Multiscan metal detection to improve contaminant detection

Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched what it claims is a new, first-of-its-kind metal detection platform that finds previously undetectable metal contaminants.

The Thermo Scientific Sentinel multiscan metal detector can scan up to five frequencies to help food and consumer goods manufacturers find ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless steel metal contaminants in products to improve safety for their customers, according to the company.

The multiscan metal detector also enables users to identify contaminants that are up to 70% smaller in volume than previous technologies, including the Thermo Scientific Apex 500 metal detector.

Bob Ries, lead product manager for product inspection at Thermo Fisher Scientific, says, “The Sentinel metal detector’s multiscan functionality raises the bar for detection capability, flexibility and performance.

“Scanning many frequencies with one detector means that the probability of detection exponentially increases, reducing the risk of costly contamination events that require rework, scrap and recalls. With the Sentinel metal detector, it is like having five separate metal detectors combined, each looking for contaminants at a different frequency.”

The Sentinel metal detector is designed for a wide range of applications, offering improved performance for products such as bread, dairy, meat, poultry, fruit, vegetables, the company says. Inspecting these products for foreign objects is particularly challenging because of the product effect, where the signal from a particular type of metal can be hidden inside the electromagnetic response of the product.

With prior technology, switching the operating frequency could make the hidden metal detectable, but could then make a different type of metal undetectable. Thermo Fisher designed the Sentinel to alleviate this problem by scanning multiple frequencies, increasing the probability of finding all random sizes, shapes and types of embedded metal foreign objects.

The Sentinel metal detector, which has the same footprint and aperture location as the Apex 500 metal detector, will make its global debut at Pack Expo in Las Vegas, US, from 25-27 September.

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