Plan Automation Technology Blog

Introducing Bulk X-Ray Inspection with Eagle’s 415 PRO

Posted by PLAN Automation Blog on Wed, Sep 2, 2015 @ 16:09 PM

Eagle X-Ray Technology One of the historical weaknesses of x-ray inspection technologies was that such systems typically have a hard time dealing with bulk products that have inconsistent shapes, such as tree nuts, packaged grains, granola, sugar, cereals, and coffee.

The problem for many x-ray inspections machines is that these products are inspected in a loose flow with unpredictable distributions of density rather than being in discrete, uniformly-shaped packs. Traditional x-ray machines work by picking up discrepancies in the density of a regularly-shaped product. The random densities of loose-flow products frustrate these detection devices.

Another issue is that a typical x-ray device, when it does detect a contaminant in a loose-flow product line, uses a single-flap rejecter that throws out far too much good product with the bad.

For these reasons, x-ray machines have long been considered impractical for product inspection in loose-flow products. However, things have changed in recent years.

The Solution to X-Ray Inspection in Loose-Flow Products

Bulk x-ray inspection Where x-ray inspection technology once struggled to deal with loose-flow products before packaging, newer technologies have found ways to deal with this.

For example, Eagle PI recently launched a new x-ray product inspection device built specifically for use with bulk loose-flow product lines: The Bulk 415 PRO. What makes this device so much more useful for loose-flow products than traditional x-ray inspection technologies?

The first, and most important, distinction is that the Bulk 415 PRO uses material discrimination (MDX) technology to scan products for contaminants. This system uses two x-ray emitters and detectors to discriminate materials by their chemical composition rather than relying on a simple density-based greyscale image.

By checking the chemical composition of materials rather than simple density differences, MDX technology eliminates the traditional x-ray limitation of needing a near-perfectly consistent product shape and density to pick up contaminants. This allows the x-ray system to detect stray contaminants such as glass, metal, plastics, stones, and minerals even in loose-flow product lines.

Other innovations in the Bulk 415 PRO’s design that improve the quality of the quality assurance process include:

  • Four Lane Flap Rejection Mechanism- Rather than eliminating an entire belt-width’s worth of product when a rejection occurs, the Bulk 415 PRO uses a four-lane flap rejection mechanism where each flap covers one-quarter of the belt. This helps to make sure that the amount of good product that gets thrown out with the bad is kept to a minimum (up to 75% less rejection VS a traditional single flap reject mechanism).
  • Cupped Conveyor- Another issue with traditional x-ray inspection equipment is that a flat conveyor design allows the product in a loose-flow configuration to settle in a semi-random pattern. The Bulk 415 PRO’s conveyor uses a cupped shape to keep the product depth more uniform across the belt. This also keeps product from falling over the side of the belt, a common problem with flat conveyors.
  • SimulTask Imaging Software- This advanced software comes standard on the Bulk 415 PRO, providing powerful image analysis routines, on-screen diagnostics, and safety system status visualization that facilitates data and machine condition monitoring for x-ray system operators. This makes it easier to identify adverse performance trends in the machine and rectify them before they become an issue for QA operations.
  • Simplified Maintenance Features- Many components of Eagle PI’s Bulk 415 PRO system are designed to simplify maintenance and reduce machine downtime. For example, the conveyor belt is built to be removable and able to be dismantled without the need for tools so that it can be cleaned or have key components replaced quickly.

Each of these features makes the Bulk 415 PRO more efficient by reducing product waste, minimizing downtime, and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of your quality control personnel.

Learn more about our Eagle Bulk 450 Pro by checking out the brochure here!

X-ray, More Than Just Foreign Body Detection - Plan Automation

Topics: X-Ray Inspection