What is a Checkweigher and Why Do Food Mfrs Need Them? A Free Guide.

If you are in the food processing industry, a checkweigher is a crucial component of your quality control program.

A checkweigher weighs every product in motion. It classifies, counts and rejects products that are off spec, which helps you meet throughput and legal requirements with reliable weight control.

Here are some of the reasons checkweighers are used by food manufacturers:

Brand Security and Meeting Consumer Expectations. Delivering consistent quality products is essential to protect your brand and your bottom line. That means knowing that the weight of a packaged product being shipped out the door matches the weight on the label. No one wants to open a package that is only half filled or even empty.
Regulations. In the U.S., the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) defines the Maximum Allowable Variation of packaged products (Ref Handbook 133 NIST Revised 2016). In Europe, the Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) regulations define the performance of checkweighers used in weighing products for sale to consumers. Other countries and regions have similar standards and requirements.
Plant Efficiency. Checkweighers help improve equipment effectiveness (OEE), monitors weight to reduce product give-away, maximizes efficiency, helps maintain consistent product throughput, and reduces re-work.
Weight Control. Delivering consistent quality products is essential to protect your brand and your bottom line. That means knowing that the weight of a packaged product being shipped out the door matches the weight on the label. A checkweigher weighs products in motion. It weighs, counts and rejects products that are off specification, which helps you meet throughput and legal requirements while providing reliable weight control.

How It Weighs

Package moves from the customer’s outfeed onto the checkweigher infeed. Conveyor speed of infeed and weigh table are the same
Package is weighed on the weigh cell of the weigh table
Package moves onto the outfeed of the checkweigher to be accepted or rejected according to the checkweigher settings

If the product does not meet specifications, then it can be air blasted, pushed, or bopped off the conveyor and diverted into a ‘reject’ bin or area where the operator can ascertain why it was rejected and catch errors in processing equipment before products get shipped to the customer.

We explain all this and more in our free ebook A Practical Guide to Checkweighing and Checkweighers. Discover how delivering consistent quality products is essential to protect your brand and your bottom line. That means knowing that the weight of a packaged product being shipped out the door matches the weight on the label. Learn about food weighing equipment for providing reliable weight control, how checkweighers work, and which type of checkweigher system will work best for you,