Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection is showcasing a wide range of stand-alone and fully-integrated automated smart product inspection systems at Interpack 2023. The advanced product inspection technologies on Booth A60 in Hall 11 are all designed to help food manufacturers boost productivity, increase product safety, protect brand reputation and reduce recalls. The full suite of technologies offers high-performance end-to-end inspection capabilities from ingredient stage to label verification. The key new technology launches at Interpack are: 

• Metal Detection - Innovative SENSE software enhancements offer increased metal detection protection and performance capabilities for Mettler-Toledo M30 R-Series metal detection systems. The software allows the M30 R-Series to bring next-level automation and affordable compliance to manufacturers looking to boost their productivity.
• Vision Inspection - 100% automated label inspection solution suite to inspect 100% of products and shapes and identify 100% of label data and quality challenges. Visitors will see the new CV33 with Integrated V13 Flat Pack Label Inspection technology, combining high-precision weighing with complete label inspection from the bottom, top, front and back. 

“We are delighted to present such innovative advancements in product inspection technologies at Interpack,” said Rainer Mundt, head of marketing at Mettler-Toledo Product Inspection, Germany. “We have designed a number of new inspection solutions to help make a real difference to food manufacturers who are looking to boost productivity, save bottom line costs, improve food safety and facilitate compliance. By showcasing our range of inspection systems and data management software we can help take food manufacturers towards a digitalized and sustainable future.”

Visitors to Booth A60 at Interpack can view the X34C compact X-ray inspection system, which enables foreign object detection in small, individually wrapped snacks at high production speeds. X34C delivers cost-effective inspection for customers immediately after flow-wrapping or sealing of the individual products. Thanks to its compact design with a footprint of only 700 millimeters in length, the X34C X-ray system is suited for use in production lines with very limited production space. X34C supports belt speeds of up to 120 meters per minute. This makes it possible, for the first time, to match X-ray inspection to the high speeds of many form, fill and seal machines.

Booth A60 visitors at Interpack can also view DXD and DXD+ for the X36 X-ray inspection system, in which Mettler-Toledo offers its most powerful X-ray inspection technology to date with dual energy detector technology to detect low-density foreign objects in packaged food. The new technology helps food manufacturers avoid product recalls, reduce unnecessary costs in the form of product waste and improve product integrity and brand protection. The DXD and DXD+ dual energy detector technology is optimized to detect foreign objects such as bones, low mineral glass, and rubber, as well as various plastics. These types of foreign objects are traditionally difficult to detect in the complex X-ray images produced when inspecting overlapping and multi-textured products such as pasta, chicken breasts, sausages, and potato-based frozen goods.

Metal detection systems

The M30 R-Series metal detection systems are the first product family to feature the innovative and ground-breaking SENSE software. Showing at Interpack are the enhancements available with the latest SENSE software, offering increased productivity and compliance features. The new, intelligent SENSE software uses powerful algorithms to deliver high detection sensitivity for all types of metal contaminants. The M30 R-Series is ProdX-enabled, which is demonstrated on a loop at Interpack so visitors can see how the latest metal detection models support digitalization aims, as well as boosting productivity.

The smart systems are aimed at food manufacturers who are looking for the detection of metal contaminants, with a high level of detection sensitivity and future-proof flexibility. With the M30 R-Series, customers have a choice of metal detectors, depending on production and compliance requirements as well as budget considerations.

One of the systems on this year’s booth is the M33R PlusLine metal detector, which offers high frequency to increase sensitivity for dry or deep-frozen products. In addition, it features expandable I/O and modular upgrades, enabling food manufacturers to boost productivity and reduce total cost of ownership. 

Visitors can also see the M34R PlusLine metal detector, which uses dual simultaneous frequency to reduce product effect, particularly in demanding applications. The solution offers higher detection sensitivity, up to 25% improved spherical sensitivity compared to traditional single frequency systems, and significantly reduces false rejects. Typical application examples are wet and/or conductive products such as meat, poultry, seafood and dairy, as well as food packaged in metalized film. All M30 R-Series metal detectors can also integrate with a wide range of conveyors, including the Mettler-Toledo GC-Series.

