The UK’s leading designer of automated end-of-line packing and palletising solutions has unveiled a new weigher for potato packers.

PACE Mechanical Handling’s new self-cleaning Twin Head Weigher offers several features not found in other weighers.

PACE has incorporated two sets of weigh hoppers into its new design—one hopper bags green-top potatoes, and the other bags dry potatoes that have been stored.

Both electronic weigh hoppers are self-cleaning and mounted onto a three-point load cell system. PACE has also included new, extra-large bag clamps for large potatoes. All belts have full variable speed control, PLC control throughout, and a ten-inch HMI display with user-friendly software.

The wet hoppers are constructed with a web-style, mild-steel frame, which allows soil dislodged from the potato to drop through the web, thereby reducing the amount of soil that could build up in the hopper.

“Our new Twin Head Weigher reduces the number of wet potatoes that are placed in the paper sack, which would otherwise become damp and prone to splitting,” says Nick Cesare, PACE’s managing director. “We have also moved away from using a steel plate in favour of a web, which means the machine requires less frequent cleaning, reducing downtime significantly.”

As well as greater efficiency, PACE’s Twin Head Weigher is faster than many other weighers, handling up to 12 bags per minute.

The PACE Twin Head Weigher has been designed to easily connect to other PACE machinery, such as its sack placer and CBC.