Mettler Toledo offers new Profile Advantage metal detector

Salford, UK—Manufacturers and processing companies in the meat and poultry, dairy, bakery and ready meal segments, and those who produce products packaged in metallized film, can now achieve detection sensitivity levels previously only seen in dry product inspection thanks to Mettler-Toledo‘s new Profile Advantage metal detection system.

Mettler-Toledo says its Safeline is the world’s leading supplier of metal detection and x-ray inspection solutions for the food and pharmaceutical industries. Together with Garvens Checkweighing, CI-Vision and Pharmacontrol Electronic GmbH (PCE), Mettler-Toledo Safeline forms the Product Inspection division of Mettler-Toledo.

For years the ‘product effect’—the electrical signal detected in some foods with a high moisture, salt content or packaged in metallized film)—has reduced detection sensitivities significantly below the levels achieved with inspections of dry non-conductive, non-packed food products.

Using a sophisticated inspection algorithm, the newly launched Profile Advantage metal detector all but removes the ‘product effect’ phenomenon from the process, resulting in up to 50 per cent improvements in detection sensitivity levels irrespective of packaging material, which according to Mettler Toledo means it finds more metal contaminants than traditional systems in challenging applications such as wet, warm or chilled food.

In addition, the solution is capable of rigorously reducing the number of false rejects. For example meat and poultry producers can typically see false rejects rates associated with ‘product effect’ reduce by up to 95 per cent when trying to detect the smallest metal contaminants. The Profile Advantage uses pioneering multi-simultaneous frequency (MSF) technology to step change performance.

With recent changes to retailer Codes of Practice and more stringent standards being applied across the food industry by the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI), manufacturers are looking for ways to ensure the removal of metal contaminations with high production line efficiency and bottom line savings.

The Profile Advantage enables significant cost saving to be realized, through fewer incorrect product rejects and less operational downtime investigating the issue. For those food producers keen on monitoring Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), it maintains an attractive total cost of ownership (TCO) for metal inspection compared to other technology offerings.

“Conquering the product effect phenomenon has been a key issue for our industry for some time,” explains  Jonathan Richards, head of marketing at Mettler-Toledo Safeline Metal Detection. “Our Profile Advantage system is a major technological breakthrough in metal detection capability as it helps manufacturers increase brand protection, reduce costs and improve productivity. Consequently, the new system supports food companies by ensuring only contaminant-free product leaves their manufacturing facility. Combining this reliable performance with an overall low Total Cost of Ownership evaluation enables metal detection to become the preferred technology choice.”

Central to the multi-simultaneous frequency technology of the Profile Advantage is the ‘3S’ algorithm and its Product Signal Suppression feature. Unlike conventional metal detectors, that simply capture and store the active product signal, the Profile Advantage modifies the signal during setup so that the food product presents itself as if it were a dry product without product effect.

Once production starts the detection algorithm is applied to each of the products that pass through the detector. As such, much higher levels of detection sensitivity are achieved as the active product signal is perceived as being negligible and the detection envelope for contaminants is optimized.

The Product Signal Suppression feature is not only able to cope with challenging applications of wet, moist, high salt content products or those that are in a state of flux cooling or thawing, but also with products packaged in metallized film. The metallic nature of this packaging type has, up until now, made it more difficult for detectors to compete with other types of technology on performance. However, with MSF technology, the Profile Advantage meets factory inspection standards on most metal types and delivers considerably higher performance when detecting aluminum contaminants.

Having such a highly sensitive detector allows innovative, predictive analytics of detection performance to be undertaken by the system’s software using a Condition Monitoring feature.

This can reduce the number of time-intensive performance tests conducted each day. The machine informs operatives if any preventative action needs to be taken to maintain the factory’s standard of detection sensitivity. Reducing the performance testing required each day offers better production throughput and uptime and OEE is maximized.

For manufacturers of products with stringent hygiene requirements, the Profile Advantage encompasses a robust, hygienic design, in accordance with the standards of the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG). With a casing made from stainless steel, the system is capable of withstanding even the harshest wash down regimes, while curved edges and corners eliminate potential dirt traps, minimizing the risk of biological contamination of the food. Furthermore, the new metal detector is also available with optional bespoke conveyors, enabling manufacturers to customize the system to their particular production needs.

For more information about Profile Advantage: www.mt.com/md-advantageplus.