How to use this guide
Use this guide to prepare your requirements. Contact us if you need help choosing a configuration.
Granule packing specifications usually name a bag size and a target rate, then ask “how many heads?” That order gets the decision backwards. The weighing platform — linear weigher or combination weigher — sets what accuracy, speed and product behaviour you can expect; the bagger downstream only inherits the result. This guide explains what the head count actually changes, and how to match a weighing machine to your product before comparing quotations.
1. Two weighing principles, one specification sheet
Combination weighing uses multiple small buckets around a cone: the controller samples many bucket combinations and releases the set whose total mass is closest to target. It is fast at small to mid weights and handles product-to-product variation well, at the cost of more moving parts and more dust-sensitive mechanics. Linear weighing fills one or two larger hoppers in sequence — simpler and cheaper per head, usually at a lower rate. Approved MUJIU models exist in both families, and one product can reasonably be served by either depending on weight and pace:
| Model | Principle | Range | Stated accuracy | Stated rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HC-720 (10-head weigher + VFFS) | Combination, full-automatic pillow/gusset bag system | 10 g – 3000 g | ±0.5–2 g | — |
| XG8-200F (weigher + premade pouch carousel) | Combination, pre-made stand-up pouches | 50 g – 1000 g per pouch | ±1% | 10–50 bags/min |
| AT-4DC-2K | Four-hopper linear weighing, semi-automatic | 30 g – 2000 g | ±0.2–0.5% | up to 50 bags/min |
Stated rates depend on product, dose and pack format, and each page’s own figures govern. Read the table as three different answers to three different questions, not a good-better-best ladder.
2. What the head count really changes
More heads means more combinatorial freedom: with ten buckets, the controller is more likely to find a set within tolerance on the first pass, which raises achievable rate for small weights. It also means the machine can average out flow variation — a benefit that shrinks as your target weight grows, because one or two buckets can already hold a 500 g dose. A practical reading: below roughly 200 g per pack at high speed, combination weighing earns its complexity; across wide weight spans on one machine, range and changeover design matter more than head count; for 1 kg+ doses at moderate pace, a linear weigher can meet the same accuracy with less to clean and calibrate.
Note also what “10 heads” does not mean. On the XG8-200F, eight carousel stations handle pouches; they are not eight nozzles. On the HC-720, the weigher feeds one forming tube. Confusing station count with parallel filling is the most common specification misread in granule enquiries.
3. The product decides whether any of this holds
Weighers assume free-flowing, fairly uniform granules. Snacks, nuts, seeds and kibble each break that assumption differently: brittle products generate fines at every drop point, oily coatings foul bucket surfaces, mixed-length products (pasta, dried fruit strips) bridge in hoppers, and light products (popcorn, chips) drift in air currents during the drop. Product lists on the approved pages name these families, but a named family is not your product — agree a sample run with your actual material, including its dustiest and most broken lot. Record weight variance over consecutive packs, fines generated, and how often the operator intervenes.
4. Fit the weigher to the bagger and the room
The weigher discharges downward, so total height (elevator plus weigher plus bagger) is a purchasing constraint, not a detail: the HC-720 system is listed at 1800×1250×1780 mm and 750 kg; the standalone AT-4DC-2K at 131×107×242 cm and 350 kg. Confirm voltage — the HC-720 page states 220 V — against your supply. If the line will run to pre-made pouches rather than film-formed bags, the pouch-handling route is defined upstream: see the VFFS vs premade pouch comparison. For interface heights, signals and reject paths, use the utility and interface checklist, and structure the trial with the sample-test protocol.
Minimum granule-weighing enquiry package
- Product identity, size distribution, brittleness, oil/dust coating and lot variation.
- Target pack weight, acceptable variance and the scale both parties will use to judge it.
- Bags per hour for the hardest size, not the easiest.
- Bag style (film-formed or pre-made), dimensions and changeover list.
- Available floor height, footprint and supply voltage.
Send your granule sample and target weights to MUJIU. Head count is a consequence of your product and pace — we will show which weighing principle meets both, verified on your material.