Dans l'industrie pharmaceutique, “accurate dosing” is the core prerequisite for drug safety, and weight inspection during the packaging process serves as a critical barrier to ensuring dosing compliance. As a manufacturer deeply rooted in the pharmaceutical and packaging machinery sector, we are well aware that traditional manual weighing is inefficient and error-prone, making it difficult to meet the large-scale and compliance requirements of modern pharmaceutical production lines. Pour aborder cela, we have developed a high-precision checkweigher scale. Boasting 0.01g-level weighing accuracy, a fully automated inspection process, and compatibility with multiple production lines, it has become a core piece of equipment for pharmaceutical enterprises to achieve “zero-error” packaging and meet cGMP/FDA audit requirements. Widely applied in key scenarios such as capsule/tablet counting and bottling lines, blister packaging and cartoning lines, and sachet packaging lines, it eliminates the risk of drug dosing deviations at the source and helps enterprises reduce costs and improve efficiency.

High Precision Checkweigher: A Customized “Weight Sentinel” for the Pharmaceutical Industry

Unlike ordinary check weigher machine, our checkweigher conveyor has been fully optimized for the unique characteristics of the pharmaceutical industry. It offers differentiated advantages in four key dimensions—accuracy, material quality, conformité, and intelligence—fully aligning with the stringent standards for pharmaceutical packaging.

Core Advantages of the Checkweigher: Addressing Key Pain Points in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Extreme Accuracy for Dosing Compliance: Equipped with imported high-precision electromagnetic force sensors, it covers a weighing range of 0.1g–1kg with an accuracy of ±0.01g—far exceeding the industry’s average level of ±0.1g. It can accurately detect minor weight deviations, preventing issues such as reduced drug efficacy due to under-dosing or safety risks caused by over-dosing.

Compliant Materials to Eliminate Contamination Risks: All parts of the inline checkweigher that come into contact with pharmaceuticals are made of 316L stainless steel, with electrolytically polished surfaces achieving a roughness of Ra≤0.8μm—meeting the requirements of FDA 21 Partie CFR 11 and GMP for food and pharmaceutical contact materials. The machine’s outer casing features an IP65 dust and water resistance rating, capable of withstanding alcohol wiping and disinfection in pharmaceutical workshops to prevent microbial growth.

Intelligent Linkage for Automated Production Lines: in line checkweigher equipped with an industrial-grade PLC control system, it supports linkage with upstream filling equipment and downstream packaging equipment (Par exemple, cartoners, labelers). Inspection results can be fed back to front-end equipment in real time to automatically adjust filling parameters. It also features industrial communication interfaces such as EtherNet/IP and Profinet, enabling integration with enterprise MES systems for full traceability of production data.

User-Friendly Design to Reduce Operation and Maintenance Costs: high speed checkweigher combined with an intelligent PLC system and HMI operation interface, it supports storage of 100 sets of product parameters, allowing one-click recall when switching products. Its easy-to-clean structure has no hygiene dead corners, requiring only 10 minutes for disassembly and cleaning. A built-in fault self-diagnosis system triggers automatic alarms and displays maintenance guidelines in case of abnormalities, minimizing downtime.

Working Principle of the Checkweigher

The core logic of the high-precision dynamic checkweigher conveyor is “dynamic weighing + real-time comparison + automatic rejection.” It achieves precise inspection of pharmaceutical packaging through five core stages, with no manual intervention throughout the process—ensuring both inspection efficiency and freedom from human error.

Stage 1: Material Conveyance-Stable Entry into the Inspection Area

Pharmaceutical packages (Par exemple, bottled capsules, packs de cloques, sachets) enter the capsule checkweigher via a conveyor belt. The belt is made of food-grade PU material, and its speed can be adjusted (0.5–3m/min) according to the production line rhythm. A guiding mechanism is installed at the equipment inlet to ensure packages are conveyed centrally, avoiding weighing inaccuracies caused by deviation. En plus, a photoelectric sensor is equipped to automatically trigger the weighing process when a material is detected, realizing “piece-by-piece inspection with no omissions.”

Stage 2: Dynamic Weighing-Capturing Weight Data with 0.01g-Level Precision

Once the material enters the weighing platform, the high-precision electromagnetic force sensor immediately activates dynamic weighing mode, with a sampling frequency of up to 1,000 times per second. This enables rapid capture of the material’s actual weight during movement (avoiding weight fluctuations caused by vibration). The sensor converts the weight signal into an electrical signal, which is transmitted to the PLC control system. The system performs filtering and calibration on the data to eliminate the impact of environmental factors (Par exemple, temperature, humidité) on weight inspection, ultimately outputting an accurate actual weight value.

Stage 3: Data Comparison-Real-Time Verification Against Standard Weight

The PLC system of the high precision online conveyor checkweigher retrieves the preset “standard weight range” (Par exemple, the standard weight of a bottled capsule is 20g ± 0.1g) and compares the actual weight value with this standard range:

– If the actual weight falls within the standard range, the material is identified as a “qualified product” and continues along the conveyor belt to the next process.

– If the actual weight is below the lower limit or above the upper limit, the material is classified as an “unqualified product,” and the system immediately triggers a rejection command.

Stage 4: Automatic Rejection-Preventing Unqualified Products from Entering the Market

The rejection mechanism adopts a pneumatic push rod or diverter baffle design with a response time of ≤0.1 seconds. When an unqualified product reaches the rejection station, the push rod acts quickly to push it into a waste collection box. Entre-temps, the equipment automatically records the weight, time, and serial number of the unqualified product, creating an “unqualified product log” to facilitate subsequent traceability of the cause (Par exemple, parameter deviation of filling equipment). A protective cover is installed on the rejection mechanism to prevent material splashing during rejection and avoid hair from operators affecting inspection accuracy—meeting the safety requirements of pharmaceutical workshops.

