Fortress updates metal detector testing tech
Halo 2 provides food suppliers with a traceable and auditable testing procedure, satisfying retailer Codes of Practice and reduces manual testing time.
It can be installed on Fortress throat, pipeline and gravity metal detectors that inspect loose of free-falling products, including rice, sauces, cereals, powders, corn, sugar and snack foods.
The Halo system is an external test that automatically generates a signal calibrated to specified sphere sizes.
It checks the metal detector is identifying ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless steel contaminants and tests the reject system. Test results are logged, providing food manufacturers with an audit trail.
PPMA Total is from 27-29 September at the NEC in Birmingham, UK.
Payback for a Fortress metal detector fitted with Halo 2 is typically less than 12 months, said Sarah Ketchin, managing director of Fortress Technology UK.
“In many food production settings, as soon as one check is done, it’s time to start over. If you factor in every production stoppage and the labour costs associated with manual testing on each production line, it soon mounts up,” she said.
“Ultimately, manufacturers worry when metal contaminants are detected. Equally, they may also worry when they are not. Automatic testing tackles these concerns, providing a repeatable and objective overview and checks that your metal detector is working as it should.”
The firm said a metal detector system, with a production rate of 50 units per minute, that is manually tested at least five times every day, may cost a manufacturer around £250 a day.
