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Installing an inspection system into your production line

In the modern age, food producers and manufacturers have to handle increasing responsibility and regulations when it comes to inspection. It is now expected of manufacturers to have include screening and checking of their product as part of their consistent operations, in line with HACCP and Food Standards guidelines.

In order to meet these requirements, businesses need to have an inspection system in their production line. By having the right inspection system in place, you can promote efficient checking of your product, embedded in your daily processes, so that you can make sure you are meeting standards and reaping the rewards.

However, installing an inspection system means knowing how different systems work, understanding your business’s challenges and needs and making an effort to fully implement it into your production line with the appropriate training.

In this guide, we will be discussing everything you need to know about installing an inspection system into your production line.

The benefits of inspection

There are several benefits to introducing inspection into your production line. As previously stated, many widely-recognised standards agencies and certifications require you to inspect your product – which in turn can help you to be seen as a trustworthy and reputable business. Effective inspection can also reduce other regulatory issues for your business, such as inaccurate labelling and allergy advice of your products if contaminants make their way into your product.

However, beyond regulation, inspection can be fundamental in ensuring safety and satisfaction for your products. Contaminants can cause harm to consumers, whether it is hard substances like metal or glass that could cause injury or allergens. These contaminants, therefore, can expose your business to fines, lawsuits, negative publicity and customer complaints. By inspecting your product, you can eliminate the risk of such contaminants appearing and reduce exposure to the associated issues.

Screening your food products during production can also help you to reduce costs. Contamination of your products can lead to increased product recalls and wastage, as well as delays and reduced productivity if you need to spend time fixing or restarting lines after errors. All of this adds up to additional fees, which no business would welcome. With the right inspection practices, you can keep costs down and even see a growing return on investment for your inspection system.

The different kinds of inspection systems

When it comes to installing an inspection system into your business, there are many options from which to choose. The right choice depends on the needs of your operations, as well as what kind of product you are dealing with daily. Information on the main types of inspection system can be seen below.

Checkweighers

While these are used mostly for checking the weight of a product within specific limits rather than identify contaminants, careful and consistent weighing of your product can help you to determine when there are unusual masses in your product. Digital checkweighers use electric signals, distributed by the load cells of your weighing system, to give you the weight of your product during the manufacturing process. If you are dealing with a regularly-made product, you are likely to have set masses to adhere to – and, if you find particular batches are above the usual weight, it could be a clue that there are contaminants within the batch.

Of course, checkweighers can only be useful in this sense when dealing with contaminants of substantial weight. This means that your weighing system will likely need to be used in conjunction with another inspection system to ensure a robust process.

Metal detection systems

As the name suggests, metal detection systems are used to detect metal contaminants and can be used across a variety of different applications. It does so by using coils connected to a radio frequency transmitter, which recognises interference in the electromagnetic field when a metal particle passes through. It then records this as metal contamination and separates the affected produce away from the rest of the production line.

There are some disadvantages to metal detection: it can have issues in detecting certain metals, such as stainless steel, and it can be incompatible with metal packaging if your product uses it. Beyond this, this type of inspection system cannot identify contaminants that aren’t metal – such as stone, glass and bone. If these are potential contaminants for your business, this means that metal detection will not give you a holistic approach to your production line.

X-ray inspection systems

X-ray inspection systems can identify a range of different contaminants and, similarly to metal detection, can be used across a variety of applications. X-ray systems work by utilising high energy, which transmits x-rays via special glass tubes. A sensor then converts these rays to a computer, which provides a radiograph image of the product. This image is coloured by the density of the products, with higher density substances appearing darker. Users can then see any contaminants that should not be contained in the products, including whereabouts they are located.

As density plays a large part in x-ray, this does mean that lower density contaminants may be more challenging to pick up. For example, if your production line works with fish or meat, you may find that, while dense bones may be recognised, lightweight bones may not. Similarly, other lightweight contaminants like paper, dirt and pests will not be detectable by x-ray. There are some ways to improve x-ray, such as using high and low energy rays to provide a better product outline. This does make it easier for users to see any contaminants – but it is not a fits-all solution for your factory’s inspection practices.

These are just some of the possible solutions for inspection in the food industry, alongside more manual practices like cleaning and sorting of produce.

