Industrial Machinery News

Archive for the ‘Conveyor Metal Detector’ Category

Candy manufacturing requires a number of processes where ingredients are mixed, cooked and formed.  Inherently these processes introduce tramp metal (metal fragments) in to the candy.  Many candy manufacturers struggle with where to place the metal detector for optimum performance and protection for the consumer.

Food safety is an integral part of many food manufacturers’ quality programs.  Often these programs although desirable fail to both protect the consumer and maintain low levels of rejected product.  Metal detection systems are seen as a ‘non value added’ machine within the system of candy manufacturing.  I take a different view of this.  Contaminate detection is a high value added part of any process.

How can metal detection increase your bottom line?

Simply, reduce waste, protect your brand and lead the industry for safe product production.  Imagine what would happen if your product made it to market and caused a serious injury or worse death of a consumer.  How would you recover from this?  What would be the cost both immediate and long term?  The cost to recover from such a disaster would be in magnitude to the cost of implementing an effective contaminate detection program.

So what’s the right way to detect metal in a candy company?

Start first at the back door.  Here is were you have greater control of contaminates being introduced in to your process.  Place a metal detection system at each entry point such as rail car loading etc.  Using a gravity feed metal detection system (such as the Goring Kerr model 401) to detect metal with in the raw ingredients will help you take control of what your suppliers are selling you as well increase your ability to detect small pieces.  After this point look for areas where ingredients are mixed together and have a high potential for introduction of metal fragments (tramp metal).  Again this point is a low cost to the end product costs.  Finally have a metal detector after the product is packaged or just before.  This last resort will help to detect larger pieces of metal within the product.

Having several metal detection systems within your process may seem to add unnecessary costs but in fact help to reduce operation costs and increase product/brand equity.

Now this is a loaded question. Most industrial metal detection companies cringe when they are asked about performance. Why is this? Simply metal detector performance is based on many variables which change over time, some frequently others over long periods, and often can not accurately be duplicated in laboratory testing. 

Do you need to replace or repair a conveyor belt on a metal detection system? When replacing a belt on conveyor systems you should pay attention to several key areas. The most important things to consider are the belt material and the belt splice. Metal detectors such as the Goring Kerr (Thermo), Safeline, Loma or Fortress Technology metal detectors are all impacted by these installation issues. Obviously you cannot use a metal zipper to connect the ends of the belt when used on a metal detection system. Equally important is the makeup of the belt. Many ‘colored’ belts contain pigments that interfere with most metal detectors. 

By Jane Byrne , 25-Nov-2008

A new metal detector targeted at the food processing sector offers minimal loss of good material due to a fast reacting, powerful pneumatic drive for the reject gate, says the manufacturer.