New angled x-ray beam targets blind spots in glass and metal containers
UK-based Mettler Toledo Safeline said that the new FluidCheK uses a angled beam to detect for contaminants such as glass, metal, stone, plastics, and rubbers at speeds of 1,500 packs per minute and can be combined with a high speed reject system to eliminate defected products.
“It has been traditionally difficult for perpendicular horizontal beam x-ray systems to inspect the base area of glass and metal containers with raised internal bases or domes, but this new system employs beams at an angle to focus inspection on the base area rather than on the entire container,” stated the supplier.
Mettler Toledo said that this approach is highly effective as metal and plastic contaminants that can chip off during the filling process are usually denser than the surrounding liquid, and thus always sink to the bottom of a container.
Niall McRory, new product development sales manager at Mettler Toledo Safeline, explained that the supplier’s objective “is to increase the probability of detection with our research and pre-launch tests showed that the x-ray beam of the FluidCheK inspects, at high speed, the normally hidden areas at the back and front of the raised internal domes in bottle and metal containers, thus eliminating any blind spots.”
He added that the FluidCheK is also equipped with a new software technique for contamination detection called XTP, which analyses each pixel in the x-ray image so that even the smallest changes in a product can be identified.
Moreover, said the supplier, the new beverage inspection tooling uses Safeline’s recently launched x-ray transparent slat band modular belt that enhances detection sensitivity, and if glass breakages occur on the line, the belt can be easily removed in minutes for cleaning or maintenance.
And McRory told BeverageDaily.com that the company can test a beverage firm’s product range on the inspection system at its Royston centre of excellence and deliver a report on the sensitivity achieved per product run prior to any commitment to purchase.
“We aim to build partnerships with beverage manufacturers and prefer to demonstrate the effectiveness of the FluidCheK in pre-testing so that they know the level of efficiency gains that are readily available with our system compared to multiple beam competitor’s models, which are often costly to run and maintain,” he added.
He added that the FluidCheK is priced competitively, is available worldwide and is supported by a global network of engineers who specialise in x-ray inspection.
