The second generation of multiheads – and the first to carry the CCW (Computer Combination Weigher) designation – is introduced.

This was also the year that the multihead weigher made its European debut when it was unveiled to great acclaim at the Interpack international packaging exhibition in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Multihead weigher machines are becoming the weigher of choice in many industries, notably snacks.

Ishida weighers are best known for their work in the food industry, but their speed, accuracy and reliability are welcome benefits in many other markets. Over the years, our weighers have been used to weigh everything from cotton wool balls to charcoal.

Hot on the heels of the CCW-RLC comes the all-new CCW-S series, the first to feature a remote-control unit, which helps to simplify the integration of the weigher with bagmakers and other filling and packaging machines.

You’ll find Ishida multihead weighers on every continent except Antarctica - as far north as Rovaniemi, Northern Finland, and as far south as Tierra del Fuego in Chile.

Ishida’s commitment to and investment in continual research and development is emphasised by the introduction of the Z series. Among their many innovative features is the introduction of stepper motors as the drive units for hopper gates.

The Z series was so named because at the time it represented the ultimate in weighing technology. But the following years would reveal that there was much more innovation to come from Ishida!

With Ishida multihead weighers now in operation across the world, further enhancements to the technology come in the form of the new CCW-DZ and CCW-RZ models.

The launch of the fifth generation multihead weigher coincided with the 100^th anniversary of the formation of Ishida Scales Mfg. Co. in Kyoto, Japan.

The NZ series features the introduction of two major Ishida innovations, Digital Signal Processing (DSP) and Anti-Floor Vibration (AFV).

The NZ range also saw the introduction of the smallest weigher in the Ishida range, affectionately known as the Lilliput. Our Micro weighers remain an important part of the Ishida range today.

As the new millennium dawns and multihead sales increase, Ishida celebrates with its 8th generation model range. The M series features a new 32-bit chip incorporated into the remote-control unit that supports more complex functions.

As part of the development work, the M Series’ new operating system was tested under the most stringent conditions possible- NASA’s Pathfinder mission to Mars.

The R series breaks yet more new ground for Ishida. Speeds of up to 200wpm are achievable while weighing accuracy improves by a further 0.5% over the best results of current multihead weighing technology.

One of the major innovations of the R Series was Ishida’s development of a unique algorithm to calculate weighing combinations. This could make calculations around five times faster.

Ishida continues to raise the bar in terms of multihead weigher speed and accuracy. In addition to consistent weighing at close-to-zero giveaway, the CCW-RV series is some 15% faster than its predecessor.

The RV demonstrated how ongoing technical advances underpin Ishida’s multihead weigher development. More consistent pulses in the vibratory feeders and a change in the opening and closing profiles of the hoppers were key factors in achieving the new levels of speed and accuracy.