An Ishida RV multihead weigher with an IP69K rating is providing protection against humidity and water ingress in order to accurately weigh and pack large volumes of peeled and cooked whole potatoes at potato specialist Friweika.

Potatoes are wet products, containing around 80 per cent water. At Friweika, they are conveyed to the multihead weighers using streams of water. In addition, very frequent water-based cleaning is needed to avoid the build up of starch deposits, which also contain corrosive fruit acids. The IP69K rating of the Ishida model makes it particularly resistant to wear and to water ingress.

The ten-head weigher forms part of a new line, packing up to 2.5 tonnes per hour on a 24/7 basis at Friweikas 140,000 tonnes per year processing operation in Weidendorf, Germany.

For the 500g packs, a single mobile funnel places successive weighments into an array of six separate funnels. In a single cycle, these then dip simultaneously into three rows of two thermo-formed trays, releasing the product.