Overfill Protection: Reliably Determining Fill Quantities
The permissible deviation of a quantity actually contained in a package from the specified quantity is regulated by law worldwide. At the same time, too generous a filling reduces profit. Food producers therefore attempt to optimize the quantity of the filled product as much as possible within the current regulatory framework. Reliable control of the fill quantity is thus indispensable. Fill quantity control using weighing equipment is often clearly superior to common methods such as level or flow measurement.
Flow measurement methods or the use of different types of fill level sensors are established methods for determining fill quantities. The principle of gravimetric filling is superior, however, especially when high accuracy is essential or when it comes to filling products that are sensitive to microbial contamination. . Tolerances in container volume and different physical properties of the product (proportion of particles, viscosity, and conductivity) do not affect the filling result. Weight-controlled filling provides optimum hygienic conditions and also reduces the proportion of foreign particles, since the sensor does not come into contact with the food or product.