Safety concerns puts premium on metal detection

Safety concerns in the food and beverage industries are increasing, with one result being that  blowmolders have been forced to take on more quality assurance tasks. One near Toronto supplying blowmolded bottles to the food and pharmaceuticals market was requested by an unidentified customer to add metal detection capability to its arsenal.The processor invested in two Standard rectangular metal detectors, integrated with a Vector conveyor system, all supplied by Toronto-based metal detection equipment manufacturer Fortress Technology Inc. Adam Lang, marketing manager at Fortress, says the equipment was installed following the processor’s processing machinery, prior to case packing. The conveyor is a separate component, housing the metal detector; Lang says his firm typically sells the complete conveyor/detector system, as it’s imperative that the conveyor is built to minimize noise that can interfere with the detector.The conveyor transports the bottles through the metal detector. If metal is detected, the detector sounds an error signal and also blows the contaminated product off the line.Lang explains that there are two types of metal detection systems typically of interest to plastics processors: standard rectangular systems with integrated conveyor for finished product or bagged raw material (see photo), and gravity systems for inline inspection of free-flowing bulk dry materials. Fortress Technology Inc., Scarborough, Ontario; +1 416-754-2898; www.fortresstechnology.com