In-line multihead weighers cater for delicate products

16 August 2010 – A range of in-line multihead weighers offering low drop height for fragile goods and equipped with new control software to improve accuracy at higher speeds has been announced by Italian manufacturer PFM Packaging Machinery.

The MBP C4 Series of weighers is available with up to eight weighing heads and is aimed in particular at delicate products such as loose biscuits traditionally packed using semi-automatic linear scales. Speed is up to 70 weighings a minute.

Control software, developed from systems written for PFM’s high speed radial multihead machines, cuts the time needed to replenish each weigh hopper with product, allowing the contents of more hoppers to be combined for a more accurate dose at higher speeds.

“The C4 range brings the speed and accuracy advantages of multihead combination weighing technology to applications where gentle handling is paramount,” explains PFM sales and operations director Chris Bolton.

“In-line operation means that hoppers can be relatively shallow compared with radial systems and that horizontal conveyors can be used to combine the hoppers’ output. In this way drop height, and risk of damage, is kept to an absolute minimum.”

Accuracy and speed on the C4 weighers is also enhanced with a system of memory hoppers, which accept product from any undischarged weighing hoppers. The weight is held in memory, giving the controls a greater number of weighing combinations to make up the next target weight, so lifting speed and accuracy.