01How in-motion weighing works
The weighing section is mechanically a conveyor section and metrologically a scale. As a gapped, single-file parcel crosses it, the load cells register the parcel's weight during the crossing window and the control system assigns that weight to the parcel whose dimensions the vision section is capturing in the same pass. The engineering is in the synchronisation: the right weight must marry the right dimensions and the right barcode, thousands of times a day, at belt speed.
In the Goodscan range, dynamic weighing is a function of the dynamic DWS machines — the GM210 and GS210M lines weigh as part of their in-motion capture — rather than a separate product family. This page covers the function itself: what it is for, what it needs from the line, and where a static scale still beats it.
02What in-motion weight is used for
Three duties dominate:
- Billable weight. Paired with the dimension capture, in-motion weight completes the dimensional-weight calculation the carrier will bill on — the record that ends correction disputes.
- Checkweighing. Parcels whose weight falls outside the expected band for their order are exceptions: wrong item, missing item, wrong box. In-motion weighing catches them at line speed and routes them out before they ship.
- Sortation data. Weight feeds load planning at chutes and vehicles, and flags items outside a downstream machine's duty before they reach it.
03What the function needs from the line
Gapped single file, again: the weighing window must contain one parcel at a time, which the singulator guarantees. Stable belt tracking and a level, vibration-managed installation keep the crossing signal clean. And the parcel weight range must sit inside the section's designed duty — very light mailers and very heavy cartons are different sections, which is why the weight range is a first-order input to dynamic DWS specification.