Glass-in-Glass X-ray Inspection Supports China’s Food Industry

Sept. 29, 2010 - PRLog -- In Asia, where many food manufacturers export their products to the West, food safety is a particularly thorny issue. China is the third largest supplier of food and agricultural products to the US, so last year’s melamine food contamination scandal, which claimed the lives of six infants and injured as many as 300 000 more, was enormously damaging to the country’s reputation. One positive result of the scandal is that food safety laws in many Asian countries – China included – have been tightened and much stricter enforcement is now in place. Food safety is now ‘big business’ in China and many companies are specifying product inspection systems to ensure their products conform to the highest standards.

Adhering to Retailers’ Requirements A good example is the Zhangzhou Gang Chang Can Food Company in China, which recently installed a GlassCheK x-ray inspection system from METTLER TOLEDO Safeline to inspect bottled mushrooms at its plant in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province. According to a spokesperson from the company, “Most of our products are for export and foreign buyers have a requirement that x-ray inspection is installed on all production lines. By complying with these requirements we now believe our products are as safe as they can be.” Most of Zhangzhou Gang Chang’s customers are located in Europe,Canada, Japan and the Middle East, where the products are sold through major supermarket chains.

Ensuring Optimum Glass-in-glass Detection The company says that when Chinese manufacturers are installing new equipment, they now consider quality, new technology and service as the most important factors in the purchasing decision. It therefore replaced its existing x-ray inspection systems with a GlassCheK x-ray system to ensure optimum glass-in-glass detection and so avoid product recalls. The equipment has now been in use for over four months with no reported problems. The biggest challenge when fitting the system, according to the company, was the installation of customised conveyors to allow the GlassCheK unit to be positioned after the packing lines and before the labelling machines.The x-ray system links four labelling machines together, each with a speed of 150 jars/minute, meaning the GlassCheK has to handle up to 600 jars/minute. The mushroom jar production line is currently running at speeds of 300 jars/ minute, with plans to increase it to 600 jars/minute in the near future.

Eliminating a Range of Contaminants By eliminating not only glass but also other contaminants such as stone, metal and plastic, regardless of its size or location within the jar, the GlassCheK x-ray system delivers complete product integrity. The unit can simultaneously ensure that the closure is in place and check the fill level of each jar, with feedback to the filler machine to save costs and reduce waste. New adaptive technology also ensures that the variations in thickness and shape inherent in glass jars do not prove to be a problem.

GlassCheK X-ray Inspection System The system has an encoder-driven variable speed detection capability which easily handles changes in line speed without interrupting inspection. Designed to straddle existing conveyors, the system is easy to integrate without the need for line alterations, thus minimising costs. In addition, energy usage is low, with no external water cooling required, also reducing operating costs. With arguably the best control of x-ray generation in the industry, achieved through automatic adjustment to the optimum x-ray settings via online barcode readers, the GlassCheK can inspect multiple products at the same time, reducing product changeover time without compromising sensitivity. Zhangzhou Gang Chang is very satisfied with the performance of the GlassCheK x-ray system from METTLER TOLEDO Safeline and the quick, efficient service offered by the company. The company’s spokesperson added, “Product quality is now ensured and product throughput is increased. Installing the system has helped to improve our brand reputation, and we are now considering a second GlassCheK x-ray system for another production line which will handle glass jars with meat, fruit and vegetables.”

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METTLER TOLEDO specializes in the area of precision instruments for professional use. METTLER TOLEDO laboratory instruments are used in research, scientific, drug discovery, and quality control labs, amongst many others in the pharmaceutical, chemical, food and cosmetics industries. METTLER TOLEDO comprehensive industrial solutions cover the various steps in a host of manufacturing processes at many of the same customers that laboratory serves. Solutions range from receiving raw materials through various manufacturing processes, in-line process control and end-of-line packaging control, to logistics and shipping. Increasingly, these solutions are fully integrated into the customer's IT environment, helping automate their workflows. In food retail, our offering for fresh food management ranges from receiving and pre-packaging, to in-store solutions for self-service departments, deli counters, and checkout terminals.