Furthermore, Mettler-Toledo is showcasing a free-fall metal detection system featuring ATS (Automatic Test System), which won the Innovation Award for Quality Health, Safety and Environment at CFIA 2019. With ATS, manufacturers can significantly reduce downtime and thus increase their productivity by shortening the time window for testing via automatic feeding of the test pieces. In addition, more accurate results and consistent test processes deliver enhanced compliance benefits.

Label verification with vision inspection

The all-new V13 Flat Pack Label Inspection System for food manufacturers fully automates smart inspection of labels on the underside of packages. This solution performs reliable label inspection from the bottom up to check labels on the underside of flat packages. The stand-alone solution offers configurable options for handling materials and can be expanded with smart cameras on the top and sides. Dedicated tools for inspecting label data and label quality enable easy operation of a wide range of applications. The V13, which will be shown at Interpack in different configurations, can also be integrated in a combination system with a checkweigher, metal detector or X-ray inspection system to save valuable shop floor space. 

Also part of the vision inspection range is the V15 Label Inspection 360 Degree System for inspecting round packaged food and beverage products by using smart cameras with liquid lens technology. The V15 enables complete inspection of label data such as 1D/2D barcodes and plain text on a wide range of round packaged products. In addition, potential quality defects such as label positioning, multiple labeling, skew, wrinkles, creases, print quality and graphic ID are checked for compliance. The cost-effective vision inspection system is ideally suited to replace manual spot checks with fully automated label inspection of products.

Checkweighers

All Mettler-Toledo dynamic checkweighers are now equipped with the patented FlashCell Electro Magnetic Force Restoration (EMFR) load cell technology. This technology enables precision weighing at speeds of up to 800 packs per minute. At Interpack, visitors can experience FlashCell in action with washdown checkweighers, designed for harsh production environments, that support intense and frequent cleaning whilst offering reliable accuracy. 

Combination inspection technologies

With mix-and-match combination inspection solutions, Mettler-Toledo focuses on the integration of several inspection technologies in one space-saving device in order to maximize productivity. To ensure that the combination inspection solutions are best adapted to the needs of individual customer requirements, standardized components can be combined with different technologies as required. Specific system options showcased on the booth are:

• CV Combination – a checkweigher combined with vision inspection
• CMV Combination – a three-in-one solution showing a checkweigher and metal detector with integrated vision inspection
• CXV Combination – a checkweigher, X-ray inspection and vision inspection

Data management software

With ProdX, food manufacturers can benefit from fully comprehensive product inspection management, including extensive safety functions, digital track & trace, automatic recording of performance tests and real-time logging of test and compliance data. The highly intuitive software offers paperless documentation of product reject incidents required for compliance, meaning manufacturers can save time filling in forms, filing and collating information for reports and trend analysis. ProdX is based on Industry 4.0 principles of secure machine-to-machine communication and prepares connectivity to blockchain technology. The software can digitalize food safety compliance, reduce compliance auditing time and help facilitate faster product recalls.

On the loop

Mettler-Toledo is showcasing its versatile range of product inspection solutions on a loop, connecting the X32 X-ray inspection system, the M34R PlusLine metal detector, as well as the CV33 combination solution with checkweighing and integrated V13 Flat Pack Label Inspection system. All these solutions are running live with real products and are connected to the data management software ProdX, simulating results in real time.

At Interpack, some Mettler-Toledo smart product inspection solutions will be available to buy directly from the booth at a discounted price. Visit Booth A60 in Hall 11 to find out more.

Mettler-Toledo is a member of the SAVE FOOD initiative to reduce product and food waste. As part of the Spotlight Talks and Trends (Nordbahnhof entrance area) on Tuesday, May 9 at 10.45 a.m., Adam Green, market manager at Mettler-Toledo, will give a talk on ‘How X-ray Inspection Can Help to Increase Productivity, Reduce Food Waste and Deliver Product Safety.’

For more information, click here or visit www.mt.com/interpack-pr.

Source: Mettler-Toledo