Mettler-Toledo targets x-ray inspection of tall and rigid containers

The X37 Series is designed for product inspection of items including cartons, stand-up pouches, plastic and glass containers and metal cans.

Mettler-Toledo Safeline x-ray said the machine can detect glass, metal, mineral stone, high-density plastics and rubber contaminants as well as quality checks such as fill level inspection, measuring head space, detecting missing caps on plastic containers and damaged packaging.

The X37 Series offers a choice of detectors - x-ray generators and single or split-beam capability.

Manufacturers can choose between a 0.4mm and a 0.8mm detector diode.

Increased sensitivity​

Daniela Verhaeg, marketing manager SBU x-ray Inspection at Mettler-Toledo Safeline x-ray, said the 0.8mm detector technology can be up to five times more sensitive to x-ray than standard machines available to the food industry.

“No two food manufacturing lines are the same, for example meat and poultry producers have very different production needs compared to fruit and vegetable manufacturers,” ​she told FoodQualityNews.

“Just as the raw materials, the manufacturing process and packaging types vary from industry to industry, so does the nature of the contaminant threat. ​

“Meat products, for example, are more vulnerable from contamination by bone fragments and metal, whereas cereals are at greater risk from mineral stones and glass.”​

Product inspection is at high throughput levels of up to 1,800 containers per minute, depending upon product configurations.

Range of packaging formats​

Verhaeg said manufacturers are using a greater variety of packaging formats than ever before.

“From traditional glass and metal, to modern plastics, card, foil and metallised film, which come in different shapes and sizes, all of these packaging types present different product inspection challenges which need to be overcome to ensure precision foreign body detection,” ​she said.

“However, it is not only packaged products that have to be inspected for contaminants; product inspection technologies are also available to accommodate pumped or unpackaged products.” ​

The X37 Series is IP65 rated as a standard and can be upgraded to IP69.

It can be customised to suit customers’ individual requirements, said Verhaeg.

“Customisation can mean that a manufacturer can select different reject systems for product handling or select from a range of software tools,” ​she said.

“No two production lines are the same – one ice cream manufacturing process can be very different from another ice cream production line.”​

Detector sensitivity options​

X3710 has a 20 Watt (W) generator and a 0.8mm detector, which allows it to deliver the same product inspection as a conventional 100W device but as it has a low-power generator it does not need an air conditioning system so reduces power consumption and cost of ownership.

X3720 is a single-beam system that can have a 100W or a 400W generator and a 0.8 mm detector.

X3730 uses a single 100W or 400W generator to produce a split x-ray beam, allowing it to inspect products from multiple angles simultaneously and eliminating blind spots.

Mettler Toledo also offers the X33 Series for small packaged product applications such as foil and plastic containers, cartons/boxes, bags, pouches and sachets and bulk variants and the X36 Series is for medium and large products in single and multi-lane applications.