Case Studies


Applied Sorting X-ray Machines at Nestle Peters Ice Cream


Victorian based Applied Sorting Technologies has recently commissioned two, custom-built x-ray inspection systems at Nestle Peters Icecream’s Mulgrave factory for inspecting packed ice cream products.

Working closely with Nestle Peter’s engineers and quality teams Applied Sorting designed the machines so they could be readily integrated into Nestle’s expanding production facilities.

Working with its XR-3000P machine as a base, Applied Sorting was able to adjust the conveyor length and height to suit Nestle’s preferred layout. The standard single deflection system was replaced with a pair of pneumatically operated pushers. This enabled cartons that were suspected of containing foreign matter to be pushed into one collection bin while cartons showing missing or under filled products would be deflected into another bin.

In common with many major manufacturers, Nestle has stringent OH&S compliance requirements for operating plant and also needed to standardize wherever possible on certain brands of machine components, like electric motors, control systems, gear boxes etc. These kinds of issues were able to be agreed between the Nestle and Applied Sorting engineers and built into the specifications of the machines, before they went into production.

Whilst Applied Sorting has been designing and building x-ray machines in Australia for over ten years and has a track record for successful installations, including most of Australia’s major beef exporting abattoirs, there were some aspects of the Nestle job that presented some unique challenges, particularly for their software developers.

One such challenge was to use the machine’s x-ray weighing facility in order to track and reject missing product even though the product weight would fluctuate during the length of a production run, as ice creams are generally sold on volume, not weight. An adaptive system was designed which tracked with slow varying weight changes but responded to sudden larger weight reductions of the order of 3 or 4%, causing the underweight/undercount product to be rejected into the “missing product” bin

So by altering their software Applied Sorting was able to make the Nestle machines continuously track variations in product density and to automatically adjust their rejection parameters for missing ingredient or under-fill detection.


XR-3000J Jar X-ray Inspection Machine On-Line at Simplot, Echuca

Simplot is the first food manufacturer in Australia to install the new Applied Sorting Technologies XR3000J x-ray contaminant detection system for inspecting products in glass jars. The XR3000J has been installed at Simplot’s Echuca plant, the home of the respected Leggo’s range of tomato pastes and cooking sauces. Simplot’s Echuca Plant Manager says the new machine was installed as a part of Simplot’s program to continuously improve its work practices and to ensure the highest possible purity standards for its customers.

The XR3000J was developed by Applied Sorting Technologies at their Bulleen, Victoria factory in association with Simplot Echuca. The Simplot Engineering and Technical departments provided invaluable field assistance in fine-tuning the unit. It is based on the company’s highly successful x-ray contaminant detection systems, which are being used, by most of Australia’s leading export abattoirs to ensure the purity of Australian beef destined for critical overseas markets. Applied Sorting Technologies machines are also being used for inspecting block cheese and a variety of packaged foods.

Being only 1.3 metres long the XR3000J at Echuca was able to be installed immediately after the jar capping machine and directly onto the main jar conveyor line. Its function is to detect and remove from the conveyor line any jars suspected of containing foreign bodies. Contaminants that can be detected by the XR3000J include non-metallic fragments e.g. pieces of glass or stones to below 3mm sizes, pieces of metal too small to be detected by conventional metal detectors and a variety of plastics and special purpose rubbers. Simplot’s extensive internal quality and supplier management programs ensure their products are as pure as possible before they reach the x-ray machine.

The XR3000J provides additional security for superior customer satisfaction and minimum customer complaints. In addition to detecting contaminants inside the jars, the XR3000J also has the ability to detect, at production rates, jars with improperly fitting lids and underfilled jars.

Controlled by an imbedded Pentium 4 processor running Windows 98/2000/NT, the XR3000J operates unattended. Each filled and capped jar is imaged using low intensity x-rays as it passes through the machine. The resulting x-ray images are analyzed by the processor using a range of detection algorithms. Any jar which is suspected of containing a foreign body is deflected onto a reject conveyor where it is held pending further evaluation. An operator can call up the stored x-ray images of the rejected jars at any time and examine them visually. This can be done while the machine is still on line, without disrupting it’s normal operation. Built to comply with all relevant health and safety standards, there is no x-ray leakage from the XR3000J and no need to maintain clear space around it. Likewise, there is no residual x-ray activity in the product after it has passed through the machine.

Different inspection parameters can be set up for the different kinds of products to be inspected, ensuring that the machine is always set up to optimum detection standards. In the case of products in glass jars these might be different shapes and sizes of jars as well as different contents. Each set of parameters is stored in the machine so it is a simple matter to call up the right set of parameters each time there is a change in the product to be inspected.

All Applied Sorting Technologies X-ray machines have a bar code reading capability which allows parameters to be switched automatically in cases where the different kinds of products being inspected can be identified through a bar code. With meat or cheese for example it is possible to deliver mixed up cartons to the machine and have it automatically change parameters for every one, based on the bar code identification on the carton.

As well as enhancing product quality and minimizing the likelihood of customer complaints Applied Sorting Technology’s systems can play a valuable role in quality audits. The X-ray image for every product is recorded as it is inspected, with either a bar code or date time file name.. It is the user’s decision whether to archive every image or only those for products that were tagged as showing contaminants.

The XR3000J can send images and operational data via ethernet to remote computers e.g. in the QA laboratory. It also has the ability to produce detailed reports on the number of products inspected, the number tagged as possibly containing contaminants and the number ultimately rejected after more detailed examination of the stored images. Information relevant to operating times, servicing and maintenance of the machine are also recorded and available in report for as required.

GOOD YEAR FOR X-RAY INSPECTION COMPANY

 Applied Sorting Technologies the Melbourne based manufacturer of x-ray food inspection equipment is reporting brisk sales this year with five machines presently under construction for delivery to food processors across Australia.

 As well as having four standard x-ray machine models to choose from Applied Sorting custom build machines to suit individual customer’s requirements. As physicist Peter Hawkins, one of the founders of Applied Sorting explains it, “One of the benefits of designing and building our equipment here in Australia is that we can be flexible. If a customer prefers a particular brand of motor or control equipment, we can build that in. If they need a particular length or height of machine to fit into their available space we can usually do it. Often customers want some special kind of deflection system and possibly proof of rejection. We can accommodate all of those variations”

The Applied Sorting engineering team’s experience with x-ray inspection date back to the early 1980’s when they were commissioned to develop and build diamond recovery machines using x-ray fluorescence for the Argyle diamond mine. The successes of these machines lead to their being commissioned in 1994 to develop high-speed x-ray detection systems for inspecting 27kg cartons of meat for the export trade.

“Having to design equipment that used sophisticated sensing systems and data processing technology and that could also function reliably in harsh Australian mining environments was great experience for building the meat machines. Most export abattoirs are remote and for equipment to work it has to be tough, easy to use and easy to maintain. Those are the features we try to build into every one of our x-ray inspection systems.”

Applied Sorting x-ray systems can be found in most of the major beef export abattoirs across Australia. The company is working presently with Meat and Livestock Australia and a leading beef exporter to develop a new generation of machines capable of finding even smaller pieces of contaminants like bone fragments etc than existing state of the art machines.

As well as inspecting meat, Applied Sorting has also built machines in Australia for inspecting products in glass jars like simmer sauces and spreads, machines for inspecting export cartons of cheese and a whole range of packaged and loose food products from dairy to confectionery.

Many of Applied Sorting’s customers had their first experiences with x-ray inspection by using the company’s food inspection service to screen products they suspected of containing contaminants or having missing or damaged ingredients. This led to them purchasing their own equipment from Applied Sorting.