Quality control at the Belgian milk processor Olympia N. V. from Herfelingen has been raised to a new level with two X-ray inspection systems from Ishida. The machines are used in the packaging of rice pudding, puddings and cream desserts.
The two Ishida IX-GA-4075 X-ray inspection systems were purchased after a thorough selection process. „The decisive factor in the end was the Complete package“, reports Wim De Spiegeleer, Operations Manager at Olympia. „The comparatively high sensitivity, the clear and focussed test images and the robust design of the devices convinced us.“ Even Very small impurities made of metal, glass, ceramic and other materials are reliably detected with Ishida's X-ray inspection technology. Systems from other suppliers that have also been tested have often resulted in false rejects, caused for example by protruding pull tabs on the film closures of the packaging.
[infotext icon]The family business Olympia N. V. was founded in 1946 and is now part of the Pajot Dairy Group. As the market leader in the Benelux region, it specialises in particularly High-quality dairy products. It sells its products throughout Europe and overseas under its own brand as well as under private labels. Olympia also produces for industrial customers such as Danone, Lactalis and Campina[/infotext].No false ejections
The Ishida machines work with the patented technology of the genetic algorithmContinuous image data analysis is used to train the X-ray inspection systems for specific problems. Because certain contaminations occur repeatedly in food processing, the systems are trained with each inspection process. further sensitised. Deviations from the standard can even be high processing speed and localise them precisely. Foreign bodies as small as 0.5 mm in diameter are detected and the technology works regardless of the temperature, salt and water content of the products. It is also possible to inspect only defined product areas. Elements that are part of the packaging, such as sealing areas, are ignored.
Olympia uses one of the new X-ray inspection systems for the Inspection of cup packaging with a filling weight of 100 or 200 g and achieves a speed of 10,000 cups per hour. The second system checks the larger cups with filling weights of up to 800 g and achieves an output of 4,000 packs per hour. „Filling various desserts into cups requires complex systems with many moving components,“ explains Operations Manager Wim de Spiegeleer. „During the production process, there is always a risk of small machine parts coming loose and getting into the product. We have to eliminate this risk.“
Proof of perfect quality
A foreign object check with metal detectors was out of the question at the Olympics because the Dessert cups with aluminium foil are locked. In the past, the company ensured security solely through the daily, meticulous inspection of all machines involved. Today, this process is used in addition to X-ray inspection technology. „X-ray inspection technology has now become affordable. We inspect every single package and obtain a customised image of it. This allows us to precisely visualise contamination.“ The permanently retrievable photos are also an important part of the Traceability. The new X-ray inspection systems at Olympia work absolutely trouble-free and impress with their fast set-ups. They are easy to operate using the touchscreen. Cleaning is facilitated by a hygiene-friendly design with an open frame construction in accordance with protection class IP65.
