This Three-Head Linear Weighing Scale is an ultra-compact automatic dosing system engineered for high-accuracy quantitative weighing of uniform free-flowing granular materials in food packaging, agricultural seed processing, and specialty ingredient production. This triple-head linear weigher delivers consistent weighing accuracy of ±0.3-1.0g across fill weights from 50g to 1,500g, processing 20-40 weighments per minute depending on target weight and granule flow characteristics. Designed for startup manufacturers and small-scale producers requiring economical automated weighing solutions for sugar, salt, rice, seeds, coffee beans, and granulated ingredients in vertical form-fill-seal packaging lines, sachet filling systems, and container dosing operations.
Product Overview
The Three-Head Linear Scale operates through a minimalist three-bucket linear configuration where granular material flows from a central supply hopper through electromagnetic vibratory feeders into three independent weighing buckets arranged in a straight-line layout. Each weighing bucket incorporates a dedicated high-precision load cell sensor providing real-time weight monitoring, with the integrated PLC control system selecting optimal bucket combinations to achieve target weight with minimal deviation. This ultra-compact linear weighing design provides the most economical entry point for automated weighing compared to larger multi-head systems, while maintaining reliable accuracy for consistent free-flowing granular materials including granulated sugar, rice grains, coffee beans, and uniform-sized seeds in startup and small production volumes.
The advanced modular control system features variable-frequency vibratory feeders with automatic amplitude adjustment, enabling precise granule flow optimization from bulk hopper to weighing buckets without manual calibration. The stepless feeding mode continuously modulates vibration intensity based on real-time bucket weight feedback, preventing granule overflow while maintaining optimal filling speed for maximum throughput efficiency. This intelligent feeding control ensures consistent weighing performance across granular materials with varying bulk densities, particle sizes, and flow characteristics, from fine granules like sugar and salt to coarse granules like rice, beans, and coffee beans, adapting to material variations without operator intervention.
Unlike volumetric cup fillers that vary with granule density fluctuations, this gravimetric weighing scale delivers precise weight-based dosing ensuring regulatory compliance for net weight declarations on food packaging, agricultural seed portioning accuracy, and specialty ingredient specifications across production batches. The food-grade stainless steel 304 construction throughout material contact areas meets FDA food-contact material requirements and sanitary design principles for contamination prevention and easy cleaning. The quick-release bucket design with tool-free disassembly enables complete washdown cleaning in 8-12 minutes between production runs, supporting allergen control protocols in multi-product food facilities processing tree nuts, wheat, and dairy ingredients.
Technical Specifications
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Number of Weighing Heads: 3 independent linear buckets with dedicated load cells
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Weighing Range: 50g to 1,500g per discharge (customizable for specific applications)
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Weighing Accuracy: ±0.3g to ±1.0g (dependent on target weight and granule characteristics)
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Weighing Speed: 20-40 weighments per minute (dependent on target weight and granule flow)
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Material Compatibility: Free-flowing uniform granules (particle size 0.5mm to 12mm)
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Hopper Capacity: 15-25 liters (dependent on granule bulk density)
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Load Cell Type: High-precision digital load cells with temperature compensation
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Control System: PLC with touchscreen HMI, recipe storage for multiple products
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Feeding System: Variable-frequency vibratory feeders with stepless amplitude adjustment
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Power Supply: 220V AC, 50/60Hz, single-phase
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Power Consumption: 0.4-0.8kW (dependent on operation mode)
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Air Pressure: 0.5-0.7 MPa (5-7 bar) for optional pneumatic gate
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Air Consumption: 15-30 NL/min (with pneumatic gate operation)
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Material Construction: Stainless steel 304 (food contact), stainless steel 201 (frame)
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Dimensions: 800mm × 650mm × 1,400mm (L × W × H, configuration-dependent)
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Weight: 90-140kg (dependent on configuration and material options)
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Operating Temperature: 0°C to 40°C (32°F to 104°F)
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Protection Rating: IP54 standard, IP65 available for washdown environments
Key Features and Machine Characteristics
Highly Integrated Modular Control System with Automatic Amplitude Adjustment
The highly integrated modular PLC control system with intuitive touchscreen interface enables recipe storage for different granular products and target weights, allowing rapid changeover between production runs of sugar, rice, coffee, and other granular materials with saved weighing parameters and vibration settings. The automatic amplitude adjustment function continuously optimizes vibratory feeder intensity based on real-time granule flow rates and bucket fill levels, eliminating manual tuning requirements and reducing setup time from 15 minutes to 2 minutes when changing between granular products with different flow characteristics. This intelligent automation reduces operator skill requirements, minimizes weighing errors, and supports efficient multi-product manufacturing in food packaging facilities, agricultural seed packaging operations, and specialty ingredient dosing applications requiring frequent product changes throughout production shifts.
