Accurate efficiency

30 MACHINERY UPDATE JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2015 www.machineryupdate.co.uk
Feature: Name Snacks here
Detecting metal is
evolving for today
Although metal detection
is often portrayed as
‘old technology’ – in
contrast to the ‘new’
x-ray systems – metal
detection hardware and software
is evolving all the time and offers
snack producers many benefits,
says Sarah Ketchin, managing
director of Fortress Technology.
In most food applications, for
example, there is some sort of
‘product effect’ on the detector
which the equipment must factor
into its operation. “With most
of today’s metal detectors, this
‘phasing’ or calibration is an
automatic process, simplifying the
integration of a system into a line.”
And with fewer, and often less
technically skilled line operators
becoming the norm in the snacks
industry, Ketchin believes the
importance of this element of
simplicity cannot be overstated. This
is true also for the human-machine
interface, which Fortress has worked
hard to make more intuitive.
As might be expected, the
sensitivity of systems has also
improved. Fortress Technology’s
latest FM software can improve
performance in some applications
by 40%, thanks to an algorithm
which factors in both time and
amplitude with any given detection
signal. This responds to increased
demands from retailers for the
ability to detect ever-smaller metal
contaminants.
In recent years, retailers have
become more risk-averse when it
Sarah Ketchin of Fortress Technology
Sensitivity
guaranteed
FM Software
is backwards
compatible and
known to improve
detection
performance
by 40%
comes to food safety and quality,
increasingly imposing their own
– often more stringent – protocols
and standards on suppliers.
As well as ensuring that the
required form of inspection
is in place, to the necessary
specification, the retailer ‘safety
net’ will also often include
assurances about regular system
checks to ensure that all QA
systems – including metal detection
– are functioning correctly.
Some retailers will put pressure
on suppliers, or potential suppliers
to invest in x-ray contaminant
detection. “Being able to
demonstrate the reliability and
improved sensitivity of installed
metal detectors (with FM software,
for example) may be one way that
snack suppliers can resist this
sort of pressure,” Ketchin tells
Machinery Update.
So why choose metal detection
rather than x-ray?
Ketchin says the answer will
depend on the application as x-ray
remains far more expensive, both
in terms of capital cost and running
costs. “Expect to pay in the region
of £35,000-£40,000 to install x-ray,
compared with between £4,000
and £18,000 for metal detection,
depending on the size and
complexity of the application,”
she explains.
The challenge for product
manufacturers is to know as
much about potential sources of
contamination as possible before
selecting the type of inspection
equipment. “Obviously, if your
potential contamination is all, or
mostly, metal-based it makes sense
to consider metal detection as a
first option,” she says.
“On the other hand, for some
products the risk comes from a
range of contaminants, or nonmetal
contaminants, and in this
case x-ray might be advisable.”
T 01295 256266
W www.fortresstechnology.co.uk