A challenge facing today’s food manufacturing companies is how to detect foreign metal while not interfering with the aluminum in the packaging, and the ability to detect non-metallic foreign objects. A leading dairy company needed to ensure a superior product while not sacrificing package quality. After careful assessment, the company purchased 11 Ishida X-ray inspection systems to keep its products safe.
Foreign body detection with metal detectors was not an option because of the metalized (aluminum) lids on their products. They also wanted to detect foreign bodies such as small stones in their herbs and spices products, and pieces of fruit core that may accidentally end up in the soft cheese. The company’s requirements profile demanded reliable detection of particle sizes ranging from 1mm stainless steel, 2 mm glass, and 4mm PTFE plastic.
Ishida X-ray inspection systems offer foreign objects inspection capability of assorted weighted packaging, and ability to deal with diverse pack formats. From plastic filled tubs to multi-pack crates.
The Ishida X-ray inspection system is controlled by touchscreen  and after an automatic set-up process, the machines are ready for use within 90 seconds.
Cleaning is easy due to the accessible stainless-steel construction, and the conveyor belts are easy to remove and replace without the need for tools.
The installed Ishida IX-GA-4075, inspects plastic tubs with fill weights between 135g (~4 oz) and 500g (~17 oz). While the Ishida-IX-GA-65100, inspects crates packed with six and 12 individual packs of product. Ishida X-ray inspection systems offer removal of foreign objects, capability to inspect assorted weighted packaging, and ability to deal with diverse pack formats. During the inspection of crates, missing items can also be detected using a counting function.
For even easier and more space-saving integration on the production lines, the Ishida X-ray inspection systems feature cooling units fitted on top of the machines. To reduce noise levels, the infeed and outfeed conveyors on the X-ray machines can be fitted inside noise-absorbing tunnels.
The Ishida X-ray inspection system technology works regardless of the temperature, salt and water content of a product. It is also possible to test only defined product areas and to ignore specific parts of the packaging, such as the seal areas. The machines use patented software with a self-learning algorithm called Genetic Algorithm (GA). By analyzing image data over a number of generations, it is possible to enhance inspection sensitivity by approximately 20% when using this function.
The Ishida X-ray inspection system is controlled by touchscreen on a Windows interface. A special monitor cover permits access to authorized employees only by means of an RFID chip. After an automatic set-up process, the machines are ready for use within 90 seconds. After, further fine adjustments can be made. Product changeovers are implemented via the fast retrieval of up to 100 programmable presets.
Cleaning is easy due to the accessible stainless-steel construction, and the conveyor belts are easy to remove and replace without the need for tools. The X-ray inspection systems used by Ishida customers provide the required certainty that the inspected products are free from foreign bodies.
