Baking & Snack - July 2019 - 100

INLINE QUALITY CONTROL

foreign matter detection and keep the visual appeal, according to Mr. Menezes.
Mettler Toledo's vision systems face other challenges
such as consistent product handling and inconsistent
code verification print quality, sometimes due to a low
contrast between the code and background design.
Clear packages and monotone colors can be difficult
with vision systems, noted Steve Holtschult, vice-president of technology, Colborne Foodbotics. The products should also be identical for the best results. "The
ever-changing shape of products causes unstable image
recognition," he said. "Products that are rigid and have
clean lines of sight are easier to capture."
Not only does poor image quality cause vision systems
to miss tainted product, but it also can swing the inspection pendulum the other way. "Flexible packaging poses
the largest challenges, as the variability can cause false
rejects due to unclear camera presentation and reflection from the vision system's light source," Mr. Kroner
said. "Vision systems perform best when the packaging
is rigid or smooth and consistent."
And companies can't forget that a clean machine produces clear imagery. "Maintenance and cleaning of vision
systems are as straightforward as they are fundamental,"
said Andrea Bertuolo, CEO and sales manager, EyePro
System. "The procedures do not take long, and the parts
to check and change periodically are not many but should
be respected to allow for the best system performance."

Advances provide accuracy
Despite imagery concerns, improvements in X-ray and
vision system technology have created better clarity.
Systems are developing to meet customers' needs. New
algorithms, for example, can compensate for distorted
images, Mr. Holtschult said. Other advancements such
as 3-D or time-of-flight technologies have made it easier
to inspect products.
"At times, a customer is interested in pre-package inspection, and at other times a customer is focused on
following final packaging, all while working to eliminate any contaminants at each critical control point,"
Mr. Barr said. "We look at the various product characteristics to ensure that we can inspect, transfer - onto
and off of the X-ray system - and remove contaminated
products, all of which require some customization to ensure seamless installation, integration and operation by
our customers."
The ability to make equipment modifications, especially when it comes to software, is one of the biggest
advances in X-ray and vision systems. According to
Mr. Crompton, you have to set parameters for an X-ray
machine or a vision system of product size and type as
well as the specific defects to be detected.

100 Baking & Snack July 2019 / www.bakingandsnack.com

FSMA advances X-ray, vision systems
Prior to the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA)'s Food Safety
Modernization Act (FSMA), equipment
such as X-rays and vision systems were
doing their job to maintain product quality. But after the rule went into effect,
it became apparent that these systems
needed a stronger job description.
"For X-ray systems, FSMA has had a
greater effect on the collection of inspection data and system availability along
with optimized inspection. Mettler Toledo
Product Inspection X-ray systems, for
example, capture and store both crucial
production and quality control data, as
well as visual images of the inspected
product," said Lanel Menezes, business
manager of product inspection, Mettler
Toledo. "In the event of an FDA visit, and
provided the available audit tools are
used, this data can be instantly called
upon for review."
Higher levels of detection, accuracy,
reliability and event traceability all improve products' safety that, in turn, can
help a company comply with FSMA. Ishida
offers software for event traceability to
gather data and record product images
for baking and snack companies, said
Todd Grube, product manager of inspection systems, Heat and Control. The IX-G2
model has dual sensors to improve the
detection of low-density contaminants. The
IX-EN - which will be showcased at the
International Baking Industry Exposition
(IBIE) held Sept. 7-11 in Las Vegas - and
IX-GN series have multiple levels of the
company's Genetic Algorithm software,
which allows for a tailored setup and effective detection of specific contaminants.
As for vision systems, Andrea Bertuolo,
CEO and sales manager of EyePro System,
said the company looks for not only quality but also the presence of contaminants
on the top and bottom surface. "The size
of contaminants that can be detected is
becoming smaller and smaller, thanks to
the introduction of higher definition cameras," he said. "The new EyePro technology, called Multi-Eye, will be at IBIE and
uses hyperspectral imaging to detect and
classify contaminants." This classification
is key in determining where the problem
occurred and getting the problem fixed to
maintain a safe food record.

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Baking & Snack - July 2019

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