Gravimetric Feeder Systems for Precision Industrial Dosing
A gravimetric feeder doses material by actual weight, not volume — delivering ±0.1% accuracy even when bulk density, moisture, or flow vary. Our industrial weighing and dosing systems function as advanced gravimetric feeders and gravimetric dosing systems, combining gain-in-weight batch dosing, RFID ingredient verification, a 10-station carousel, and ERP/MES integration for rubber, plastics, chemicals, food, silicone, and pharmaceutical manufacturing.
What Is a Gravimetric Feeder?
Loss-in-Weight (LIW)
The entire feeder and hopper sit on a scale. As material is discharged, the system measures the rate of weight loss in real time and adjusts feed speed to hold the target rate. Ideal for continuous gravimetric dosing of powders, pellets, and chemical additives where steady, accurate flow is critical.
Gain-in-Weight (GIW)
The receiving vessel sits on the scale. The system measures weight gain as material is added and stops feeding when the target batch weight is reached. Ideal for gravimetric batch weighing — discrete, recipe-based dosing where each ingredient must hit an exact target weight.
How Our Systems Function as Advanced Gravimetric Feeders
The Gomaplast-style industrial weighing and dosing system is, at its core, an advanced gravimetric feeder engineered for multi-ingredient, recipe-based batch production. It combines gain-in-weight batch dosing with a 10-station rotational carousel, RFID ingredient verification, and PLC control:
Gain-in-weight dosing per ingredient. Each weighing bucket sits on a 20 kg electronic scale with RS232 output. As an ingredient is dispensed, the PLC reads actual weight in real time and stops the operator at the exact target — true gravimetric batch weighing, not volumetric estimation.
RFID + barcode ingredient verification. Before any material enters the bucket, the system confirms the correct bin via RFID and a barcode scan. Bins are mechanically locked when not in use, so only the correct ingredient for the current recipe step can be dosed.
10-station carousel for parallel dosing. One operator prepares up to 10 simultaneous batch kits, with the carousel positioning the correct bucket at the active station. This turns a single-stream gravimetric feeder into a high-throughput gravimetric dosing system — up to 120 batches per shift.
Micro-dosing capability. For rubber, silicone, and pharmaceutical applications where sub-gram to multi-kilogram ingredients coexist in one recipe, the high-resolution scale handles both micro-dosing of curatives and larger filler portions with the same gravimetric accuracy.
Automatic digital batch records. Every weighed event — ingredient, lot, target and actual weight, tolerance status, operator, timestamp — is captured automatically and exported to ERP/MES, giving you the complete batch traceability that volumetric systems cannot provide.
Key Benefits of Gravimetric Feeder Systems
±0.1% Weighing Accuracy
Gravimetric measurement captures actual mass, not volume — so density, flow, and packing variations that throw off volumetric systems don't affect the result.
RFID Batch Traceability
Every ingredient, lot, operator, and timestamp is recorded automatically — complete digital batch records for GMP, ISO 9001, and IATF 16949 compliance.
ERP / MES Integration
Production orders flow from SAP, Oracle, or Dynamics to the feeder; actual weights and inventory consumption return automatically — real-time inventory accuracy.
Up to 120 Batches / Shift
The 10-station carousel lets one operator run up to 10 simultaneous recipes, delivering throughput no single-stream feeder can match.
Reduced Material Waste
Exact target-weight dosing eliminates the over-dispensing typical of manual and volumetric methods — typically 5–18% raw material savings.
Automatic Tolerance Control
Out-of-tolerance conditions are flagged at the moment of weighing, preventing bad batches before they reach the mill, extruder, or mixer.
Industries Served by Gravimetric Dosing Systems
Rubber Compounding
Curatives, accelerators, antioxidants, and processing aids dosed to ±0.1% for consistent cure and crosslink density.
Plastics & Polymer Compounding
Additives, colorants, and fillers batched with full lot traceability for repeatable compound properties.
Chemicals
Specialty and industrial chemical batching with engineered ingredient verification and ERP-connected records.
Food Manufacturing
Ingredient dosing with allergen segregation, RFID bin locking, and FSMA/GFSI-compatible batch records.
