{"id":76750,"date":"2026-09-08T22:06:39","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T14:06:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/was-ist-eine-mehrkopfwaage\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T10:36:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T02:36:20","slug":"was-ist-eine-mehrkopfwaage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/was-ist-eine-mehrkopfwaage\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Multihead Weigher? How It Works and Up to 80 Weighings Per Minute."},"content":{"rendered":"

In short<\/h2>\n

A multihead weigher is a combinatorial dosing scale for piece goods and free-flowing products. Between eight and fourteen individual scales simultaneously fill product-specific partial weights, and the control system selects the sum from all possible combinations that comes closest to the target weight. The result: dosing accuracies of \u00b10.3 to 1 g at cycle rates of up to 80 weighings per minute\u2014figures that a single weighing hopper cannot achieve at this speed.<\/p>\n

The multihead weigher does not operate on its own. It is mounted as a dosing module above a packaging machine\u2014usually above a vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine<\/a> \u2013 and dispenses the selected weight directly into the bag that has been formed.<\/p>\n

How does combinatorial weighting work?<\/h2>\n

The principle in four steps:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Pre-distribution:<\/strong> A swing conveyor and a vibratory feeder feed the product evenly from the storage hopper into the weighing hoppers of the individual heads.<\/li>\n
  2. Calculate partial weights:<\/strong> Each head fills its portion independently\u2014each weighing cycle yields a slightly different result, typically 70 to 130 % of the target weight.<\/li>\n
  3. Calculate the combination:<\/strong> The control system adds up all possible combinations of three to five heads and selects the total that is closest to the target weight.<\/li>\n
  4. Drop:<\/strong> Only the heads of the best combination open their flaps into the collection hopper; the total weight falls into the bag. The remaining heads retain their portion of the weight for the next calculation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Because there are always several partial weights to choose from, the control system compensates for over- and under-weights in individual heads. This explains the high dosing accuracy despite the high cycle rate\u2014and why multi-head weighers are standard for snacks, coffee, and frozen foods.<\/p>\n

    Design of a Multi-Head Weigher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Component<\/strong><\/th>\nFunction<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Storage tank with level sensor<\/td>\npicks up the product from the feed hopper<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Vibrating Conveyor (Linear)<\/td>\ntransports the product to the feeder and meters the feed quantity<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Vibrating Feeder (radial)<\/td>\ndistributes the product evenly over all heads<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Weighing kettle with flaps<\/td>\nweigh and discharge the partial weights<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Collection Hopper<\/td>\ncollects the combination and transfers it to the packaging machine<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Control System (PLC + HMI)<\/td>\ncalculates combinations, manages recipes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    The parts that come into contact with the product are made of SS304 stainless steel as standard; for wet cleaning and products prone to corrosion, versions in SS316 are available with open, rounded tanks and quick-release fasteners for disassembly.<\/p>\n

    How many heads does your application need?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Headcount<\/strong><\/th>\nWeighing intervals\/min. (industry standard)<\/strong><\/th>\nTypical Applications<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    10 people<\/td>\n50 to 60<\/td>\nStandard: Snacks, granules, coffee<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    14 people<\/td>\n65 to 80<\/td>\nHigher clock speeds, more complex products<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    8 people<\/td>\n40 to 50<\/td>\nPortion sizes, limited installation space<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    16 to 24 people<\/td>\n80 to 120<\/td>\nHigh-Volume Lines, General Cargo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Rule of thumb: More weighing heads mean more possible combinations\u2014either accuracy increases, or the cycle rate increases while maintaining the same accuracy. If you stick with 50 weighings per minute, a 10-head scale will achieve the same dosing accuracy as a 14-head scale operating at 70 weighings per minute.<\/p>\n

    For which products is a multihead weigher suitable?<\/h2>\n

    Suitable products include free-flowing, chunky items: potato chips, nuts, coffee beans, frozen vegetables, candy, pet food, and screws. The products must not stick together and must not be so light that air currents interfere with the weighing process.<\/p>\n

    Fine powders that generate a lot of dust are not suitable\u2014in this case, the Screw Feeder<\/a> the better tool\u2014as well as liquids and pastes that are dispensed using piston or pump dispensers. For powders in general, the following applies: Powder Packaging Solution<\/a>, for liquids, the Packaging Solution for Liquids<\/a> as a separate set of machinery.<\/p>\n

    Multi-head scale and VFFS in combination<\/h2>\n

    In practice, the multihead scale and the VFFS machine form a single unit: The scale is mounted on the machine frame, and the collection hopper feeds into the filling chute of the form-fill-seal machine. The cycles are synchronized\u2014exactly one weighing operation per bag. A recipe change at the HMI simultaneously adjusts the target weight, combination window, and cycle rate; the Format Change<\/a> This applies only to the film components of the packaging machine.<\/p>\n

    Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n

    How accurate is a multi-head scale?<\/h3>\n

    A deviation of \u00b10.3 to 1 g from the target weight is standard in the industry, depending on the unit weight and product characteristics. For light, irregular pieces (chips), the deviation is closer to 1 g, while for heavy, uniform pieces (nuts), it is closer to 0.3 g.<\/p>\n

    Is a multi-head scale worth it for small businesses?<\/h3>\n

    For rates of approximately 40 to 50 bags per minute and with retailer-specified tolerance requirements that closely match the product, a multihead weigher is usually more cost-effective than manual or semi-automatic weighing. At lower output rates, weighing conveyors or cup feeders are often sufficient.<\/p>\n

    How do you clean a multi-head scale?<\/h3>\n

    Weighing hoppers and funnels are disassembled and cleaned in the wash bay; for wet cleaning, the SS316 models with IP65-rated electronics are the standard for food processing facilities.<\/p>\n

    Can a multi-head scale mix multiple products?<\/h3>\n

    Yes. Two- or multi-component recipes are processed using separate zones or staggered combinations\u2014for example, bags containing 80 % base product and 20 % additive, weighed in two weighing steps.<\/p>\n

    Related pages:<\/strong> What is a vertical form-fill-seal (VFFS) machine?<\/a> | Snack Packaging Machine<\/a> | Coffee Packaging Machine<\/a> | Nut Packaging Machine<\/a><\/p>\n

    \n

    Request technical specifications and a quote for your production line. Please specify the product, bag size, and target output (bags\/min.) \u2013 Request Technical Specifications and a Quote<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The multi-head weigher doses chunky products using a combinatorial approach: Multiple heads determine partial weights, and the control system selects the best combination\u2014\u00b10.3 to 1 g at up to 80 weighings per minute. An overview of the design, number of heads, and applications.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Mehrkopfwaage erkl\u00e4rt: kombinatorische W\u00e4gung, 10 oder 14 K\u00f6pfe, \u00b10,3 bis 1 g Genauigkeit und bis zu 80 W\u00e4gungen\/Min. Aufbau und Einsatz.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_seopress_news_disabled":"","_seopress_video_disabled":"","_seopress_video":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas_manual":[],"_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable_all":"","_seopress_pro_rich_snippets_disable":[],"_seopress_pro_schemas":[],"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","neve_meta_reading_time":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[188,189,187],"class_list":["post-76750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-dosiergenauigkeit","tag-dosiersystem","tag-mehrkopfwaage"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76750"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76758,"href":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76750\/revisions\/76758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lintyco.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}