Multi-Material Simultaneous Weighing for Granule Blends
The advanced control system supports simultaneous weighing of multiple different granular materials through split-hopper configuration with independent feeding channels, enabling automated blending applications such as sugar-salt mixtures for seasoning granules, rice-grain combinations for multi-grain products, and coffee-chicory blends for specialty beverages. This multi-material capability eliminates separate weighing and mixing operations, reducing equipment investment by 50-60% compared to dedicated weighing systems for each granular ingredient while improving blend consistency through precise ratio control. The system maintains independent weight targets for each granular material component, ensuring accurate formulation ratios for food products requiring specific ingredient proportions and specialty granule mixtures with precise component specifications.
Stepless Vibrating Feeder System for Uniform Granule Distribution
The variable-frequency electromagnetic vibratory feeding system with stepless amplitude adjustment provides continuous flow control from gentle trickle feeding for final weight approach to moderate bulk feeding for initial bucket filling. This stepless feeding capability ensures uniform granule distribution across all three weighing buckets, preventing uneven loading that causes weighing delays and accuracy variations. The real-time flow control prevents granule overflow, reduces product spillage by 70-80% compared to fixed-amplitude feeders, and minimizes cleaning requirements in production environments. This precise feeding control is particularly valuable for expensive granular ingredients including premium coffee beans, specialty seeds, and high-value granulated products where product loss directly impacts production costs and profitability.
Optional Pneumatic Gate for Enhanced Small-Dose Granule Accuracy
The optional pneumatic gate system installed at vibratory tray outlets provides on-off flow control based on bucket weight feedback, enabling precise final weight approach for small fill weights (50-150g) where continuous vibration feeding may cause weight overshoot with granular materials. The pneumatic gate opens for bulk granule feeding until approaching target weight, then closes for controlled trickle feeding through residual granules in the vibratory tray, achieving ±0.3g accuracy for small-dose applications including specialty seeds, expensive granulated ingredients, and premium coffee portions. This enhanced accuracy capability reduces product giveaway by 0.8-1.5% compared to continuous feeding systems, generating significant cost savings in operations packaging premium granular ingredients with values exceeding $30/kg.
Food-Grade Stainless Steel Construction with Quick-Clean Design
The complete stainless steel 304 construction throughout material contact areas including supply hopper, vibratory trays, weighing buckets, and discharge chutes ensures chemical compatibility with acidic granulated seasonings, alkaline food additives, and specialty granular ingredients while meeting FDA 21 CFR 177 food-contact material requirements. The sanitary design features including crevice-free welding, sloped surfaces for complete drainage, and polished finishes preventing granule buildup enable thorough cleaning between production runs. The quick-release bucket design with tool-free disassembly allows complete washdown cleaning in 8-12 minutes, minimizing changeover time in multi-product packaging operations processing different granular food varieties and specialty granulated products requiring contamination prevention.
Ultra-Compact Footprint for Startup Operations
The three-bucket linear arrangement provides an ultra-compact 800mm length footprint, making this scale ideal for startup food brands with limited floor space, home-based food businesses transitioning to commercial production, and small production facilities with budget constraints. The straight-line configuration simplifies integration with entry-level vertical form-fill-seal machines, manual sachet filling systems, and container dosing equipment through direct granule discharge without complex chute routing. The compact design reduces installation costs by 40-50% compared to larger multi-head systems while providing reliable automated weighing performance for startup production volumes of 500-2,000 packages per hour.
Most Cost-Effective Entry-Level Automation Solution
The three-head configuration provides the most economical entry point for automated granule weighing at 50-60% lower capital investment compared to 10-14 head combination weighers, making precision gravimetric dosing accessible for startup manufacturers, small food brands, and agricultural seed packagers with minimal budgets. Despite the lowest initial cost, the system delivers reliable weighing accuracy of ±0.3-1.0g suitable for most granular food packaging, seed portioning, and specialty ingredient dosing applications. The modular design enables future capacity expansion through upgrade to four-head or six-head configurations as production volumes grow, protecting initial capital investment and supporting business scaling without complete equipment replacement.
Application Areas
Sugar and Granulated Sweetener Packaging for Small Brands
Startup food manufacturers and small-scale producers utilize this granule weighing machine for white sugar packaging in retail bags from 500g to 1kg, brown sugar dosing in consumer packages, and specialty sweetener filling including coconut sugar granules, stevia granules, and monk fruit sweetener in premium packaging. The system handles granulated sugar with particle sizes from 0.5mm to 2mm, maintaining ±0.5g accuracy at 500g fill weight while processing 30-35 bags per minute in vertical form-fill-seal operations. The stainless steel construction prevents sugar caramelization and contamination while the quick-clean design supports frequent washdown in facilities processing multiple granulated sweetener varieties for retail grocery, health food stores, and specialty food distribution markets.
