Abstract: An apparatus and a method for weighing and transportation of food parts includes a conveying system, including at least one belt conveyor, to advance the food parts in a first direction, a weighing station including at least one scale unit to determine weights of the food parts, and at least one controllable transfer unit to selectively transfer particular ones of the food parts from the belt conveyor to the scale unit or vice versa. The transfer unit includes at least one pivotable first guide to controllably transfer the particular ones of the food parts, and the said first guide includes a guidance face permeable to air.

Abstract: A system and method for object processing using magnetic levitation includes moving carriers with drive magnets across an array of planar motors. Food items on the carriers are moved through processing steps. The system determines the weight of multiple food items and coordinates and arranges for the batching of food items totaling a desired weight from an assembly of available food items and presents the selected food items to an operator for further processing. The system moves the carriers to engage the food items with processing equipment, such as for attaching to poultry shackles, or for cutting by a filet machine.

Abstract: An apparatus for grading/batching food parts includes a scale unit with a first predetermined precision, a plurality of batch bins to receive food parts, a weighing station to weigh food parts, which have not yet been transferred into the bins, with a second predetermined precision greater than the first predetermined precision and to associate the determined weights with the corresponding food part, a plurality of controllable second transfer units to selectively transfer particular ones of said food parts, which have been weighed into a selected one of the bins, and a control unit connected with the scale unit, weighing station, and first and second transfer units. The control unit controls the first and second transfer unit to assemble in the bins food parts so the total weight in each bin corresponds to a predetermined target weight. A method for grading/batching, and an apparatus/method for transferring food parts is also provided.