Silicone & Elastomers
Medical-grade and EPDM compounding with high-precision micro dosing of sensitive curative systems.
Pharmaceuticals
GMP-compliant gravimetric dosing with 21 CFR Part 11-aligned digital records and operator authentication.
Gravimetric vs. Volumetric Feeders: Why the Difference Matters
| Criterion | Gravimetric Feeder | Volumetric Feeder |
|---|---|---|
| Measurement Principle | Actual mass (weight) — density-independent | Volume — density-dependent |
| Accuracy | ±0.1% typical | ±1–5% typical |
| Bulk Density Variation | Automatically compensated | Causes feed-rate error |
| Moisture / Flow Changes | Closed-loop correction | Unchecked drift |
| Batch Traceability | Automatic digital records | Manual or none |
| ERP / MES Integration | Native, bidirectional | Rare / add-on |
| Best For | High-value, regulated, traceable dosing | Low-cost bulk feeding |
Throughput: Gravimetric Dosing Systems Built for Production Volume
A single-stream gravimetric feeder doses one ingredient at a time. Our carousel-based gravimetric dosing system changes that equation: by running up to 10 simultaneous batch kits with one operator, it delivers up to 120 complete batches per shift — the accuracy of gravimetric dosing at a throughput that keeps pace with high-volume compounding lines.
For rubber compounders, plastics compounders, and chemical batchers running repeating recipes, this removes pre-weighing as a production bottleneck while preserving the ±0.1% accuracy and full traceability that gravimetric feeding guarantees.
Gravimetric Feeder FAQ
What is a gravimetric feeder?
A gravimetric feeder is a dosing device that measures and controls material flow by actual weight (mass) rather than by volume. Using loss-in-weight or gain-in-weight principles, it continuously weighs material as it is fed and adjusts the feed rate in real time to hit an exact target weight or mass-flow rate — making it far more accurate than a volumetric feeder, especially when bulk density varies.
How accurate is a gravimetric feeder for rubber chemicals?
Our gravimetric feeder system achieves ±0.1% weighing accuracy using a 20 kg electronic scale with RS232 automatic data capture and real-time tolerance display at the PLC touchscreen. For rubber compounding — where curatives, accelerators, and antioxidants directly control cure time and crosslink density — this level of accuracy prevents the batch failures that volumetric or manual weighing commonly produce.
What is the difference between a gravimetric feeder and a volumetric feeder?
A volumetric feeder dispenses a fixed volume per cycle and assumes material density stays constant, so any density, moisture, or flow change causes feed-rate error (typically ±1–5%). A gravimetric feeder measures actual mass continuously and corrects for those variations in real time, delivering ±0.1% accuracy, automatic digital batch records, and native ERP/MES integration that volumetric systems cannot match.
Can a gravimetric feeder integrate with ERP?
Yes. Our gravimetric dosing system integrates with ERP and MES platforms including SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft Dynamics via RS232, OPC-UA, REST API, and flat-file interfaces. Production orders flow from the ERP to the feeder, and completed batch records — actual weights, ingredient lots, operator IDs, and inventory consumption — return automatically, keeping inventory and quality records accurate in real time.
How many batches per shift can a gravimetric dosing system produce?
The 10-station rotational carousel lets a single operator prepare up to 10 simultaneous batch kits, enabling up to 120 complete batches per shift — dramatically higher throughput than a single-stream gravimetric feeder or manual weighing, without additional labor.
Which industries use gravimetric batch weighing systems?
Gravimetric batch weighing systems are used across rubber compounding, plastics and polymer compounding, specialty and industrial chemicals, food manufacturing, silicone and elastomer production, and pharmaceuticals — any industry where ingredient accuracy, lot traceability, and compliance documentation (GMP, ISO 9001, IATF 16949, FSMA) are required.
Related: Gravimetric Feeder Systems: Continuous Dosing Explained — deep dive on loss-in-weight continuous feeding.
Related: Gravimetric Feeder System Guide — selecting the right gravimetric dosing system for your process.
Related: Weighing and Dosing Systems for Rubber Compounding — application of gravimetric batch weighing in rubber manufacturing.