell network is sealed to IP68 submersion standards.

RodentsRodents and other pests can be surpris-ingly destructive. They have been known to eat right through conventional load cell wiring, disrupting the weight signal. POWERCELL PDX load cells use heavy-duty cables protected by two layers of braided stainless steel sheathing. This ex-tremely robust covering protects the data transmission line from rodent damage, ensuring the integrity of the weight signal and the scale’s continued operation.

Physical DamageIt is not unusual for load cells or cables to be damaged by machinery, tools, debris, tampering, or scale overloading. Robust POWERCELL PDX load cells and cables are designed to stand up to normal wear and tear in industrial environments. If they suffer serious physical damage, the built-in diagnostics system alerts the scale operator, usually before a failure or downtime occurs. The system helps make sure that a punctured load cell or severed cable is replaced quickly and easily.

Radio Frequency InterferenceRadio frequency and electromagnetic in-terference can affect a scale’s weight sig-nal, causing errors or disrupting weigh-ing completely. The problem is especially serious for the weak signals produced by analog load cells.

POWERCELL PDX load cells emit a signal that is many times stronger than signals from typical load cells. POWERCELL technology combines with robust load cell cables to transmit a strong, consistent weight signal to the scale terminal.

Rust and CorrosionRust can be a problem anywhere, but the potential for damage is increased when vehicle scales are used at sites where cor-

rosive materials are present. To resist rust and corrosion, POWERCELL PDX load cells are constructed of 100% stainless steel components. Sensitive electronics are fully protected within the hermeti-cally sealed load cell enclosure.

Snow and IceFrozen conditions combine the destruc-tive forces of moisture, extreme tem-peratures, and physically damaging ice. POWERCELL PDX load cells have proven their ability to weigh reliably in the harsh climates of Antarctica and Siberia.

POWERCELL load cells have a proven his-tory of weighing in extreme climates such as Antarctica and Siberia.

The entire load cell network is sealed to prevent moisture penetration.

Independent tests have proven the load cell’s ability to survive lightning strikes.

Each load cell is equipped with a debris shield that keeps snow, ice, and other ma-terials from collecting at the base of its rocker column. By allowing the load cell to move freely, the debris shield enables accurate weighing.

No other load cell provides so much pro-tection against the environmental forces that can eat into your profits. Find out how the POWERCELL PDX load cell gives you unmatched accuracy and reliability.

www.mt.com/powercell

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Innovative DesignsMETTLER TOLEDO is the only vehicle scale manufacturer that uses the same type of orthotropic structure chosen by innovative bridge designers around the world for its proven ability to stand up to truck traffic. Orthotropic weighbridge designs from METTLER TOLEDO have been used successfully for more than 25 years in the harshest applications in the world. Scales can be tailored to your spe-cific environment and traffic conditions, ensuring the highest accuracy and lowest total cost of ownership.

METTLER TOLEDO understands that having complete control over your weighing operation is crucial to main-

taining costs, maximizing productivity, and increasing profitability. We can provide this control with industry-

leading vehicle scales, basic or advanced scale terminals, configurable unattended solutions, advanced

multi-scale traffic management software, and more. METTLER TOLEDO can deliver a solution that is tailored

to the needs of your business.


Truck scales designed to handle highway loads for applications that see low to medium traffic.

Commercial Duty Steel Deck Commercial Duty Concrete Deck Cycle Duty Steel Deck

Commercial Duty Cycle

More than 25 years of proven truck scale designs using orthotropic technology.

Truck scales designed to handle all over-the-roapplications that see medium to high traffic.


Six-Step Design ProcessA unique six-step design process ensures that all METTLER TOLEDO vehicle scales will weigh accurately over a long service life. One thing that sets our design process apart is life-cycle testing. Only METTLER TOLEDO performs actual life-cycle test-ing on weighbridge designs to prove the strength and reliability of each model.

Conversion KitsUpgrade your existing truck or rail scale with POWERCELL® load cells. The most accurate and reliable vehicle load cells in the world, POWERCELL load cells have proven their ability to withstand the wa-ter, lightning, and extreme temperatures that cause other load cells to fail. Each POWERCELL load cell uses predictive di-agnostics to alert you to potential prob-lems before a failure and maintains its accuracy longer than traditional weigh-ing sensors.

Truck scales designed specifically for applications weighing off-road trucks of up to 500t.

Extreme Duty Steel Deck Off-Road Extreme Duty Steel DeckCycle Duty Concrete Deck

e Duty Extreme Duty

Static and Dynamic Rail Scales

The unique METTLER TOLEDO life-cycle test stand verifi es the durability of each scale’s design.

oad legal vehicles in a variety of

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www.mt.com/powercell-accuracy

www.mt.com/powercell-reliability

www.mt.com/case_studies

Learn how accuracy protects your profits

A simple calculator demonstrates how much money you can save by using the most accurate weighing technology available. Just meeting legal requirements for accuracy might not be enough to avoid the finan-cial uncertainty that comes with charging too much or too little for the materials you weigh.

See how reliability affects revenue

Measure the positive revenue impact of METTLER TOLEDO reliability. Use this simple calculator to see how much a single day of downtime costs your business. Learn what makes our solutions more robust and less susceptible to unplanned downtime.

Case studies

Looking for solutions to a problem? No problem. Read case studies about real problems and see how METTLER TOLEDO solved them.


www.mt.com/powercell

www.mt.com/vehicle

found on individual product pages

See what makes POWERCELL load cells the most accurate and reliable in the world

METTLER TOLEDO revolutionized vehicle weighing more than 20 years ago with the first POWERCELL® load cell. Since that time, innovations have continued to add more value. Today, POWERCELL load cells are the world leader in accuracy and reliability.

