When a Flintec RC3 fails on a working weighbridge, the practical question is what can go in its place without rebuilding the mounting or recalibrating the whole system. The MKCells CLC and AmCells KLC are built as direct alternatives, and the electrical match is what makes the swap straightforward.
The figure that matters
MKCells CLC, AmCells KLC and Flintec RC3 all have the same input and output resistance: 1150 Ω / 1000 Ω. An indicator already set up for the RC3 sees the replacement the same way.
How the CLC is built
- Rigid double-ended column structure
- Upper cup with overload protection; lower cup with an anti-rotation lug that also limits tilt
- Sealed box housing, corrosion resistant, high load capacity
- Arc-welded housing for a better seal
- Cable gland clamped tight and well shielded
- Rubber cover between body and lower cup — keeps dust out and slows corrosion at the base
The column form is what suits this cell to weighbridge work. Load arrives through a single vertical axis, so it tolerates the off-centre push of a vehicle braking or turning far better than a beam cell would.
The anti-rotation lug matters more than it looks. A column cell that creeps round in its seating changes the direction the cable leaves — and a cable pulled tight over months is one of the quieter causes of a bridge that gradually stops reading correctly.
Arc welding rather than a gasketed lid is what allows the IP68 rating to survive a pit that floods. On a weighbridge, sealing is not a specification detail — it decides how long the cell lasts.
What the cells are tested against
Before leaving the factory, CLC cells go through:
- Fatigue testing — one million full-load cycles
- Vibration and shock testing
- Corrosion resistance — 300 hours salt spray
- IP68 sealing verification
- Trial installation on a complete platform, run for over a year
What comes with the cell
Upper cup
Bolts fixing it to the platform, plus an O-ring seal.
Lower cup
Anti-rotation lug and fixing bolts, plus an O-ring seal.
Rubber dust cover
Keeps dust off the seating and limits corrosion where the cell meets the foundation.
Recommended layout
On a platform built with CLC or KLC column cells, run the cell cables outward, away from under the bridge. The arrow across the diagram shows the direction of travel — the layout is set out relative to how vehicles drive on.
Cables routed inward are harder to inspect and are the ones that get damaged when something is dragged under the platform.
Two more things this drawing settles before the concrete is poured. Cell numbering follows the axis pairs, so a corner error can be traced to a position instead of hunted for. And the junction box sits where it can be reached — not under the middle of the bridge, where checking it means closing the weighbridge to traffic.
Both decisions cost nothing at the drawing stage and are expensive to change once the platform is down.
Before you order a replacement
Matching resistance is necessary but not sufficient. Confirm the rated capacity, the rated output in mV/V and the mounting height as well — a cell that is electrically identical but a few millimetres taller will change how the platform sits.
Replacement note
KALA Technical Notes
Replacing one cell out of eight on a working bridge is usually possible without recalibrating everything, provided the replacement matches electrically and dimensionally. Send us the marking on the failed cell and a photo of the mounting, and we will confirm what will drop straight in.
● Column load cells with mounting kits for truck scale replacement work.