The Challenge – Design a weighing system to accurately measure the weight of birds maximising poultry farming profitability.
Supermarkets demand that poultry farmers supply fixed weight-priced birds. If the birds supplied are less than the specified weight, the supermarkets will deduct monies from the final payment. If the bird’s weight exceeds the tolerance allowed, then the farmers lose money as there is no extra payment for larger birds.
Poultry farmers need to accurately weigh the birds to ensure they meet the correct specification and adjust the bird feed mix accordingly.
Solution – OBU Series of Single Point Load Cells
We selected the OBU series load cells from Applied Measurements because they provide us with the accuracy, long term stability and environmental protection that our weighing systems require – at an excellent price.
Key Features:
- High Accuracy <±0.03%/Rated Capacity – guarantees correct weight of birds
- Long Term Stability
- Low Cost
- Moment Insensitive
- IP65 Environmental Protection (IP67 optional) – perfect for dusty and wet conditions of the agricultural industry
- Aluminium Construction – light weight and low cost
- Customised Versions Available
IP67 Environmental Protection Optional – Ideal for Agricultural Industry
CF Whaler (a provider of environmental controls for the agricultural industry) STICK bird weighing system uses a OBUG-10kg single point load cell mounted at the bottom of a tunnel shaped platform, ensuring only one bird is being weighed at a time. The bird’s weight is recorded automatically by capturing individual weights and calculating an average. The OBU series are robust, accurate load cells that can be sealed to IP67 for damp and wet conditions (IP65 sealing as standard), perfect for agricultural environments.
Cost Effective
The OBU series of single point load cells are moment insensitive meaning only one unit is required centrally positioned to make a weighing system, making this a very cost-effective solution. As Peter Lewis Applied Measurements’ Managing Director explains
The design of the OBU combined with the volume manufacturing techniques used to build this series of load cells makes it an ideal solution for applications in which low forces are to be measured within a tight budget.
Maximise Profitability
A larger OBUC-100kg single point load cell is used within CF Whaler’s STICK feed hopper/blender system. The OBUC load cell is mounted across the top of the feed hopper, with the feed weigher suspended from the load cell. This unit is provided with sense wires to compensate any voltage drops along the load cell cable. An amplifier connected to a remote computer with digital display and joystick controller, allows the farmer to adjust the bird feed mix to the optimum level, once again maximising profitability for the poultry farmer.
Available in 1 Week
We need to respond very quickly to requests from poultry farmer customers who often need weighing units very quickly. Applied Measurements deliver load cells to us often at very short notice, within one week on some occasions.
The OBU series of single point load cells can be supplied in 1 week on their own or calibrated as a complete system with a wide range of instrumentation. Customised versions with dimensions and fittings allow replacement of obsolete units or specific applications.
It has been 15 years since we were first contacted by CF Whaler and we are proud to say we are still supplying them with the same OBU series of single point load cells. If you have a weighing challenge for us please contact us at [email protected] or +44 (0) 118 981 7339.