When one talks about x-ray inspection machines, the features that you usually hear the most about are the kind of scanner the x-ray uses (single or dual-energy), what kinds of contaminants it can detect, and how quickly it can scan product.

Checkweighing capabilities are often not brought up in the conversation, or get treated as an afterthought. Which is a shame because the ability to check the weight of a package can be a critical feature for many package food manufacturers.

Why is Checkweighing Useful?

X-ray product inspection machines that feature checkweighing capabilities can be useful to different food makers for different reasons, including:

• Eliminating the Need for a Separate Inspection Station. By checking the weight of a package at the same time you’re performing your contamination detection, you can eliminate the need to have a second device and inspection station. This saves time and money on running two processes and maintaining two machines when you could have just one.
• Verifying Package Weight. Naturally, the most basic reason to check package weight is to avoid under-filling or over-filling a package. By verifying package weight, you can ensure package weight compliance.
• X-Ray Systems Can Check More Than Just Total Weight. Weighing a package on a scale to make sure that its total weight is right is good, but x-ray checkweighing can do more than that. X-ray inspection can measure the mass of a package as well as the presence or absence of specific components—helping ensure that not only is the overall weight correct, but that specific package components are present and accounted for.
• It Helps Avoid Violations for Misrepresenting Package Contents. When package weights are consistently and significantly off from advertised values, it could open up your company to negative consequences. Net weight recalls can adversely affect your brand’s reputation and even lead to fines on top of the lost revenue. Checkweighing product can help prevent the shipment of off-weight packages.

How Does X-Ray Checkweighing Work?

Unlike traditional weight checking systems that rely on gravity to measure mass, x-ray mass measurement uses a greyscale x-ray image of the package and its contents.

During the initial setup for a package type a proven “acceptable” package is run through the x-ray machine about ten times. The machine “learns” the standard for acceptance to which all other packages will be compared.

When a package is scanned, the greyscale image generated is checked against the acceptance standard and the total package weight can be calculated based on the density of the package contents.

X-ray weight checks work best when the package’s contents are consistent in shape, size, and distribution. Loosely-packed objects or product batches with variable content mixes can pose a challenge for x-ray checkweighing systems.

Is x-ray-based checkweighing right for your company’s production process? Find out today!