What to grasp when settling on a checkweigher for meals packaging programs

Checkweighers used
to measure raw foods, such as meat and dairy, should be constructed of a
suitable, non-toxic material that is unlikely to break or fracture for a
reduced risk of contamination.

In the food
and beverage industry, customer satisfaction is paramount, driving the success
or failure of any given product. Two of the biggest factors dictating the
customer experience are product quality and quantity. To satisfy these demands,
manufacturers must obtain precise measurements of packaged goods and accurately
record this data. Further, to prevent contamination and preserve product
integrity, each package must be prepared in a sanitary environment.

To police fast-paced
production lines, checkweighers are used to monitor the weight of each and
every package against pre-determined parameters, preventing over and
underweight parcels from reaching customers. This
not only proactively promotes continued product quality and positive public
standing, but also protects the company’s bottom line by safeguarding their investment and improving profitability.

Prior to
implementing a checkweigher into processing and packaging applications,
manufacturers must take into consideration the scale’s design and durability.
Knowing what features and capabilities to look for allows manufacturers to meet
safety and sanitation requirements, minimize downtime and equipment repairs and
improve production efficiency and visibility.

Scale Safety
Certifications

It is crucial
that food manufacturing and packaging companies use weighing equipment that complies
with strict legislative requirements. As industry trends move toward
comprehensive certification programs, understanding the specific accreditations
and certifications available can ensure those in the food industry select
products fit for that purpose.

The National Sanitation Foundation (NSF)
is a global public health and safety organization which certifies products
worldwide and sets internationally recognized standards for food, water and
consumer goods. Products and equipment featuring NSF Certification have been
independently tested and verified to ensure that all public health concerns related
to the design, operation and cleaning of the equipment have been addressed. Additionally,
the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI) oversees the creation and use of thousands of
guidelines and standards that protect the safety and health of consumers, while
3-A Sanitary Standards (3-A SSI) focuses
on hygienic equipment design for the food and beverage industries.

NSF
International, ANSI and the 3-A Sanitary Standards Committee have collaborated
to develop a recognized standard for food processing equipment. Any product
bearing the NSF/ANSI Standard 3-A 14159-1 -2010 accreditation can be considered
to have met stringent standards for use in the food industry – specifically
hygiene requirements
for the
design of meat and poultry processing equipment.
Therefore, when selecting a checkweigher for food processing and packaging
applications, users should look for a scale featuring certification that
demonstrates its suitability for the industry.

Scale
Designs for Food Applications

On a food
packaging line, fast and accurate checkweighing is necessary to maintain high-level
production, and scales should be designed to promote this objective. Selecting
a scale with high speed value capturing capabilities can have a direct impact
on your bottom line; allowing operators to increase throughput and pack rate
for a faster and more efficient production line.

Since checkweighers
are used to weigh everything from raw foods, such as meat and dairy,
to finished, packaged products, they should be constructed of a suitable,
non-toxic material that is unlikely to break or fracture. This prevents broken
fragments and splinters from contaminating the product. Also, the number of joints,
rivets, screws and dead spaces must be minimized to provide an easy-to-clean
surface and minimize the potential number of food trap areas that pose a health
and hygiene risk.

In applications where raw materials are being weighed, scales must be
designed to withstand frequent, heavy washdown procedures. The combination of water, chemicals, high pressures and
temperatures used in this cleaning process can prove fatal for electronic
circuits and instrumentation. The Ingress Protection (IP) rating system is an
internationally recognized scale that relates to proven protection against
environmental factors such as liquids and solids. A product with the highest
rating available, IP69K, offers complete assurance that it has been subjected
to a challenging set of tests to ensure protection against penetration of high
pressure, high temperature water and dust particles – making it ideal for use
in conditions where equipment must be carefully sanitized. While this testing
procedure can be performed by the scale manufacturer themselves, opting for a
scale that has had its IP rating independently verified can offer further
assurance that the equipment is fit for purpose.
  

In
these heavy washdown environments, equipment can often be subjected to rapid
temperature changes. Extremes of
temperature inside and outside the enclosure can result in expansion and
contraction of gases, which in turn can lead to moisture and humidity becoming
trapped inside. To prevent equipment malfunction
of result inaccuracies associated with moisture ingress, some checkweighers
feature specially designed vent technology that helps neutralize the pressures
between the inside and outside of the enclosure and keeps moisture out.

