Snack Processors Fall for Automatic QC Tests
By GloHouse Media
Food safety specialist Fortress Technology examines the issue of choke-off in Vertex metal detectors located between snack weighing and Vertical Form Fill and Seal (VFFS) baggers and how automated testing can help to prevent production bottlenecks.
With productivity being a measurement of output per hour, machine uptime on any fast moving vertical bagging production line is critical to success. Slim through dimensions in Fortress Stealth Vertex units are conducive to rapidly funnelling one bag worth of product at a time as it drops from the scale, reaching a higher rate of bags per minute.
Designed to isolate and separate metallic materials in snack packing lines – including pretzel, nut, popcorn, cereal and potato chips – the inline system, with its slim case-through dimension, slots easily between VFFS pouch packing systems and weighing turnkey lines.
Checking that Vertex metal detectors are failsafe forms an important part of the food safety agenda. Yet, manually passing test samples through the exact center of a standard 165mm or 215mm aperture and retrieving them is one of the greatest challenges and drain on labor for snack manufacturers. These repeatable tests are virtually impossible to perform accurately when product is funnelled direct from a multi-head weigher through the metal detector straight into a VFFS bagger.
Halo Automatic Testing automates this process, saving snack processors and packing plants time, money and other operational costs. Without interrupting production, Halo mimics the signal disturbance in the least sensitive position in the aperture. Without having to physically pass a metal contaminant through the metal detector or flush out a sample.
Production doesn’t stop while each test is in progress. The line will only halt if the metal detector or reject checks fail. Validated test results are automatically logged and digitally saved for a GFSI audit.
Fortress Technology Ltd. is a privately-owned Toronto based company. Fortress Technology is the only metal detection manufacturer that, since its inception in 1996, custom manufactures metal detectors to suit its customers’ needs, application and specification while ensuring optimal performance. Dedicated to their Never Obsolete Commitment, new technology is developed to be backwards compatible and accessible without having to purchase an entirely new system. Renowned in the industry for their speed, accuracy and simple operation, Fortress systems are used widely within a range of food industry sectors including bakery, meats, ready meals, dairy, confectionery, fresh foods, frozen foods. In addition to product manufacture, the company offers a range of before and after sales service and support services including consultation, product testing, training, preventative maintenance plans, spare parts and validation visits. Fortress is a global enterprise providing worldwide coverage from its manufacturing facilities in Canada, the UK, and Brazil.
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