Overcoming product effect and improving detection accuracy
 

Despite the breadth of technology available for foreign object detection, certain types of foods display a strong product effect, making them difficult to inspect via conventional methods. Inductive metal detectors have a serious disadvantage when it comes to difficult products such as these: by increasing the detection sensitivity to adjust for product effect, the rate of false rejects increases. This leads to loss of good product. 

X-ray-based product inspection systems are a possible alternative, but come with the disadvantage of being more expensive than metal detectors. 

New technologies that combine high accuracy and affordability provide a promising solution to theses challenges. 

“THiNK,” the latest innovation from the Sesotec headquarters, is a metal detection system equipped with artificial intelligence. This technology makes it possible to virtually eliminate the interference caused by product effect. 

How does metal detection with THiNK work?
 

Like conventional metal detectors, THiNK uses multi-simultaneous technology to apply several frequencies to the product being inspected. Using AI technology, THiNK isolates the signals from product effect, creating additional detection thresholds. All signals that lie outside of these thresholds are identified as metallic contaminants. The detection sensitivity increases, but false rejects are reduced by means of more “intelligent” threshold calculation.

How THiNK metal detection benefits customers

Products with high or fluctuating levels of product effect (due, for example, to metallized packaging or storage in brine or water) can be more reliably inspected. False rejects, and the food waste they cause, are reduced. Food safety regulations and standards (e.g. IFS, BRCGS, M&S, etc.) can be reliably upheld. Compared with an x-ray inspection machine, a metal detector with THiNK is the more cost-effective option.

THiNK about it…
 

AI algorithms increase the reliability and precision with which contaminants are detected in the food manufacturing process. AI-enabled metal detectors can even efficiently inspect products packaged in metallized films. Food waste is reduced, food safety standards are upheld, resources are saved, and profit climbs as productivity rises.