CASE STUDY: Automatic Check Weighing

The Material Handling Automation Problem

A major packer of apples wanted to install an automatic checkweigh system in their facility to automatically check weigh shipments of apples. The packer ships many different kinds of apples and the weight for various boxes created a need for carton identification. Most companies would use a simple barcode; however no barcode or RF tag was available. This challenge prevented the customer from taking full advantage of the new inline conveyor system until CASI was contacted.

The Automated Solution: Automatic Check Weighing System

CASI proposed utilizing the processing power of the 1100 check weigh controller in conjunction with a series of light curtains and color sensors to detect the size and weight of each carton, as this enabled CASI a to identify the expected weight of apples being shipped and automatically adjust the upper and lower control limits of the automatic check weighing system on the fly.

Apples in storage are automatically delivered to the shipping conveyor using a specialized hanging conveyor system.

Operators remove these boxes and place them on the shipping conveyor. These boxes are diverted using a pop up wheel divert to the automatic check weighing system.

As the cartons enter the high accuracy checkweigher, the sensors detect the carton type and the upper and lower control limits are loaded.

As the carton exists the scale, the check weigh system determines pass or fail on the over / under check weigh.

Cartons that pass the automatic check weigh inspection are allowed to continue on to shipping.

Cartons that fail are diverted to a manual QC inspection line.

Benefits from the new efficiencies

The benefits from the new system include automatically checking for upper/lower control limits before shipping, reducing labor and manual QC involvement as well as charge backs from customers who are shorted product.