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MIXING, WEIGHING & CONVEYING


DOUBLE THE BENEFITS IN DAIRY INSPECTION


A custom-engineered twin aperture metal detector and dual lane Raptor checkweigher from Fortress Technology is helping to halve waste at a premium dairy company


metal detector and dual lane Raptor checkweigher for a premium dairy company, helping to halve waste. Receiving shredded cheese pouches directly from a dual head bagger, the design achieves space and cost savings for the dairy plant. The twin lane conveyor configuration,


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consolidates a single Fortress metal detector divided into two apertures and two independent weight verification Raptor checkweighers for optimised quality control. Each technology and lane has its own air blast reject mechanism to isolate metal contaminants and weight rejects, helping to reduce and minimise good product being wasted by over 50 percent. Measuring just 10ft in length, Fortress also integrated a radius conveyor into the metal detector infeed. For the producer of many iconic cheese


brands, compromising on metal detection sensitivity was not an option. Jodie Curry, European commercial manager at Fortress Technology, said: “The high-spec Fortress multi-aperture system was engineered specifically to ensure that there was no trade- off in terms of performance and metal detection sensitivity. One of the key benefits of a twin aperture system is the halving of waste caused by rejects.” The special dual-lane version of the metal


16 MAY 2022 | PROCESS & CONTROL


n a space-saving product inspection breakthrough, Fortress Technology has custom-engineered a unique twin aperture


detector comprises a single unit split into two smaller dedicated apertures for each lane that act as independent metal detectors. For optimal metal detection sensitivity the two compact apertures - measuring just 102mm in height by 254mm wide - means that the packs pass individually right through the centre point of the metal detector. “With output per hour being such a critical


productivity benchmark, this game-changing multi-aperture design facilitates high speed and accurate metal detection and marks a step change for lean manufacturers seeking to reduce factory footprint and improve Total Cost of Ownership (TCO),” noted Curry. Fully integrated with the dairy plant’s


upstream and downstream equipment and matching the 120-140 ppm output speed of the dual head VFFS bagging system, the compact geometry of the customised radius conveyor facilitates the positioning and orientation of product packs as they smoothly round the corner towards the metal detector. Providing optimal spacing between product packs as they are presented to each metal detector aperture helps to avoid congestion, bottlenecks and flexible packaging formats overlapping which could lead to sensitive weight verification checks being distorted. As each lane is programmed to run


independently, the bespoke design helps to minimise interruption to the packing process during product switchovers or if one lane stops


working or requires maintenance. Additionally, the design gives the plant extra inspection and weight verification capacity, as two different product lines, pack sizes or SKUs can be run simultaneously adjacent to each other. Air blast nozzles located between the two


outfeed conveyors remove contaminated product into lockable reject bins equipped with reject confirmation and bin full sensors. With heavier products, Fortress would typically suggest using a pusher, drop conveyor or retracting belt mechanism. Delivering dynamic weight monitoring with


minimal customisations to existing product feed and packing lines, the hygienic dual lane design also targets operational inefficiencies, notably upstream product giveaway, non- conforming food packs and packaging waste. In just milliseconds two packs pass over two


Raptor load cells to weigh, analyse, capture and report data simultaneously. To ensure absolute traceability and


compliance with retailer Codes of Practice and QA protocols, both the metal detector and Raptor checkweigher capture easy to read live OEE data. Enabling the dairy group to establish the operational parameters and extract statistics most valuable to their business, for instance volume, weight, inspection speed, rejects or downtime. Equipped with Contact Reporter software,


the dairy plant has the facility to export and convert time-stamped production data. Constructed to the highest food grade


standards, the modular conveyor assembly, conveyor decks and belts are all designed to be easily removed from the machine for rapid deep sanitation and maintenance.


Fortress Technology www.fortresstechnology.com


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