About Thayer Scale

Thayer Scale Philosophy

Thayer Scale’s business is as fundamental as the field of chemistry itself. We manufacture the critical machinery and controls that processors need to produce MIXTURES and COMPOUNDS, which ultimately define the composition of most manufactured goods.

Our particular emphasis is directed to equipment that continuously feeds, measures and controls various ingredients to produce on-spec products for a wide variety of industries such as: Cereals, Candies and Snacks, Detergents, Pharmaceuticals, Plastics, Coal, Cement, Tobacco, Textiles, and Construction Products, to name just a few.

The objectives of our customers are varied, but all desire to achieve them in an uncompromising manner and at a justifiable cost. Producing high quality products at competitive prices requires smart investment decisions regarding automation equipment and controls. There are few areas fraught with more risk for the buyer than the capital equipment decisions associated with the ingredient feeding and measurement systems that will be responsible for determining the uniqueness and marketability of the end product. Whether it’s the flavor, color, durability, unique physical or chemical property, or merely its cost, Thayer Scale is proud to have helped many of today’s major companies produce what have become some of the most recognized Brands in the world.

We attribute our success to a particular philosophy that keeps us on a highly focused path. The Company will only produce "types" and "configurations" of continuous weighing and feeding equipment that it feels can provide sustained accuracy levels of "better than 1%" without requiring frequent attention to calibration and other "fine tuning" adjustments. This simply stated, self-imposed performance limit, filters out temptations to become involved in areas of business that would be a distraction to the main focus and core capabilities of the organization. First of all, to stay comfortably within this accuracy limit, our company has made the decision to only produce "types" of equipment in which: 1) the fundamental gravimetric flow rate determination is based on direct measurements of all independent variables required to define it, or 2) the fundamental gravimetric flow rate determination is based on the combination of at least one direct measurement and other substituted constant values (in lieu of direct measurements), that experience and theoretical analysis have shown are suitably accurate representations of "true" measurement values.

The first mentioned "types" are called Direct Measurement systems, whereby the measurement of an accurate fundamental flow rate signal is independent of the physical properties of the material being handled. Conveyor Belt Scales and Weigh Belt Feeders with belt speed sensing qualify since the determination of "rate" utilizes direct measurements of both "specific loading" (weight units per belt length unit) and "material velocity" (length units per time unit). Loss-In-Weight Feeders qualify since the determination of "rate" utilizes direct measurements of both "load" (weight units) and "time" (time units).

The second mentioned "types" are called In-Direct Measurement Systems of Predictable Performance, and are characterized by their dependence on the physical properties of the material handled as well as other "mechanical" equipment attributes that help to maintain the constancy of the assumed "values" used in the calculation of flow rate. Momentum Reaction devices (impact plate weighers) in which the flow rate calculation is based on the product of a reaction force and assumed directions and magnitudes of the impinging and deflecting material flow velocities qualify if the necessary material pre-feeding and guiding systems are an integral part of the supplied system. However, Momentum Reaction devices that do not include the pre-feeding system, and are adapted to existing chutes and flow channels without adequate means for controlling all velocity assumptions, do not meet this basic philosophy.

In addition, certain "configurations" of acceptable "types" of equipment may not be offered for a particular application if our proprietary computer modeling predicts an inability to meet the accuracy objective. As an example, the Company may decline to quote a 1-idler belt scale for a particular application where belt loading is low in relation to the belt tension and computer analysis indicates that this "configuration" cannot deliver "better than 1%" accuracy without frequent calibration and maintenance attention.