special edition: product inspection
A look at the inspection market ahead of Interpack
Drivers include regulation to maintain compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs), increased product recalls, growing adoption of automated inspection systems and rising number of inspection points in the production line.
However, sales of used and refurbished equipment is a major restraint for market growth.
FoodQualityNews has compiled related companies who will be at Interpack 4-10 May. This round-up includes Loma, Sesotec, Ishida, Fortress Technology, Multivac, Bizerba and SICK.
Mettler Toledo will demonstrate how concentrating on protection, productivity and quality can help food manufacturers improve processes and increase competitiveness in the market.
The stand will include four operational lines – for pharmaceuticals, general food, dry food and wet food.
X-ray, checkweighing and vision inspection and metal detection systems will be on display.
Product introductions
Loma Systems will introduce the next-generation IQ4 metal detector series designed to meet common inspection challenges.
Anritsu Infivis will debut a metal detector which it claims offers high levels of metal detection sensitivity and functions for high-performance inspection.
Nemesis said it will launch a high speed checkweigher for harsh environments.
The Italian-based firm added every year half of the budget is spent on research and development.
Tasitest Packaging Test and Inspection experts will present package integrity testing, leak test and quality inspection equipment.
The firm combines ALPS, Bonfiglioli Engineering and Sepha.
Primary engineering manufacturing and after sales support operations are in Harrison OH (USA) Ferrara (Italy) and Belfast (UK).
Sesotec will present Intuity which has multi-simultaneous frequency technology.
The metal detector provides up to 50% higher detection accuracy compared to existing systems on the market, claimed the company.
Sesotec will also present low-cost entry-level equipment for X-ray inspection.
The Raycon EX1 model is for "end of line" inspection of packed products with 200mm width and 120mm height.
Ishida’s IX series X-ray range offers a fail-safe system that prevents a contaminated product reaching the consumer to minimise potential costly recalls.
The full range will be shown including entry-level, mid-range and premium specification models.
Two models will be demonstrated with Ishida’s AirScan leak detector, which uses laser technology to detect leaks in MAP packs which contain carbon dioxide.
Case study and facility opening
Fortress Technology has begun expansion of its head office in Toronto, which will more than double current manufacturing facility and office space to more than 52,000 square feet.
The firm hasthree manufacturing facilities, a team of distributors and more than 225 employees.
Steve Gidman, president, said: “It’s been an incredible journey for our business and we are looking forward to the next 20 years. A big thank you to our valued customers and strategic partners, but especially to those who had faith in Fortress from the very beginning.”
Heuft Systemtechnik installed an empty bottle inspector at the Franconian family brewery of Georg Meinel.
The distance between the washing machine and the filler in the bottling hall is 2.35 metres.
The Heuft InLine allows examination of container volume with one module for an optical sidewall inspection at line speeds of up to 36,000 bottles per hour.
The system can inspect up to 72,000 empty bottles per hour.
Monika Meinel-Hansen, master brewer, said: “The old carousel machine could only inspect the base and finish areas of the returnable bottles – it could not detect quality defects or safety risks on the sidewall.
“Then the finish camera broke as well and we couldn't find a suitable replacement. Therefore we said 'We want something new to be on the safe side'. We bottle two to three times a week and have an hourly output of around 5,000 bottles.”
Minebea Intec recently opened an office and production facility in Bangalore.
Minebea Intec in India, formerly known as Sartorius Intec, said the premises offers more space for production control and enhanced production capabilities to meet future demands.
Specific trade show focus
Multivac Marking & Inspection said the focus will be on integrated inspection systems, such as the I 410 with high-resolution line scanners for visual inspection from above and below and the I 210 checkweigher.
EyeC will show in-line inspection technology for examination of folding cartons and luxury packaging as well as systems with off-line inspection from mid-sized samplings.
The firm has the EyeC ProofRunner Carton Pre-Feeder on the folder gluer from Kohmann.
The inspection system checks print quality of text, graphics, colours, foil stamping, as well as 1-D and 2-D codes on the carton surface.
Defective boxes are ejected via the ejection device of the folder gluer before production is delivered to the customer.
Wilco AG, a Bausch+Ströbel company, offers inspection systems for applications ranging from lab type up to fully automatic in-line testers with capacities of up to 600 products per minute.
Bizerba said its focus is on digital transformation, food safety, batch size 1, logistics and labels at Interpack.
The firm will demonstrate reasons for recalls with potential consequences and solutions such as inspection systems for detecting metal, plastic or glass.
Camera systems will check if labels with correct content are placed at the right spot.
“Food recall campaigns are costly and have a negative impact on brand reputation in the worst case.
“Sealed-seam control is also a theme…with a special focus on detecting any contaminations, seam quality and possible inclusions like air bubbles.”
SICK said it will focus on quality assurance at Interpack.
A 3D inspection system can identify faulty product features, incomplete packaging units and inadequate labelling.
Data and measurements from vision sensors and integration into real-time fieldbus environments enable them to provide information used in manufacturing plants.
“The fast throughput speeds and short cycle times of production lines and machines in the packaging industry allow for high productivity. However, this can only be achieved if a comprehensive quality control system is in place.”
OCS, exhibiting under the umbrella of the Wipotec Group, said delivery of defective products could lead to devastating consequences.
“The quality of industrially manufactured products must enjoy the highest priority in all production processes. Recalls or claims are extremely expensive and damage your brand.”
