Product inspection: X-ray system targets smaller food contaminants

Food manufacturers will be able to identify very small contaminants in a quicker and more reliable manner following the launch of a new X-ray system from the product inspection division of Mettler-Toledo.



The X34 X-ray inspection system provides detection of metal, glass, high-density plastic, mineral stone and calcified bone fragments across a wide range of packaged foods: eliminating costly product recalls and protecting brand reputations.

Automated product set-up

The system also comes with advanced software that enables automated product set-up, dramatically decreasing the chance of human error and greatly reducing the number of false rejects.

This makes for more efficient and profitable operations, while delivering excellent return on investment.

“Changing consumer expectations have resulted in an extraordinary choice of food and drink in a variety of cans, jars, bottles, cartons, and plastic containers,” says Mike Pipe, product inspection specialist for Mettler-Toledo. “As food production and packaging methods increase in complexity, the risk of contamination from foreign bodies such as metal and glass has increased. These contamination incidents can lead to expensive product recalls.

“The X34 provides a combination of technologies which enable producers to detect smaller contaminants reliably at high-throughputs, ensuring product safety and delivering brand protection.”

The X34 is a single lane X-ray system designed for the inspection of a wide range of small and medium-sized packaged products.

One of its key features is a 100W ‘Optimum Power’ generator, which automatically maximises detection sensitivity.

This is complemented by an advanced 0.4mm detector for the accurate detection of very small contaminants.

These technologies ensure that power and contrast levels are optimised for every product, resulting in enhanced detection performance. This means the X34 does not always have to run at its full 100W output to achieve the best results, delivering power savings to the end user.

The high-performance software also allows for automated product set-up without the need for manual adjustment from the operator, leading to ultra-reliable product inspection.

“Automated product set-up removes the possibility of operator error and makes the X34 easier to use,” says Mike Pipe. “New products only need to be passed once through the system for the power to be optimized and the fully intuitive software requires minimal passes to automatically set the contamination inspection tools. This reduces operator training, increases production uptime and ensures product safety.”

Inspection software

The X34 comes with Mettler-Toledo’s advanced ContamPlus inspection software which further enhances detection capabilities, helping food manufacturers achieve a zero False Reject Rate (FRR).

This is a crucial means of reducing product waste and ensuring product safety.

By lowering FRR, manufacturers can achieve higher production outputs without adding extra lines, boosting productivity and profitability.

Subsequently, Total Cost of Ownership is reduced and Overall Equipment Effectiveness scores are increased.

In addition, the X34 can be equipped with the ProdX advanced data management tool, which maximises production efficiency and quality control.

The ProdX software can store images of foreign body contamination, which can be viewed remotely, in full support of connectivity, traceability and compliance.

The system also features a highly-responsive capacitive touchscreen, allowing users to increase the viewing angle of stored images while maintaining image consistency.

The X34 also offers excellent ingress protection, with an IP65 rating as standard and IP69 available through upgrade.

Cooling

Cooling is enabled through an air conditioner, which allows the X34 to operate in high ambient temperature environments.

The launch of the X34 with its optimised detection and automated set-up compliments Mettler-Toledo’s existing vertical X-ray range.

Other systems include the compact, easy-to-use X33 for effective contamination detection with a low Total Cost of Ownership, and the highly configurable, advanced integrity inspection solution of the X36 for applications with multiple lanes.

“As food trends change over time, it’s important that manufacturers choose product inspection equipment which is suited to the task at hand,” adds Mike Pipe. “With the introduction of the X34, Mettler-Toledo offers food manufacturers and producers state-of-the-art, reliable contamination detection across a variety of applications.”

All Mettler-Toledo X-ray generators come with a five-year warranty when a standard or comprehensive service contract is purchased, offering full protection of the most valuable part of the machine.