Objective In order to improve the automation degree and the production efficiency of the continuous packaging line for the filiform materials, the control methods for the manipulator and the manipulator mechanism which has the capacity of self-weight measuring and material-filling were researched. Methods The manipulator was a pneumatic control system, consisting of three pneumatic cylinders circuits to implement the horizontal movement, vertical movement and the activities of picking up or putting down the materials among the line. The materials which the manipulator picked up were weighed and displayed by a single-chip macro computer. The control of the whole system was carried out by a PLC unit. The structure changeable type of human being simulating intelligence control methods resulting in the real observing at the objective changes were studied and implemented to achieve the control accuracy. Results The experimental study in the laboratory was conducted on the prototype, at a pneumatic pressure of 0. 35 MPa, a control signaling frequency of 20 Hz, and a distance between the material grabbing hands and the horizontal material grabbing plane of 100 mm, the time needed for the manipulator to complete a vertical motion circulation was smaller than 4 s, and the filling weight error of each 300 g packing was not bigger than 2 g. Conclusion The theoretical analysis and the experimental result have shown that the packaging manipulator and control method for the packaging of filiform materials are feasible.