Global packaging solutions provider, tna, and the industrial metal detection experts, Mettler Toledo Safeline, have won the prestigious Partnership of the Year award at the recent PPMA Group Industry Awards 2013 held in the UK.
Awarded for their revolutionary hyper-detect® metal detector integrated into the tna robag VFFS bagger, this new equipment pushes the boundaries of productivity and increases safety, while also allowing for improved throughput and sensitivity when detecting metal pieces.
The hyper-detect® from tna and Safeline is the world’s first non-symmetrical balanced coil metal detector with a conical aperture into the detector. While conventional ‘throat’ metal detectors have long been used in the industry to inspect the product before it enters the bag to allow the use of metallised film, packaging speeds have been limited until now. The revolutionary integrated design of the hyper-detect allows the metal detector to be positioned much closer to the multi-head weigher, dramatically increasing the speed at which the bagger can produce finished bags.
With a high frequency function, the hyper-detect provides stable operation for optimum sensitivity and consistent performance when inspecting products. Able to detect ferrous contaminants from 0.8mm to 0.9mm, non-ferrous pieces up to 1.0mm and even non-magnetic stainless steel from 1.0mm to 1.2mm, the hyper-detect is extremely sensitive, greatly reducing the risk of contaminants entering the value chain, safeguarding consumer safety and the company’s reputation.
The hyper-detect metal detector and bagger integration takes place on two levels. Mechanically, the detector and chute work together to provide a fully optimised path for the product to travel down, offering greater control and repeatability for faster product transfer and reduction in rejects. At the same time, operator control is integrated into the tna robag® product and operational screens allow for a single set-up of the whole system, leaving no room for error, and offering real productivity and cost improvements.
“We are thrilled to have won this award for our partnership with Mettler Toledo Safeline. Together, we had identified a clear industry need for the sensitivity of a high class metal detector together with the speed and performance associated with tna’s flagship robag® VFFS range. The end result is the hyper-detect®. With large sales in the first six months following its launch, the judges concluded that, ‘the partnership worked together to fill a gap in the market.’ It’s great to see that the hyper-detect has been so well received by both our customers and the industry,” says Tim Moulsdale, general manager – Europe, tna.
