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Multiscan Metal DetectionMultiscan Metal Detection

On any given day you may be watching the news when you hear someone say, “You may have purchased food that has just been recalled this week.”  Unfortunately, that scenario is more common than any of us would like to believe. In the latter part of 2018, one company recalled over 25,000 pounds of frozen poultry and pork sausage links.

Financial loss and regulatory pressure have compelled many manufacturers to turn to detection technologies in order to prevent these concerns. Metal detectors and X-ray detection systems weren’t always common, and not every food plant has the latest technology has to offer.  At Regal Packaging Services we understand the concerns about these issues and can help you mitigate the risks.

METAL DETECTORS

HACCP plans commonly call for the use of metal detectors. You will find them in nearly every food plant. They can be placed at a variety of points on the line, however, they are typically used at or near the end of the line as the last point of protection before a packaged product makes its way to the consumer. Like any technology, it has always had limitations, such as “product effect.” For instance, the detector has to be “calibrated” to the product.  This eliminates the effect of a conductive product and susceptibility to “noise” coming from many potential sources in production environment.

Metal detectors make use of coils that are wrapped onto a non-metallic frame and then linked to a radio frequency transmitter and receiver. The transmitter “detects” (by virtue of the interrupted radio signal) any undesired metal and generates the signal and triggering a reject mechanism to capture the contaminated product. Recently, with the introduction of multiscan capability, the metal detection technology has gotten even more intelligent.

THE EVOLUTION OF FREQUENCIES

In the early stages of metal detection technologies, the machine was limited to single, fixed frequency. A detector could find stainless steel contaminant using a high frequency.  However, when the product was wet or had high saline content, the detector would be forced to lower the frequency and the resulting sensitivity was lowered. This frequency change required setup by experienced technicians who might require a good deal of time before determining the best frequency for detection of all metal types. This was not an end-user change.

To solve the issue, manufacturers began introducing second and third frequency choices (still utilizing one frequency at a time), giving end-users more flexibility to work with the various products they might be running. A good deal of proficiency was still required to optimize detection.

In the next step of metal detection progress was the expansion of frequency choice via software. The most appropriate frequency for a product could be selected prior to startup by scanning a product several times for “calibration.” This was known as “variable frequency” metal detection.  It provided a method for setup without a specialist. The food plant was still forced to live with the “best” frequency compromise and accept its lower overall execution in detection.

In a subsequent technology upgrade enabled detection at two frequencies concurrently, so that performance would be like having a low and high frequency detector in one. This dual-frequency approach improved overall sensitivity, still had its limitations.

THE ADVENT OF MULTISCANNING

Now, multiscan technology is the long-awaited modernization in metal detection. Detectors with this capability can recognize contaminants up to 50 percent smaller (in volume) than previous technologies. With multiscan technology, the machine can scan up to five variable frequencies, raising the probability of discovery exponentially. Fundamentally, it’s like having up to five entirely changeable metal detectors on a production line.  The frequencies are scanned thousands of times each second, so that it’s possible to tranmit simultaneously without requiring as much energy.

A hidden advantage of multiscan technology is that it can be used to address electromagnetic interference (EMI), which can come from anywhere in the factory at any time. EMI is characteristically spawned  by a motor or variable frequency drive moving through the air into the aperture, obstruction or minimizing the detection signals. Operators can easily look at the monitor of an advanced multiscan detector to determine which frequencies are affected by EMI and adjust correspondingly.

FINDING THE BEST METAL DETECTION SOLUTION

Of course, this is not a “one and done” approach to metal detection. The best way to protect your product and your liability is to have the right people on the line and ensuring that the solution you employ is the right one for your products. It is critical that producer consider their distinctive systems, processes, procedures, equipment, product types and HACCP plans before making a final decision about which solution is used.

Determining the best metal detection application is certainly easier than it used to be. Advanced tools are more consistent and adaptable, creating greater efficiency to food industry manufacturers while requiring fewer trade-offs. The high bar today is multiscan technology, but advancements are inevitable!

As always, email us at testrods@testrods. com or call 866-691-8560.

 

 

Taken in part from: Metal Detection: Multiscanning Turns Up Frequency for Food Industry, April 26, 2019, By Bob Ries

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Floatable Thermoform Test Cards

Some applications involve large tubs, vats, or some other type of product travel where it would be nice to have a test piece that floats. Once again, our thermoform cards provide the simplest solution. We simply insert some type of structure that forces the thermoform card to retain air, which, of course, is what makes it float. We have also manufactured floating rods, which are more difficult because there is less space to close in enough air to make the rod float but is doable.

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We took an ordinary plastic “chip clip” as defined by the customer and embedded the contaminant into the clip. The clip can be attached to the product on the line without damaging or opening the product for testing purposes.

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Bone is a difficult contaminant to find because it can vary widely based on the size, age, and calcium content (as well as feed used) of the animal. After working with several customers, Regal Packaging Services offers Pork, Beef and Chicken Bone Simulate. We have a small range of sizes at a variety of depths to simulate whatever you might expect to find in the product. Our recommendation (assuming your x-ray has visual display) is always to start with a multi-card. Using a multi-card gives you an easy way to test several sizes and depths to determine what matches the bone you’re using. Once you’ve made a comparison, testing the card against the bone you’re looking for, you can purchase a card with a single contaminant for regular testing.

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This small pill shaped test piece is used in a system with a vacuum tube that shoots the test piece through the aperture and returns it to the “home” base. Your system may never be like it, but the point is that we can make a customized solution no matter how unusual or impossible it might seem.

