What’s the difference between a linear weigher and multihead weigher?
Linear weighers and multihead weighers are both used in the food industry for accurate and efficient weighing of products. After the product is weighed it’s released into packaging machinery below the weigher for sealing.
The two types of weigher are quite different and each is used for different applications:
Linear weighers
A linear weigher packing machine works in a step-by-step manner.
First, product is loaded into a storage hopper. Then, it’s fed into a weighing pan or bucket where it’s weighed. Once the correct wait is achieved, the product is released into packaging equipment below.
This process is done in a linear fashion, one after the other, hence the name. Because they only weigh one batch at a time they are slower, but a cost effective option.
Multihead weighers
Multihead weigher packing machines have multiple weighing buckets, or heads.
First, the product is dispersed evenly into each bucket simultaneously. Then, the machine makes calculations to determine the optimal combination of buckets to reach the target weight. The selected products are then combined and released into the packaging machinery.
Multi head weighers are more complex than linear weighers, but faster and more accurate. They are also suitable for varied or delicate food products. This makes them more expensive, but they are the most efficient option for packaging operations that require speed.
What are linear weighers used for?
Linear weighers are best suited for relatively uniform, free-flowing products. This includes items like:
Grains and Seeds: Rice, wheat, quinoa, oats, and similar products are a great fit for linear weighers due to their uniform size and free-flowing nature.
Granulated Products: Products like sugar, salt, coffee grounds, and other granulated foods are also well-suited for linear weighers.
For these types of products, linear weighers are usually paired with bagging or pouch filling machines.
What are multihead weighers used for?
Multihead weighers are versatile so can handle a broader variety of products, such as:
Mixed Products: Multihead weighers can accurately weigh mixed products, like trail mix or mixed frozen vegetables, ensuring a consistent ratio in each package.
Delicate or Fragile Products: Delicate items such as chips, pastries, or fragile confectionery can be handled gently and accurately weighed.
Irregularly Shaped Items: Products with variability in size and shape, like fresh produce or meat chunks, are also well-suited to multihead weighers because of their sophisticated weighing systems.
Multihead weighers are often integrated with Vertical Form Fill Seal (VFFS) machines for high-speed, efficient packaging.
