Why should you get a dynamic checkweigher?
Dynamic checkweighers are designed to check the weight of your products directly in your production lines without having to stop them. They present many advantages for the control of prepackaged goods, missing products and tolerance checks.
Control of prepackaged goods
« A product is said to be prepackaged when it is packaged, outside the presence of the purchaser, in a wrapper of any kind, covering it totally or partially in such a way that the quantity of product contained cannot be changed without opening or making a detectable change in the wrapper, or a detectable change in the product. A prepackage is the combination of a product and the packaging in which it is presented for sale. »
Article 2 of Decree n°78-166 of 31 January 1978 relating to the metrological control of certain prepackages, Legifrance.
Pre-packaged products are subject to specific legislation: law 690 (76/211/EEC). It applies to prepackaged products with a fixed nominal quantity. All prepackaging must contain at least the purchased quantity for which it was purchased. This nominal quantity must be fixed, chosen in advance and above 5g or 5ml. In France, there is no maximum nominal quantity.
On top of these characteristics, the legislation on prepackaged goods requires the packers to be equipped with a device that checks the weight of the products. This can be done either through statistical control with a NAWI (Non-Automatic Weighing Instrument), also called sample control, in which operators’ sample and weigh products manually along the production chain; or 100% control through a checkweigher. In this case all the products on the production line are controlled. Non-compliant products (below a set weight threshold) are ejected from the line. Production control is then in regulated use (Legal for Trade).
Control of missing products
A checkweigher can also be very useful to check that no product is missing from a package or kit. Indeed, there can be losses between control at the production level and the implementation of the final packaging (broken bottle, crished yogurt pot). Internal control through a checkweigher is then very useful.
In this case, a 100% check is performed to control all the products on production line. Only incomplete products are ejected so that an operator can treat the non-conformity.
Tolerance control
Within the framework of an internal quality control, tolerance control can be implemented to optimize the production cycle and ensure that the products contain the correct weight. In this case, control criteria are not set by regulations but rather by needs. Out-of-tolerance products are ejected and may be reintroduced in the process after being made compliant.
Implementing tolerance control makes sure that there is no under or over-dosing. Optimizing tolerance can have a sizeable impact on profitability.
The benefits of a dynamic checkweigher
Using a dynamic checkweigher, regardless of the type of control you need to perform, has many benefits:
- Avoid non-conformities: 100% control with a checkweigher allows you to avoid non-conformities by checking the
weight of each product and ejecting the defective ones (weight below the nominal quantity). Batches are preserved,
and fines and recalls are avoided. Indeed, when a customer finds a non-compliant product or batch, they generally refuse
the entire delivery. - Limit disputes: When a customer receives a delivery and finds missing products, it harms the company’s image and
generates additional costs stemming from the delivery refusal or the shipment of the missing products. Controlling
shipments with a checkweigher limits those inconveniences. - Control the process: Getting equipped with checkweighers allows you to better control your production process by
controlling the weight of products at several points in the production chain, it becomes easier to identify anomalies and
implement corrective actions. - Control the costs: 100% control also provides better visibility on raw material consumption. This allows for the
identification and correction of errors related to overdosing, which leads to additional costs, and underdosing problems
which alter the image of the company in the minds of the customers. A checkweigher thus saves money and improves
customer satisfaction.
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