Foreign materials have no place in food – and yet undesired contamination makes its way into production processes time and time again. Failing to detect them in good time runs the risk of product recalls, causing unquantifiable damage to a company’s reputation.
Such contamination often comes from fragments of machine parts, such as handling elements, tools, or containers. If these parts are very small, they often go unnoticed – at least by conventional means.
With this in mind, JW Winco has established a new line of standard parts made of plastic that are easy to detect – even in pasty and opaque media. This is where JW Winco relies on visual and metallic detectability. With the appropriate sensors, both options can be used automatically, thus significantly increasing product safety.
The visually detectable (VD) standard parts are made of solid-colored blue plastic. Blue because it is a color that does not often appear in food, making it very easy to recognize, both to the human eye and for camera-based monitoring systems. In addition, contaminants and residues are also easier to identify thanks to the color contrast.
The metal detectable (MD) standard parts are also made of blue plastic but contain additional additives with iron oxide. These can be detected with metal sensors at a particle volume of 0.00763 in3 (0.125 cm3) if visual detectability is not enough.
Metal detectability has long been used in a completely different context with great success. For instance, this feature is used to feed sprue grinders in the injection molding process to prevent unwanted metal parts like injection bushings from getting in.
Our range of detectable standard parts includes knobs, cabinet U-handles, hinges, hand levers, and three-lobe knobs. What they all have in common is their blue color, and their FDA-compliant plastic granulates (FDA CFR.21 and EU 10/2011). This means they can be used in both the food and pharmaceutical industries without reservation.
Back