Stage 5: Data Recording and Traceability – Meeting Compliance Audit Requirements

The equipment is equipped with a built-in data storage module that automatically records inspection data for each material (including time, poids, qualification status, and operator). It has a storage capacity of 1 million records, with data retention time of ≥3 years. Data can be exported as Excel reports via a USB interface or uploaded to the enterprise’s MES system through an industrial Ethernet. En outre, the system features an “audit trail” function—all operations (Par exemple, modifying standard weight, deleting data) leave non-tamperable records, fully complying with the traceability requirements for pharmaceutical production data set by regulatory authorities such as the FDA and EMA.

Checkweigher Core Application Scenarios: Adapting to Three Major Pharmaceutical Packaging Lines to Solve Practical Pain Points

The high-precision checkweigher machine is not a standalone device but a “quality control node” that can be deeply integrated into the core packaging processes of pharmaceutical enterprises. It plays an irreplaceable role in capsule/tablet counting and bottling lines, blister packaging and cartoning lines, and sachet packaging lines, helping enterprises address quality and efficiency challenges in different scenarios.

Application 1: Capsule Tablet Counting and Bottling Lines – Eliminating “Under-Filling/Over-Filling” to Ensure Accurate Dosing

Counting and bottling lines are the mainstream packaging format for capsules and tablets. Their core pain point is “counting errors”—traditional counting machines may cause under-filling or over-filling due to material adhesion or misjudgment by counting sensors. Manual sampling inspection is inefficient (with a typical sampling rate of only 1%), making it difficult to cover all products. The integration of high speed industry checkweigher provides a “100% full inspection” solution for bottled pharmaceuticals.

In practical application, the checkweigher is installed between the counting machine and the capping machine: After the counting machine completes the filling of capsules/tablets, the bottles first enter the checkweigher. The equipment calculates the “standard total weight” based on the preset “empty bottle weight + standard filling weight” (Par exemple, empty bottle: 50g + 20 gélules: 20g, standard total weight: 70g ± 0.2g) and verifies whether the actual total weight meets the standard through dynamic weighing. If a bottle’s weight is detected as 69.7g (possibly missing 1 capsule), it is immediately rejected to prevent it from entering the capping process.

Application 2: Blister Packaging and Cartoning Lines – Blocking “Missing/Overlapping Tablets” to Improve Cartoning Qualification Rate

Blister packaging and cartoning lines are mainly used for integrated production of blister packaging and cartoning of tablets and capsules. Common pain points include “missing tablets in blisters” (Par exemple, 1 tablet missing from a blister) et “overlapping tablets” (Par exemple, 2 tablets in one blister cell). If these issues are not detected, the products will enter the market through the cartoning process, leading to consumer complaints. High-precision pharmaceutical checkweighers can complete full inspection of blister packs before cartoning, blocking unqualified products at the source.

In specific adaptation, the checkweigher is installed between the blister forming machine and the cartoner. After blister forming and aluminum-plastic sealing, packs de cloques (Par exemple, cold medicine blister packs with 12 comprimés) are conveyed to the checkweigher. The equipment sets the standard weight based on “standard single-cell weight × number of cells” (Par exemple, 1 comprimé: 0.5g, standard weight for a 12-tablet blister pack: 6g ± 0.05g) and performs dynamic weighing inspection on each blister pack.

En outre, the checkweigher can be linked with the cartoner: If 3 consecutive unqualified products are detected, the system automatically sends a “pause signal” to the cartoner and reminds operators to check the cutting die or feeding mechanism of the upstream blister forming machine, preventing the production of batches of unqualified products.

Application 3: Sachet Packaging Cartoning Lines – Adapting to High-Speed Production to Ensure Consistent Single-Sachet Dosing

Sachet packaging cartoner lines are mostly used for packaging oral liquids and small-dose tablets (Par exemple, 10ml oral liquid sachets, 2-tablet fever reducer sachets). They are characterized by “high speed and large batches” (some production lines can reach 120 sachets per minute). Traditional manual inspection cannot keep up with this pace, while ordinary checkweighing equipment lacks sufficient accuracy to detect small-dose deviations (Par exemple, 0.5ml under-filling of oral liquid). With the dual advantages of “high speed and high precision,” the high-precision checkweigher has become an ideal choice for sachet packaging lines.

In sachet packaging lines, the checkweigher is installed between the sachet forming machine and the case packer, with optimized designs for different sachet types:

– For oral liquid sachets, the equipment adopts a “narrow conveyor belt + side guiding” structure to ensure stable conveyance of slender sachets. With a weighing accuracy of ±0.02g, it can accurately detect dose deviations of over 0.3ml (oral liquid density is approximately 1g/ml, so 0.3ml corresponds to a weight deviation of 0.3g).

– For tablet sachets, the checkweigher can store multiple sets of parameters to support quick switching between different specifications (Par exemple, 2 tablets per sachet, 4 tablets per sachet). No mechanical adjustments are required when changing products—operators only need to recall the corresponding parameters on the touchscreen, adapting to flexible production needs.

The Checkweigher: A Guarantee for Compliant Pharmaceutical Packaging Production

Amidst the increasingly strict regulatory environment in the pharmaceutical industry and high consumer expectations for drug safety, the high precision automatic checkweigher is no longer an “optional device” but a “must-have” for enterprises to achieve compliant production and safeguard brand reputation. Our high-precision checkweigher not only offers 0.01g-level accuracy and full automation but also deeply adapts to core production lines such as counting and bottling, blister packaging and cartoning, and sachet packaging. It provides enterprises with an integrated quality control solution encompassing “inspection + traçabilité + linkage.”