Case study: weighing solution offers ground control

With average UK temperatures at their lowest for three years, the trend for transforming unused garden areas into practical all-season spaces has been a boon for Millboard flooring, designers and manufacturers of outdoor flooring.

The flooring manufacturer supplies a blend of high-end, low-maintenance, eco-friendly composite decking to withstand all weather conditions.

“Much of our demand throughout the year comes from commercial applications, but our supply for residential applications is increasing,” says Harvey Douglass, operations director at Millboard flooring.

“Though the summer months have always been busy, demand is expanding right across the year.”

Initially, we were using level sensors to monitor how much product we had left, but we found out very quickly that these were inadequate and giving us inaccurate readings

Harvey Douglass, operations director at Millboard flooring

To meet this demand, Millboard has increased its storage capacity with a new 56 tonne horizontal storage silo.

“Initially, we were using level sensors to monitor how much product we had left. But we found out very quickly that these were inadequate and giving us inaccurate readings,” he says.

“It’s a three-day delivery time for the powder we’re holding in this silo, but we can get through the stock at nearly the same speed. It can be a bit of a balancing act and means it’s really important for us to know exactly how much product we’re holding.”

Applied Weighing International was selected by Millboard to supply a new weight monitoring system.

The company, which supplies custombuilt weighing systems, services a wide variety of industry areas including pharmaceutical, food processing, milling and bakeries, aggregates and cement, fuel oils, chemicals and plastics.

Balancing act

The solution it provided for Millboard included four Safemount loading assemblies and a new Target 260S weight amplifier for displaying the content weight.

Used in conjunction with an Intelligent Junction Box, which links the loading assemblies to the weight display, the complete system provides high precision weighing with unique fault monitoring capabilities, says Douglass.

He says these capabilities allow Millboard to continually monitor the individual health of the load cells and quickly identify instances such as cable breaks and unbalanced loading, thereby minimising production downtime.

It was important that the integrity of the system supplied… equalled the durability of the range of products

Due to the external mounting of the silo, Douglass says it was important that the integrity of the system supplied by Applied Weighing equalled the durability of the Millboard range of products.

“We’re designing and manufacturing a high-end product, and we’re reliant on our tools and equipment to help us deliver this to our customers. So it pays for us to invest in quality,” says Douglass.

The Safemount loading assemblies each incorporate a fully welded stainless steel load cell, and the Intelligent Junction Box and Target 260S weight amplifier are housed in a robust IP65 rated enclosure, as standard.

“We also like to know that we have all the back-up and support if we need it. Applied Weighing gives us this reassurance,” Douglass adds.