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As you may have seen in some of the other thermoform card descriptions, we can put nearly as many seeds as you can imagine on a single card. Pictured here you will find a wide variety of configurations and contaminants. Just let us know your specs: size of the card (up to 8” x 8”) along with size and type contaminant(s) and we’ll get you a quote as quickly as possible. Working with a multi-card is especially helpful when you are looking for multiple types of contaminants or when you want to determine what size of the same contaminant you are able to detect. In that event, once the size is chosen, you can order individual card(s) for regular, standard inspection and detection.

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There are a wide range of applications that require a test piece much longer than our standard 5” or 6” Testrods. We can make up to 3/8” x 34” or 1/2” x 34” rigid test pieces which can then be extended well beyond that length with a “handle” made of acetal cylinder larger than the 3/8” or 1/2” extension. In the photos, we used a 1” x 24” cylinder handle with a 3/8” x 24” inch extension.

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Test pieces can be made in a variety of sizes and given a pointed end in applications that require the contaminant (metal) to be inserted into a food package such as sugar or some other soft packaged food product. This allows the metal to reach the center of the aperture.

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Double-End Test Whips are also available, with metal in both ends. One consideration is to make certain that the whip is long enough to keep the metal on the non-testing side of the whip outside the metal free zone of your detector. If you insert, for instance one end of a whip with 2.0mm and 3.0mm Ferrous, you need to make certain that the 2.0mm metal doesn’t affect the detection of the 3.0mm metal (and vice versa). If the 3.0mm metal is inside the metal free zone, then the detector will be reacting to the 2.0 as well as the 3.0 as if they were combined.

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Multi-seed laminate test cards are designed for seeds 4.0mm or less. Multi-cards are useful in x-ray inspection to determine what sizes and types of contaminants your system can achieve. They can be especially useful in temperate environments and applications. If your application is rugged or wet, or your standards are larger, we recommend our thermoform multi-cards.

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We can simulate a variety of packaging in an application where you need the test piece to mimic what is traveling down the production line. In this case, we manufactured a clear “package” with the seed inside. With this method, the customer is able to reject the container appropriately, and, in the event the package is not rejected, it is easily seen by the line worker for manual removal.

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There are two types of “candy bars” pictured here – one similar to a flat candy bar and the other in a custom, near perfect copy of a candy bar. Since we’re now able to produce many variations using colored material, the copy was made in red (Fe), green (NFe) and blue (SS 316). We have the equipment to accomplish nearly anything you can imagine, and these kinds of designs are proof positive.

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Need a test piece that looks and handles like chicken nugget? We can do it. Interestingly enough, in this situation, our first version for the customer left too much “void” in the hole where the metal was placed. Given the sensitivity the customer system was using, the void had the effect of causing false positives. We were able to minimize that hole and supply the test piece with almost no void. It’s an example of how we can work with you before, during and after manufacturing to ensure all the specifications were met.

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Our standard acetal card is 2 1/4"x3 3/8,” but if needed, we can cut that size down to as small as 1 1/4” x 1 1/4” (with limited engraving). If a larger card or a card with multiple seeds is needed, see our Custom Shape-Size Blocks and Tablets.

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This distinctive test piece was created to mimic an actual hamburger patty. The customer supplied photos of the raw product, which we were able to reproduce and then we placed blue glove contaminant. Using this configuration, the customer was able to determine what size piece the vision scanning system could detect with the raw burger as the background. Had they simply used a blank card with the glove, the system could easily have achieved contaminant rejection, but they needed to be sure the system could “see” the blue against the product itself.

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A card with 100 seeds in a 10x10 configuration is used to place beneath whole chickens on a production line. This gives the x-ray system operator the ability not just to see IF the equipment can detect the metal in the card, but also WHERE the equipment can detect it. If there is a problem, the operator (or company) can make any changes necessary to achieve the end goal – safe chicken in this case. This card really highlights another valuable facet of our thermoform cards.

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In this scenario, a company processing sugar needed to have a “bag” simulated with the same weight in order to accurately fall through the reject mechanism. A lighter test piece had the risk of passing over the reject mechanism.

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Our standard cubes are 1” and 1.5,” but we can also manufacture other sizes if needed. The cubes shown here are 1/2" in dimensions. Cubes can be helpful in applications where a ball or cylinder may bounce or roll away during testing, making their retrieval difficult, or, in some cases, present a hazard to the product or production equipment.

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This is a test piece that is dropped into a bottle. It’s designed so that the metal appears in the center of the aperture when testing the metal detector. In addition, the round stop makes the test piece easily removable after testing.

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Hexagonal Shaped test pieces can be very useful in places where a cylinder or ball might roll or bounce around a production floor whether dropped by a line worker or ejection from a reject mechanism. Hexagons are similar in weight to the 1inch cylinders without having the smooth, rounded cylinder edge.

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Our customer in this plant needed a test piece with a thickness less than 5.0mm. Because we have the capacity to customize sizes and shapes, we were able to mill down a product that met their specifications. That’s always our goal, meeting the specs you need for your product, testing environment and contaminants.

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We can custom cut nearly any shape needed to fit your application. At times, you may want the test piece to look like your product in its raw form or after packaging. In many instances, we can supply the standard colors for ferrous (red), non-ferrous (green) or stainless steel 316 (blue) used in food and other industries. If your project is larger than 1” in thickness, we can always manufacture in white and color the letters.

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This flat tablet or card with multiple seeds and a diagonal configuration is used for x-ray inspection. The various contaminants are different densities and represent the type contaminants that might appear in the end product. We can manufacture a broad array of sizes and thicknesses with as many contaminants as needed for testing your x-ray inspection equipment.

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Sometimes a cylinder or “puck” is needed to mimic product shape moving down the line. We’re not limited to any particular shape. Pucks can range from 3/4" all the way up to 8.” So, if you’re running hamburgers or some other puck shaped product, this may be the solution you need.