Find products to meet your specific need

If you need a truck or rail scale, if you weigh 20 loads a day or more than 300, if you weigh small trucks or massive 500t vehicles, METTLER TOLEDO has the right solution for your business. With a wide range of standard and custom solutions, METTLER TOLEDO is ready to help you succeed.

Download comprehensive documentation

You can download technical documents about prod-ucts and engineering drawings for foundations and scale layouts.

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Unat

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eigh

ing Get the Complete Picture

with an Unattended Video Server

Unattended driver terminals are an in-creasingly popular way to reduce vehicle weighing costs. They eliminate the need for a scale house with a scale operator on duty. Now you can enjoy the savings and convenience of unattended weighing without sacrificing the benefit of seeing the activity at the scale.

Managing Video PortsThe video server is an optional module that is available with OverDrive unat-tended software. It can manage one or more video ports, each of which supports as many as four cameras. Position the cameras in any location to provide a view of each scale or multiple views of scales.

Add an extra dimension to unattended weighing with a video server.

This new OverDrive® unattended video option automatically records still

images of activity at your vehicle scale, providing visual verification of

weighing transactions.

With the video server, you can capture still digital images of a variety of weighing events: vehicle identification, vehicle over or under weight, transaction completed, and more. Simply define the desired events, and the video server does the rest. It automatically captures an image for each event and saves it in the OverDrive database or other file storage location.

Storing ImagesThe digital images are stored along with detailed information about their weigh-ing transactions, providing a complete picture of every transaction. You can also capture images of vehicles that drive onto a scale and drive off without processing

a transaction. OverDrive software enables you to retrieve images quickly and include them in transaction reports.

www.mt.com/OverDriveThe video server monitors activity at multiple scales while automatically capturing and stor-ing images of weighing events.

In addition to giving a visual dimension to your transaction records, the video server is a valuable security tool. It lets se-curity personnel monitor activity at your scale from a back office or other remote location. They can view live video from as many as four cameras at a time and record still or video images with the click of a mouse.

Find out how OverDrive software can increase the capabilities of your vehicle scale with its video server and other pow-erful tools.

You can position cameras to view activity at any or all scales.


Expand the Capabilitiesof Your Vehicle Scale

For your operation to perform at its high-est level, you need a weighing system that provides accurate, reliable, and easy-to-understand information. Your vehicle scale is the foundation of the weighing system. A high-performance terminal builds on that foundation, enabling your operation to get the most out of the vehicle weight data.

More and more operations are adding au-tomation technology and data integration to increase efficiency. Applications that used a stand-alone terminal in the past now need greater capabilities. METTLER TOLEDO supplies terminals with the fol-lowing data integration options:

• PLC interface via EtherNet/IP™, DeviceNet™, PROFIBUS®, ControlNet™, or Modbus TCP

• EtherNet TCP/IP, serial, 4-20 mA analog output

• Optional Wi-Fi connectivity• OPC for exchange of data between

multi-vendor devices and control applications

Vehicle Scale TerminalsChoose from two high-performance terminals with dedicated vehicle weigh-ing software for use with POWERCELL® PDX® load cells. The IND560 and IND780 are full-featured terminals designed to

Get the most out of your vehicle scale by selecting the right scale

terminal. By combining advanced capabilities with simple operation,

our terminals enable you to do more with your scale and get it done

more quickly.

process inbound/outbound weighing transactions. Each includes a database with tables for storing information about vehicles, weighing transactions, and us-er-defined data.

Using the terminal’s graphic display and push buttons, a scale operator can navi-gate the database easily to enter data and process transactions. Search capabilities and presets speed up transactions by lo-cating and entering data quickly.

OverDrive® SoftwareFor advanced weighing applications, OverDrive PC-based software works with a terminal to provide complete control of a vehicle weighing operation. Its advanced capabilities include an integrated MS SQL Server database, multiple-scale op-eration, advanced pricing options, credit card processing, video server, and unat-tended weighing.

Unattended TerminalsIND9U unattended terminals allow driv-ers to process their own vehicle weighing transactions quickly. They reduce oper-ating costs by eliminating the need for a scale house with a scale operator on duty. Versions are available for use with OverDrive unattended software and with the IND780 terminal.

The METTLER TOLEDO line of products lets you customize a solution for your vehicle weighing application.

Integrating truck scale operations with fi lling or load-out systems.

Networking multiple truck scales into a single database.

Inbound/outbound vehicle weighing using a single truck scale.

www.mt.com/terminals

IND9U Unattended Terminal

Mettler-Toledo, Inc.1900 Polaris ParkwayColumbus, Ohio 43240Tel. (800) 786-0038

(614) 438-4511Fax (614) 438-4900

Your METTLER TOLEDO contact:

For more informationwww.mt.com/ind-ports

IND560 Specifi cations

• Type of scale: POWERCELL PDX or analog load cells.

• Maximum Number of Load Cells: 14 POWERCELL PDX.

• Maximum Number of Scales: 1.

• Display: Graphic vacuum fl uorescent, multi-line with prompting.

• Keys: 25 (plus optional USB interface for external keyboard).

• PLC Interface: EtherNet/IP, PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, Modbus TCP, A-B RIO.

IND780 Specifi cations

• Type of scale: POWERCELL PDX, POWERCELL MTX, or ana-log load cells.

• Maximum Number of Load Cells: 24 POWERCELL PDX.

• Maximum Number of Scales: 4 (used with multi-platform scales for axle and total weights, plus metrologically approved sum scale).

• Display: 1/4 VGA graphic color or mono-chrome.

• Keys: 30 (plus standard USB interface for external keyboard).

• PLC Interface: EtherNet/IP, PROFIBUS, DeviceNet, Modbus TCP, A-B RIO, ControlNet.

vehicle scale solutions - mettler toledo

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