Industrial Machinery News » Conveyor Metal Detector

Conveyor metal detection systems for the candy industry

IMN — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:54:12 +0000

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.

Metal detector performance: how to test accurately?

IMN — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:28:36 +0000

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.

So why do metal detector company’s rate performance in diameter size? The basic reason is that a sphere of metal is easy to produce, doesn’t change its profile shape as it enters the metal detector and is easily understood. So is this a good way to measure the performance of my industrial metal detection system? Well for now it’s the best method for the vast majority of application. If you are producing cheese or bread products you need a simple repeatable method to test your equipment with. Same goes for companies manufacturing paper or carpet.

Why is metal not being detected in my metal detector?

The testing method of all major metal detector companies is although repeatable it doesn’t reflect the real world. Rarely does a food manufacture have round sphere like metal contaminates in their product. Often they have wire or metal shavings from drillings in their products. This is a significant difference from the testing samples and often leads to confusion and misunderstanding with a metal detectors performance. As a rule o thumb you should have your metal detector tested with the smallest piece of metal it can detect. This will help to catch and reject the normal contaminants found in today’s real world food production.

Conveyor Metal Detector: Rejecting contaminated Food

IMN — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:57:54 +0000

Conveyor belt repair for metal detection systems

IMN — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:12:04 +0000

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.

Where possible try to use a white belt with a core made of similar material. Often the inside layers of conveyor belts contain black carbon based materials. These materials act like small pieces of metal and will reduce your metal detectors performance or cause false rejects.

The other critical element to consider when using fabric belting on a conveyor system is the splice. When a splice passes through a metal detector the electromagnetic field and electric field change as the splice passes through. This often causes the metal detector to loss some performance or at worst causes false rejects. To avoid this uses a splice that isn’t in a straight line, either a diagonal splice or a finger splice. Both of these splices gradually move through the metal detector reducing the overall effect on the metal detection ability. When splicing belts make sure your splice tools are clean and free of small metal pieces. If even the smallest piece of metal lodges in to the belt splice the metal detector will reject on it.

So next time you have a metal detector belt to replace remember the simple rules of, material type and splice type.

Metal detection tool minimises food loss, says US developer

IMN — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:01:20 +0000

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.

Charles Whitt, marketing manager at Bunting Magnetics Company, said that the new Quicktron 05 RH detector provides reliable detection of metals such as ferrous, bronze alloys and stainless steel in any type of food in the raw form without process interruption.

Metal detection in food is required due to the fact that different processing equipment throughout a facility gives off tiny stainless steel filings that must be removed prior to further processing or packaging. Locating their presence can prove to be difficult task for manufacturers, so detectors can help ensure product safety and quality.

Removable flap

Whitt told FoodProductionDaily.com that this Quicktron model differs from conventional detectors in that it has a removable flap and diverter that can be quickly disconnected without tools; in addition, he said, it has a built-in sensing tube to block out outside interference.

He explained that the detection process involves two sender coils and one transmitter coil working in tandem so that as metal passes through the system the electromagnetic field is disrupted, enabling a signal to be sent to the controls for automatic separation of the metal from the product.

Dust buster

According to Whitt, the detector’s open framework and its round reject mechanism without critical edges prevents dust and dirt settlement, while the product contacting parts are made from food grade materials such as stainless steel, polypropylene, silicone, and Teflon.

The Quicktron 05 RH is suitable for all applications and throughputs, with round apertures available from 50 to 300mm diameter (2 to 12 inches), he continued.

Easy integration

Whitt said that the metal detector features a touch pad control panel that has easy to follow menus, and it is also easy to integrate into an existing plant as it has low headroom and compact dimensions.

He added that the detector should be placed within the processing line where raw food product is being gravity fed into the production process.

The Kansas based company said the Quicktron 05 RH is available to European food manufacturers as well as its US client base.