IDM ¦ Technology/IT
Fortress dual lane combi
Doubling down on dairy inspection waste
In a space-saving product inspection breakthrough, Fortress
Technology has custom-engineered a unique twin aperture
metal detector and dual lane Raptor checkweigher for one of
the world’s premium dairy companies, helping to halve waste.
Receiving shredded cheese pouches directly from a dual head
bagger, the bold design unlocks substantial space and cost savings
for the busy dairy plant.
Offering a customised solution that no other food inspection
company could come close to in performance attributes, the twin
lane conveyor configuration, consolidates a single Fortress metal
detector uniquely 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 some of the world’s most iconic cheese
brands, compromising on metal detection sensitivity was not an
option. Highlighting the benefits of the multi-aperture metal detector
concept Fortress’ European commercial manager Jodie Curry
expands: “The high-spec Fortress multi-aperture system was
engineered specifically to ensure that 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.”
Multiple advantages
The special dual-lane version of Fortress Technology’s multi-aperture
metal 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.
34 · September/October 2022 ¦ international-dairy.com
“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),” notes Jodie.
Fully integrated with the dairy plants’ 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 unique 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
efficiently and independently 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.
A Rapturous reception
Using compatible collective parts, the inaugural integration of the
new Raptor Checkweigher marks another big milestone for the
inspection specialist. 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.
/international-dairy.com
