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What is Automated Scale Corporation?
Automated Scale Corporation is a Chicago-area industrial weighing company that sells, rents, installs, repairs and maintains electronic and mechanical scale equipment across Chicagoland and Indiana. It has operated since 1980 and works with multiple major brands, including Fairbanks, Rice Lake, Avery Weigh-Tronix, Mettler Toledo, B-Tek, Cardinal and Ohaus, rather than limiting itself to a single manufacturer. Its technicians are described as licensed through the Illinois Department of Agriculture for NTEP, Legal for Trade and state-certified weighing equipment.
Who it is built for
- Warehouses and distribution centers needing truck scales, floor scales or bench scales kept accurate and compliant.
- Manufacturers and food processors where Legal for Trade certification and routine calibration matter.
- Operations that want one service partner for several equipment brands instead of separate vendor contracts.
- Buyers comparing rental versus purchase for temporary or seasonal weighing needs.
A practical next step
If you run a facility in the region, start by listing each scale, its brand and whether it needs Legal for Trade certification. Then ask for a service visit or quote that covers calibration, parts availability and response time, since uptime usually matters more than the equipment discount. For brand-specific comparisons, the manufacturers' own sites, such as Fairbanks Scales and Mettler Toledo, are useful for checking model capabilities before you talk to a local service provider.
Do I need a Legal for Trade certified scale for my business in Illinois, and how does Automated Scale handle that certification?
Whether you need a Legal for Trade scale depends on whether the weight is used to determine a price, tax, or regulatory compliance. If you sell goods by weight (produce, meat, scrap metal, bulk materials), ship parcels with weight-based rates, or use weights in a transaction that a customer or inspector could dispute, Illinois generally expects the device to be Legal for Trade and NTEP-certified. If you only weigh internally—inventory checks, mixing ratios, quality sampling—a standard industrial scale may be sufficient, though certified equipment can still be worth it for consistency.
How Automated Scale handles certification
Automated Scale states that its technicians are licensed through the Illinois Department of Agriculture and certified in NTEP, Legal for Trade, and State Certified weighing equipment. In practice, that means the firm is set up to sell, install, service, and certify equipment to the standard your application requires, rather than just delivering a scale.
What to do before you buy
- Decide whether any weight you record affects a sale, invoice, or shipment rate. If yes, specify Legal for Trade.
- Tell Automated Scale the application, capacity, and environment (washdown, forklift traffic, outdoor pit) so the certification matches the use.
- Ask whether installation and initial certification are included, and how periodic re-certification is scheduled.
Decision guide
| Situation | Legal for Trade needed? |
|---|---|
| Selling product by weight to customers | Yes |
| Weight-based shipping charges | Usually yes |
| Internal inventory or batching only | Often no |
| Inspected or regulated trade use | Yes |
For brands and equipment options, see Automated Scale Corporation and, for certified scale standards, NIST.
Can I rent an industrial scale for a short-term project instead of buying one?
Yes. Automated Scale Corporation lists rentals alongside sales, repairs, installations, parts, and maintenance for electronic and mechanical weighing equipment, so a short-term project does not have to mean buying a scale outright. The company serves Chicagoland and Indiana and has operated since 1980, which matters for renters who need a local technician if a unit needs calibration or repair mid-project.
When renting makes sense
- Fixed-length jobs: a construction phase, seasonal harvest, or one-off inventory count where the need ends on a known date.
- Avoiding capital outlay: you keep cash free and skip long-term ownership costs such as storage and depreciation.
- Trying before committing: rent a capacity or format first, then buy once you know it fits your workflow.
- Bridging a breakdown: rent while your own scale is being repaired.
When buying is the better call
If you will weigh regularly for years, ownership usually wins on total cost, and you avoid repeated rental logistics. Buying also suits operations that need a scale permanently installed and certified for trade use.
What to confirm before renting
Ask about the rental term and minimum period, delivery and pickup, calibration and certification for legal-for-trade use, damage responsibility, and support response time. The company states its technicians are licensed through the Illinois Department of Agriculture for NTEP, Legal for Trade, and State Certified equipment, which is relevant if your project involves buying or selling by weight.
As a practical next step, call (800) 498-6650 or email [email protected] with your weighing range, floor space, project dates, and whether the weights are legally regulated. That lets them match a rental unit to the job rather than guessing. For context on scale types and industry standards, the [[site:rice Lake.com|Rice Lake Weighing Systems]] site is a useful reference, and Fairbanks Scales covers industrial weighing applications.
How do I get a scale repaired or scheduled for preventive maintenance in Chicagoland or Indiana?
Call Automated Scale Corporation directly at (800) 498-6650 or email [email protected] to request repair or preventive maintenance. The company serves Chicagoland and Indiana and describes its technicians as licensed through the Illinois Department of Agriculture for NTEP, Legal for Trade, and state-certified weighing equipment—relevant if your scale is used in commerce and must stay compliant.
