Linear Combination Weigher
Linear Combination Weigher for Sticky, Frozen & Fresh Products
Belt Type vs Hopper Type
| Comparison Factor | Belt Type Linear Combination Weigher | Hopper Type Linear Combination Weigher |
| Suitable Foods | Fresh meat, frozen fish, seafood, vegetables, fruits, sticky or wet foods, fragile and irregular products | Small-piece foods, frozen foods, vegetables, fruits, and other products with stable flow and good discharge characteristics |
| Feeding Method | Multiple independent belts provide controlled and continuous product conveying | Products are fed into individual weighing hoppers and discharged by gravity |
| Feeding Control | Higher control over product movement and distribution | Relies more on product flow and gravity-assisted feeding |
| Product Handling | Gentle and controlled, helping reduce impact, sticking, and product damage | Suitable for products that can be reliably dropped without significant sticking or bridging |
| Best For | Sticky, wet, frozen, fragile, irregularly shaped, or difficult-to-handle foods | Products with relatively stable flow, consistent shape, and reliable discharge |
| Weighing Process | Products are conveyed through multiple weighing channels before combination calculation | Products are collected in individual weighing hoppers before combination calculation |
| Discharge | Controlled belt discharge | Selected hoppers discharge simultaneously |
| Main Advantage | Better product handling and feeding stability for challenging foods | Compact structure, efficient combination weighing, and stable discharge |
| Recommended When | Product handling, gentle transfer, and stable feeding are key priorities | Product flow is consistent and fast, reliable hopper discharge is preferred |
Why Choose Smart Weigh’s Linear Combination Weigher?
1. More Accurate Target Weights
Multiple weighing channels work together to select the combination closest to the target weight, helping minimize overfilling and product giveaway. This is particularly valuable for higher-value products such as meat, seafood, and fresh produce, where even small weight deviations can increase material costs over long production runs.
2. Stable Feeding for Difficult Products
Smart Weigh’s linear combination weigher machines are designed for products that are difficult to feed consistently, including sticky, wet, frozen, and irregularly shaped foods. Controlled feeding helps maintain a more consistent product flow to each weighing channel, supporting stable weighing performance and pack quality.
3. Belt & Hopper Configurations
Different products require different feeding structures. Smart Weigh offers belt and hopper configurations so the machine can be selected according to product flow, stickiness, handling requirements, available space, and production targets rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all design.
4. Gentle Product Handling
For whole vegetables, fish fillets, seafood, and other fragile products, excessive dropping and impact can affect appearance and product integrity. Belt-type configurations provide more controlled product movement, helping reduce unnecessary impact while maintaining a consistent transfer process.
5. Built for Long-Term Factory Operation
The machines are designed around everyday production requirements, including repeatable weighing, straightforward cleaning, and routine maintenance. Food-grade stainless-steel construction, accessible product-contact components, and practical cleaning features help support continuous operation in demanding food-processing environments.
How Does Linear Combination Weigher Work?
The machine divides product into multiple independent channels, weighs them simultaneously, and then the controller selects the best combination that meets the target weight with minimal deviation. Once the combination is confirmed, those channels discharge together into the packaging machine. This “combine-and-drop” approach is what helps reduce overfill compared with single-dose linear weighing, while keeping operation simpler than a full multihead weigher.
What Packing Machines Can Work With A Linear Combination Weigher?
A Smart Weigh linear combination weigher can be integrated with multiple packaging formats, depending on your bag or container type and production flow. It commonly works with a VFFS (vertical form fill seal) bagging machine for pillow bags and gusset bags, and with a pouch packing machine for premade pouches such as doypack or zipper pouches.
It can also be connected to jar filling packing machines (jar/bottle/can lines) using a guided chute or funnel with conveyor synchronization, and to tray packing machines for tray filling prior to sealing, including lines that require consistent portioning for retail presentation.
How to Choose the Right Machine – Key Selection Factors
| Step | Selection Factor | Options | What to Consider |
| Step 1 | Identify Your Product | Fresh / Frozen / Sticky / Fragile / Whole Piece | Evaluate the product’s physical characteristics, including moisture, stickiness, shape, size, fragility, and flow behavior. Difficult-to-handle products may require controlled belt feeding, while products with stable flow can use hopper configurations. |
| Step 2 | Define Target Weight | 100 g / 250 g / 500 g / 1 kg / 2 kg / 3 kg | Target weight determines the required weighing range and hopper capacity. It also helps balance weighing accuracy, combination efficiency, and production speed. |
| Step 3 | Determine Required Output | Packs/min | Define the required production speed based on daily output and the downstream packing machine. Actual speed depends on product characteristics, target weight, feeding behavior, and machine configuration. |
| Step 4 | Select Feeding Structure | Belt / Hopper | Belt feeding is suitable for sticky, wet, fragile, or irregular products. Hopper structures work well with stable-flow products, while screw and V-type feeding can be selected for specific sticky or long-shaped products. |
| Step 5 | Select Number of Heads | 8 / 10 / 12 / 14 / 16 / 18 | The number of weighing heads affects the available weight combinations, weighing capacity, output, and machine footprint. Select the configuration according to target weight, product characteristics, and required production speed. |
| Step 6 | Select Packing Format | VFFS / Premade Pouch / Tray / Jar / Container | The weigher must match the final packaging format and discharge method. Different packing systems require different discharge heights, conveyors, interfaces, and synchronization configurations. |
FAQ
Looking for a practical weighing pa;cking solution for your production line?
Our engineering team is ready to help you choose or customize the right linear weigher based on your product, output, and packaging requirements.
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