Lauren R. Hartman

January 29, 2014

5 Min Read
X-ray inspection gives pork processor insight

When a top producer of chicken, beef and pork searched for technology to help consistently achieve high product quality, it turned to a pair of T-Series x-ray inspection systems from Safeline (www.metaldetection.com). Installed on two package lines in September 2003, the systems are a new generation of intelligent x-ray inspection units that identify count, mass, fill and damaged product and packaging. Yet the meat processor is mainly interested in the T-Series' ability to detect contaminant's such as small pieces of stainless steel and bone chips.


Vacuum-packed pork, top right, exported to Japan, must meet high expectations and be completely free of contaminants. Pork loins and pork butts are vacuum-packed and shrink-sealed on a shrink tunnel, top left, before entering one of two new x-ray inspection systems, above, that check for minute pieces of bone and hard-to-detect stainless steel using soft x-ray technology at reduced power levels.

From its plant in Perry, IA, this top meat producer (TMP) exports fresh pork to locations

like Japan, a market with extremely high quality demands. According to the plant manager, the plant chose the x-ray inspection systems from Safeline because they're dependable in detecting contaminant's. "They help us meet our customers' high expectations," the plant manager says. "Our main concern is detecting injection needles often used during hog production. It's rare, but these needles can accidentally break off."

One packing line accommodates boneless pork loins weighing 10 to 14 lb, up to 3 in. thick and measuring up to 24 in. long. Another line packs boneless pork butts weighing 3 to 5 lb and measuring about 8 in. long and up to 4 in. thick.

The manager says stainless-steel needles are quite difficult for many inspection systems to identify because they're hollow and lightweight so they're low in density. Safeline's T-Series addresses this challenge with "soft x-ray" technology, which operates at a reduced power level yet achieves clear contrast. The system also detects and processes minute changes that signal deviation or contamination from accepted standards and provides a real-time analysis and reject confirmation. A computer analysis signal ensures that any out-of-spec product is instantly rejected, and the action is recorded.

Replacements were needed

The company's previous inspection equipment was getting old, required more maintenance and was no longer being technically supported. In an effort to improve the operation, TMP began looking for replacements.

TMP chose to install the conveyorized T-Series downstream of Cryovac (www.sealedair.com) rotary vacuum chamber machines on each of the two packing lines.

The x-ray systems generate photons from an electrical current that fan out at the end of an x-ray tube and pass through the product as the meat conveys on a belt through the machine. Diodes detect the amount of photons passing through the product and produce a gray scale of the product, based on its cross-sectional density. Using its image-processing software, the system then creates a three-dimensional image and analyzes the image for a variety of factors.

Vacuum-packed pork, top right, exported to Japan, must meet high expectations and be completely free of contaminants. Pork loins and pork butts are vacuum-packed and shrink-sealed on a shrink tunnel, top left, before entering one of two new x-ray inspection systems, above, that check for minute pieces of bone and hard-to-detect stainless steel using soft x-ray technology at reduced power levels.

The manager says that products that don't meet the company's specifications and standards are automatically removed from the production line by a rejection device.

A 120-kv power supply is suitable to penetrate whole muscle meats, though TMP says it operates the systems at 65 kv. The T-Series is also capable of inspecting products at speeds up to 250 ft/min, well within TMP's requirements (the company runs the two pork-packing lines at about 70 ft/min, or 35 products/min).

Easily managed conveyor

But a 400-cm (13.1-ft)-wide pull-out-style conveyor designed to meet NEMA 4X and IP66 washdown specifications especially impressed TMP because it's so easy to clean and maintain. "The entire conveyor assembly slides right out, which improves access to the machine," says a senior computer technician. "Safeline was the only manufacturer that offered a pull-out conveyor. Without it, it would be difficult to clean the inside."

The Perry plant typically operates one eight-hour shift, five days a week, processing and packaging as much as 1.3 million lb of pork products per day and as much as 180,000 lb of both pork loins and pork butts on the two packaging lines combined. At the end of each day, a sanitation crew arrives to wash down the equipment. The conveyor can be quickly slid out of the x-ray system, which can be covered and protected from the blasts of high-pressure hot water the area takes during cleaning.

While most T-Series systems can be equipped with a touchscreen operator control panel, Safeline equipped those for TMP to meet NEMA 4X specifications with a special sealed keyboard operator interface. The high-resolution screen uses video images to display machine operation details, setup and operational commands and to provide real-time diagnostics in color. Setup is automatic via Auto-Learn technology that makes frequent calibrations unnecessary. As the pork products pass through the system, the T-Series automatically analyzes its variations to continuously achieve optimum sensitivity.

More information is available:
X-ray inspection systems:Safeline, 813/889-9500. www.safeline.com. Circle No. 208.
Vacuum chamber machines:Cryovac Div., Sealed Air Corp., 800/845-3456. www.sealedair.com.
Circle No. 209.

 

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