What to have ready when you call
- Scale type (electronic or mechanical) and brand—the company services Fairbanks, Rice Lake, Avery Weigh-Tronix, Mettler Toledo, B-Tek, Cardinal, Ohaus, and others.
- Model/serial number and approximate age.
- Whether the issue is a breakdown or a routine maintenance request; for Legal for Trade scales, say so, since certification may be part of the visit.
- Your location and access details (dock, floor scale pit, overhead crane access), which affect scheduling.
Repair vs. preventive maintenance
Repair is reactive: a scale reads erratically, drifts, or won't power on. Preventive maintenance is scheduled servicing to catch load cell wear, cable damage, or calibration drift before it disrupts operations. If your scale supports invoicing, shipping, or regulated trade, a maintenance schedule with certification checks is usually the safer default; for internal-only weighing, repair-on-failure may be enough.
Practical next step
For a first call, ask two questions: what response time they can offer for your area, and whether they can provide loaner or rental equipment if the repair takes longer than expected—the company lists rentals among its services, which matters if a down scale halts your line.
Which scale brand and model should I choose for my specific weighing application?
The right scale brand and model depends less on brand reputation than on four things: what you're weighing, the weight range, where the scale will live, and whether the reading must be "legal for trade." Automated Scale Corporation sells and services electronic and mechanical weighing equipment from Fairbanks, Rice Lake, Avery Weigh-Tronix, Mettler Toledo, B-Tek, Cardinal and Ohaus, so it is set up as a multi-brand supplier rather than a single-brand shop—useful if you want the model matched to the job instead of the job bent to one catalog.
Match the application first
- Shipping and receiving, parcels, pallets: a floor or bench scale sized to your heaviest pallet plus margin, with a indicator that can talk to your shipping software. Rice Lake and Fairbanks are common names in this space; B-Tek is often considered for budget-conscious industrial floor scales.
- Food, pharmacy, lab, small parts: bench and precision balances where resolution matters more than ruggedness. Ohaus is the usual starting point for lab and light industrial weighing; Mettler Toledo covers higher-precision and regulated environments.
- Truck, axle and heavy industrial weighing: this is a different class of equipment—pit or surface truck scales, axle scales—and installation and calibration matter as much as the brand. Fairbanks, Rice Lake, Avery Weigh-Tronix and Mettler Toledo all play here.
- Harsh washdown or outdoor use: stainless or sealed enclosures and IP-rated indicators; ask specifically about the enclosure rating rather than assuming "industrial" means washdown-ready.
Legal-for-trade is the dividing line
If the weight is used for buying, selling or billing—produce, scrap metal, freight—the scale generally must be NTEP-certified and legal for trade, and in Illinois that ties into state certification. Automated Scale states its technicians are licensed through the Illinois Department of Agriculture in NTEP-certified, legal-for-trade and state-certified weighing equipment. For a Chicago or Indiana buyer, that is a practical reason to involve a local service firm: the certificate and the service call come from the same place.
Sales, rental or repair
The site lists sales, rentals, parts, maintenance and repair across all brands. Rental is worth considering for seasonal peaks, temporary sites or a short production run before you commit to a purchase; repair and parts matter most if you already own equipment and mainly need uptime.
A concrete next step
Write down: maximum load, smallest increment you need to see, environment (washdown, dust, outdoor, freezer), whether trade certification is required, and how the reading gets recorded (printer, software, manual log). Take that one-page brief to a supplier and ask for two or three model options with the trade-offs stated. Compare against a manufacturer directly—Rice Lake Weighing Systems, Mettler Toledo or Ohaus—and against a local service provider such as Automated Scale Corporation if installation, calibration and repair response time matter to you.
What parts and installation services does Automated Scale offer for existing weighing systems?
Automated Scale Corporation supports existing weighing systems with parts, installation, repair and maintenance for electronic and mechanical scales, and it also offers rentals—so a facility can keep weighing running while a unit is down or being replaced. Its technicians are described as licensed through the Illinois Department of Agriculture for NTEP, Legal for Trade and state-certified weighing equipment, which matters if your scales are used in commercial transactions.
Matching the service to your situation
- A scale is failing or out of tolerance: start with repair and calibration-oriented service rather than replacement, especially for Legal for Trade equipment where certification records matter.
- You are adding or relocating a scale: ask about installation, including how the installer will handle foundation, wiring and verification for your specific setup.
- You need a part for an older or mixed-brand unit: the company states it services all brands and names Fairbanks, Rice Lake, Avery Weigh-Tronix, Mettler Toledo, B-Tek, Cardinal and Ohaus, which suits sites running a mixed fleet.
- You cannot afford downtime: rentals are the practical bridge while a repair or installation is scheduled.
A useful next step is to call with your scale's make, model, capacity and the symptom or project scope, then ask specifically whether the visit covers parts, labor and any required state verification. For buyers comparing regional service options, it is worth also checking the manufacturers' own service networks, such as Fairbanks Scales and Rice Lake Weighing Systems, since authorized service can affect warranty coverage on newer equipment.
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