Fast and Accurate Grain Grading

Operators at grain receiving sites must work quickly to keep operating costs low. However, they must also accurately grade grain to ensure quality for international food supplies. Durable and high-performance balances help grain operators meet the demand for accuracy plus speed – Benefitting not only the buyers, but also the farmers, paid on crop quality basis.

Harvest is a busy time at grain receiving sites. Trucks queue up and testers must work quickly to expedite offloading in order to reduce related operating costs. But speed is only half the equation. Assuring grain quality is paramount to ensure the integrity of the international food supply chain. Density, moisture content and protein quality must fall within certain tolerances to be accepted. Accurate grading produces more uniform flour and, ultimately, more satisfying bread and other cereal grain products. Grain Trade Australia Ltd specifies strict grain standards for determining the bulk density of grain samples and the stakes are high for both producer and purchaser. If any variable is off, an entire truckload may be deemed poor quality, even resulting in product refusal. Employing a well designed, intuitive balance at supply chain entry points is critical. The NewClassic MS delivers the accuracy, ease of-use and durability it takes to perform under pressure day in and day out.

Enhancing ease-of-use
The bulk density of grain is calculated in kilograms per hectolitre (kg/hL); so receiving begins with the weighing of a half-liter of grain. However, harvested grain usually contains extraneous matter, so the sample is then screened on a shaking device and the balance switched to percentage mode. The screened sample and separated non-grain material are then weighed separately for their respective percentages. Finally, the balance is returned to gram mode and one hundred kernels are weighed and multiplied by ten, to obtain the “weight per 1000 kernels”. If results are within accepted tolerances, workers begin unloading.

Consider that this multi-step process happens dozens of times per day and it becomes clear that the right balance can create big efficiency gains.

Durability delivered
In grain receiving, accuracy and speed wouldn’t matter much if the balance didn’t withstand tough working conditions. The MonoBloc weighing cell, encased in tough metal housing, is durable thanks to overload and shock protection and perfectly protected against dust and water with IP54-in-use rating. The balance offers adaptive sensitivity as well as delivering accurate readings in the presence of external vibrations – such as the kind a fleet of idling semis might generate. Fully Automatic Internal Adjustment (FACT) also assures grain operators that the balance will continue displaying repeatable results even with temperature swings at the test site. A large weighing pan completes the list of the NewClassic MS’s helpful heavy-duty features.