Rice and Grain Weighing for Artisan Producers
Small rice processors and artisan grain packagers deploy this linear weighing scale for specialty rice packaging in consumer bags from 500g to 2kg, premium rice dosing including basmati, jasmine, and arborio varieties in artisan packaging, and ancient grain portioning including quinoa, amaranth, and millet in health food products. The system accommodates rice grain lengths from 5mm short-grain to 8mm long-grain varieties, maintaining consistent fill weights across production runs while the gentle vibratory feeding prevents grain breakage that reduces product quality and consumer appeal. The ultra-compact footprint fits small rice milling facilities and artisan grain packaging operations with extremely limited production floor space, serving retail consumer, farmers market, and specialty food distribution channels.
Coffee Bean Dosing for Micro-Roasters and Specialty Coffee
Micro coffee roasters and specialty coffee packagers employ this weighing system for whole bean coffee packaging in retail bags from 250g to 500g, single-origin coffee portioning for premium packaging and subscription box services, and specialty coffee dosing for artisan coffee brands. The system handles coffee beans with sizes from 7mm to 12mm, maintaining ±0.5g accuracy for premium single-origin coffees while the stainless steel construction prevents flavor contamination between different roast profiles and origin varieties. The recipe storage capability enables rapid changeover between light, medium, and dark roasts with different bulk densities, supporting efficient multi-product operations in micro coffee roasting facilities serving coffee shop wholesale, farmers markets, and direct-to-consumer subscription markets.
Seed Packaging for Small Agricultural Suppliers
Small agricultural seed suppliers and garden product distributors utilize this linear scale for vegetable seed packaging including tomato, pepper, and lettuce seeds in retail packets from 50g to 100g, flower seed dosing for garden center distribution, and herb seed portioning for culinary gardening kits and urban farming applications. The system handles seed sizes from 2mm small vegetable seeds to 10mm large bean seeds, maintaining accurate fill weights for regulatory compliance and customer satisfaction while the gentle handling prevents seed damage that affects germination rates and crop performance. The stainless steel construction withstands agricultural environment conditions while the ultra-compact design fits small seed packaging facilities with minimal floor space, serving retail garden centers, farmers markets, and online gardening supply distribution channels.
Snack Food and Granola Packaging for Emerging Brands
Snack food startups and artisan manufacturers employ this automatic weighing system for granular snack packaging including roasted nuts, dried fruits, and granola in retail bags from 150g to 500g, trail mix dosing combining multiple granular ingredients in single packages, and healthy snack portioning for subscription box services and direct-to-consumer brands. The system handles snack pieces with sizes from 5mm dried fruit pieces to 12mm whole nuts, maintaining consistent fill weights while the multi-material capability enables automated creation of mixed granular snack products with precise component ratios for nutritional consistency. The food-grade construction and easy-clean design support frequent product changes in facilities producing multiple granular snack varieties for retail grocery, health food stores, and e-commerce distribution channels.
Specialty Salt and Granulated Seasoning Packaging
Artisan salt producers and specialty seasoning manufacturers utilize this weighing scale for gourmet salt packaging including sea salt, Himalayan pink salt, and flavored salt granules in retail jars and pouches from 100g to 500g, granulated seasoning dosing for proprietary blends and specialty formulations, and finishing salt portioning for culinary applications and professional chef products. The system handles salt granules with sizes from 0.5mm fine sea salt to 3mm coarse salt crystals, maintaining ±0.5g accuracy for premium specialty salts while the multi-material weighing enables automated creation of complex granulated seasoning blends with precise ingredient ratios. The food-grade construction and quick-clean design support allergen control protocols in facilities processing multiple granulated salt and seasoning varieties for retail grocery, gourmet food stores, and culinary distribution markets.
Pet Treat Granule Dosing for Small Pet Food Brands
Small pet food manufacturers and artisan pet treat producers utilize this weighing scale for pet treat granule packaging in retail bags from 100g to 500g, training reward dosing for specialty animal snacks, and small animal feed portioning for hamster, rabbit, and bird food granules in consumer packaging. The system handles pet treat granules with sizes from 5mm small training treats to 12mm larger reward snacks, maintaining accurate fill weights for consumer satisfaction while the robust construction withstands continuous operation in small pet food production environments. The recipe storage enables rapid changeover between different pet treat formulations including chicken, beef, and fish varieties with varying granule sizes and densities, serving retail pet stores, farmers markets, and pet specialty e-commerce distribution channels.
Granulated Supplement and Nutraceutical Dosing
Small nutraceutical producers and supplement manufacturers deploy this weighing scale for granulated supplement dosing including protein powder granules, vitamin granules, and dietary supplement formulations in bottles and sachets from 100g to 500g. The system handles supplement granules with particle sizes from 1mm to 5mm, achieving ±0.5g accuracy for precise dosing while the food-grade stainless steel construction ensures product purity and contamination prevention between different supplement formulations. The compact design fits small nutraceutical packaging facilities with limited clean room space, supporting small-batch production of dietary supplements, sports nutrition granules, and specialty nutraceutical formulations for health food stores, online supplement retailers, and direct-to-consumer health markets.