How to find out which system works for you

When it comes to finding the right system for you, it is important to consider your production lines and the requirements you have. This may help you to narrow down the right solution for you – however, it is also crucial to remember that there is rarely a ‘one size fits all’ system. This means, depending on the needs of your line, you may have to look at a combination of systems or spending time researching alternative solutions to suit your contamination challenges.

The key to finding out which system is right for you is knowing which contaminates your product is susceptible to and any other challenges that you may face in your inspection. Start by making a note of what applications will be running along your production line. Most inspection systems – including checkweighers, metal detectors and x-rays – are compatible with a wide range of different product types. However, you should still take time to check that whichever system you choose can accommodate the applications that you will be using it for.

Part of knowing what applications you will be inspecting includes knowing what contaminants may appear in those applications. Specific contaminants can be associated with certain products – such as bones and meat. Consider the journey your produce takes both before reaching your production line and during and ask what contaminants may appear as a result. This could include the packaging that it travels in (particularly if it is glass that could break during transit); the source it comes from (is it grown outside, where it could be affected by pests, dirt or other outside contaminants?); and what happens to it during your production (could broken machinery cause metal parts to end up in the final product?). By knowing what contaminants your product may have exposure to, you can decipher what exactly you need to be looking out for in your inspection practices and the systems that can help you achieve success.

Beyond your applications and their common contaminants, there are other things to consider to find the right inspection system for you. One such thing is the packaging your product uses. We have already discussed metal packaging at being one of the setbacks of metal detection systems, as these machines are unable to work with this type of packaging. This means that, if metal is one of your common contaminants, but your packaging is also metal, you may need to consider x-ray or other solutions. Each inspection system has its unique disadvantages as well as its benefits, so it is essential to weigh up the setbacks and advantages of each to find the right combination to cover your business needs.

Finally, there may be cases where there is more than one type of application on your production line. Inspection systems, while being very beneficial to your business, come at a high cost. Due to this, it is worthwhile making sure your chosen systems cover all of your products and any future applications you may begin to work on further down the line. At Yamato, we can install our inspection systems with multi-spectrum MS21 units which can aid the frequencies and speed of machines, allowing them to be used across a variety of both wet and dry products. By enabling this variation in your inspection machines, you can ensure accurate inspection across all of your products as well as future-proofing your inspection processes.

With a comprehensive understanding of your applications, potential contaminants and the other obstacles that may occur as part of your regular inspection checks, you should be able to identify the right solutions for your business and find a system that allows you to screen your products effectively.

How to effectively use an inspection system in your business

Once you have decided on the inspection system to install in your production line, there are steps you need to take to make sure if it is used correctly within your factory.

Firstly, you should establish what the processes for your inspection will be, including when inspection will take place during production. This can help you to decide what to install your system in your production line and will also give your staff guidance as to what the order of operations is for your products. It is also worth alerting your staff to what best practice will be for your inspection moving forward, so they can adapt their work accordingly. An example of this is appointing a staff member to run start-up checks when operating the machine, so you can make sure everything is in order ahead of a day of production.

Next, you should arrange appropriate training for any employees who will be working directly with your inspection systems. The training needed will depend on the system you install. As an example, x-ray systems will require you to appoint a designated Radiation Protection Supervisor to comply with ionising radiations regulations. You will also need to engage an external independent Radiation Protection Advisor (RPA) to support your supervisor. Whichever inspection system you do choose, it is vital to set aside time for this training to make sure your employees know how to use it safely and effectively, helping your inspection processes to take place smoothly.

You will also want to routinely check your inspection systems to make sure they are working efficiently. Regular maintenance of these systems – and your production line as a whole – can go some way to reducing the contamination risk in your business, as well as promoting longevity of your systems and leading to a better return on investment.

Summary

Installing an inspection system in your production line is an investment many food producers need to make to meet the regulations required for their business. However, finding the right system for you means having to consider many things: including the pros and cons of different systems, the applications you will be using it for and the kind of contamination you need to look out for.

When you do find the right system for you, you can benefit from all the rewards of effective inspection – such as increased productivity, reduced costs and a better reputation.

If you need advice on what inspection solutions are available and which may be right for you, our team of experts can help. Get in touch today to find out more.

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