Additionally,
selecting the appropriate scale material can also increase scale durability. Though
scales constructed of high impact plastic resists expansion, contraction and
the subsequent condensation build-up, stainless steel is far less likely to
crack or break, providing a more durable and hygienic solution. Scales
constructed of stainless steel provide superior corrosion resistance,
feature a non-absorbent finish and offer an inherent tolerance to temperature
extremes. These characteristics enable checkweighers to operate even when subjected to a combination of water,
chemicals, high pressures and temperatures that typically prove fatal for
electronic circuits and instrumentation.

When used to weigh raw food products, the surface finish of
the stainless steel weighing platter can have a significant effect on its
hygiene characteristics. Food contact areas should have a fine brush finish to
reduce the risk of bacteria growing on the surface. As an additional measure,
the stainless steel should undergo a pickling and electro-polishing process to
remove any impurities on the surface of the stainless steel. The rougher a
surface finish is, the more likely it is that food will stick to it, creating a
breeding ground for bacteria and micro-organisms. Designed to meet the strict
hygiene standards demanded by the food industry, this pickling and polishing
process reduces the tiny peaks and troughs found on the surface of the metal.
Not only does this create a clean cut finish and reduce the likelihood of
contamination, it also provides a surface that is far easier to clean.
    

Also, scales engineered for food applications should avoid fully
welded tubular designs that can prove hard to clean. A welded structure can
result in bacteria becoming trapped within the tube and thriving in the
constantly changing atmosphere often found within the food industry.
Conversely, base designs with flat bases and open corners ensure that any food
particles can be quickly and easily washed away during high pressure cleaning.

To promote product quality and satisfy industry standards,
scales should be designed to prevent the growth of bacteria, minimize food trap
areas and withstand heavy washdown conditions.

Using Checkweighers
to Improve Production

With connectivity
and communication being pivotal to production efficiency, checkweighers that
offer data acquisition and management capabilities can directly impact a
company’s capacity for profitability. To maximize process visibility and
control, some checkweighers offer a built-in interface, Ethernet,
USB and RS232 to share information and deliver effective data management. These
options allow the scale to be hard wired inside the indicator, or wirelessly
connected to remove all cabling in demanding environments. This enables scale
solutions to collect, store and interpret data in
virtually any industrial environment.

For instance, in a
heavy washdown environment, an increased number of cables provide more areas
for bacteria to hide which, in turn, increases the length of the cleaning
process. By offering wireless connections, users can remove unwanted cables for
an efficient and timely washdown procedure. This minimizes downtime, avoids
unnecessary lost production and prevents costly equipment damage.

Along with durability, constant access to critical data also
improves profitability. Scale displays that are easy to read deliver higher visibility
and allow operators to obtain more information at a glance. Checkweigher
displays that feature multi-segmented, under/overweight graphs provide the user
with a clear indication of how close a weight is to the acceptable target
tolerance at any given moment. Scales can also be reinforced to include an
external audible alarm, ensuring the highest level of accuracy and awareness.

Checkweighers should also be easy to use, facilitating simple
implementation and interaction by allowing operations to quickly and easily set
or change target tolerances. Equipment featuring a push-button front panel
allows users to change parameters directly on the scale itself, enabling it to
constantly adapt to changes in production. Further, scales with memory
functions offer the option to set pre-program targets that can be used to
simplify the set-up of additional production lines. Checkweighers with a range of
statistical data packages built into the scale enable users to monitor and
control processes directly on the line or via feedback to a central PC database
for constant access to critical data. Plus, with remote capabilities, a scale
can receive target weights and tolerances remotely, which can speed up
production line set-up and ensure pack line consistency.

The
reality of life on a production line means that a checkweigher is often
subjected to abuse and harsh operating conditions; from shock loading caused by
packages being dropped into the scale, to spray jets used in washdown
procedures causing the scale to be bumped or knocked to the floor. While a
durable design may go some way to compensating for this abuse, selecting a
scale that has the capability to transfer
shock loads and overloads away from the load cell will ensure that the accuracy
and performance of your weighing equipment is not affected.

Advanced
checkweighers feature specially designed vent technology to help neutralize the
pressures between the inside and outside of the enclosure and keep moisture out,
preventing scale malfunction and inaccuracy.

Conclusion
 

With industries
becoming more competitive and customers gaining a greater awareness of the
marketplace, investing in a checkweigher can prevent costly mistakes in package
weighing applications that result in dissatisfied customers or costly giveaways.
By selecting a scale that combines hygienic, durable design features with
connectivity capabilities, manufacturers can improve production efficiency,
minimize downtime and enhance product quality to promote continued company
profitability.