The 10-ton crane scale in this project required development and certification under strict measurement, electromagnetic compatibility and industrial communication requirements.

Besides its high load capacity, the system had to reach a resolution of 1 kg, for a total of 10,000 divisions, which at the time was a significant technical challenge for this type of equipment.

ECK took part in this work as a consultant and technical engineering coordinator, supporting product development, architecture decisions and preparation for certification testing.

The challenge started with the load cell itself

One of the main obstacles was that, at the time, there was no load cell suited to this scale configuration.

So development initially had to move forward with an alternative, using a load cell in an architecture adapted to the project. Later, a more suitable cell for this type of application came onto the market, which helped consolidate the final solution.

This added to the complexity of development, since the mechanical and metrological behavior of the system depended directly on how the load would be transferred to the cell.

High accuracy in a large scale

Designing a 10-ton scale with 1 kg resolution takes much more than just choosing good components.

Mechanical, electrical and algorithmic errors had to be controlled to ensure stable, repeatable measurement.

For this, an error compensation algorithm was developed based on a piecewise-linear curve, making it possible to correct non-linearities and improve the system’s metrological performance across the weighing range.

This approach was important for the equipment to reach the required performance without compromising the industrial robustness of the solution.

Industrial communication and electronic architecture

The scale also had to meet communication requirements suited to industrial applications.

The design combined the measurement section with Wi-Fi and XML communication, making integration with automation and supervisory systems easier.

At the time, processing used a Rabbit module, chosen because it already offered libraries and features that simplified communication, including modular support for networking and industrial integration.

Specific libraries were also used to enable part of the system’s communication.

Crane scale certification: shielding, RF and testing

Another essential point was how the equipment behaved in electromagnetic compatibility testing.

ECK took part in developing the metal enclosure, the shielding strategy and the RF blocking, aiming to protect the measurement electronics and reduce vulnerability to external interference.

In addition, the test conditions and the adjustments needed for the product to face lab testing properly were prepared.

The scale underwent conducted and radiated tests, covering both emissions and immunity.

Test follow-up and product validation

The consulting work also involved following the tests carried out in the lab and in the field.

This support was important to interpret the results, adjust the system when necessary and consolidate the solutions adopted in the project.

One favorable aspect of the architecture was that the scale ran on battery, which reduced problems related to mains power during part of the testing and operation.

The equipment showed good overall performance, both in measurement and in the robustness of the electronic system.

Certification consulting for weighing systems

High-capacity industrial weighing projects require integrating different disciplines: mechanics, measurement electronics, digital processing, industrial communication, EMC and metrological validation.

In this project, ECK worked exactly at this interface between development and certification, supporting the company in the product’s technical definition, in solving practical problems and in preparing for testing.

This kind of consulting helps reduce rework and increases the chance that the product reaches the expected performance already during validation.

Learn more about ECK’s work in electronic product certification.