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Bangkok, Thailand, June 17, 2015 – Designed for manufacturers to alleviate the increasing complexity of food safety, Eagle Product Inspection (Eagle) showcased five of its product inspection innovations at ProPak Asia 2015, Bangkok, Thailand (June 17-20, 2015). With food producers facing tighter controls on safety and quality, world-class product inspection systems are now more topical than ever as they help ensure food products contain no physical contaminants, a requirement for export. The company showed visitors on Stand 5C41, the cutting edge detection capabilities of the Eagle machines that ensure manufacturers are compliant with global food safety regulations and principles.
“Urbanization has spread across many parts of the ASEAN region and we are experiencing lots of the same food and packaging trends here as we do in the West,” said Somchai Chakornsiri, Head Eagle Product Inspection Asia-Pacific. “With the drive towards snack foods, fast food, frozen foods, pre-prepared food and single serve portions, we see a huge emphasis being placed on food safety at the manufacturer level as greater numbers of consumers put their faith in processed products. Industry regulations and growing popularity of global food safety certifications in the ASEAN region reflect an increased awareness amongst domestic consumers and retailers for high quality, safe products. In addition, compliance to export is only possible with a credible product inspection program delivered by advanced quality assurance technology, such as x-ray or metal detection. Utilizing these technologies, manufacturers can detect and remove physical contaminants such as metal, glass, calcified bones, stones and plastics.”
Visitors were treated to a demonstration of the Eagle™ Tall PRO XSDV, a dual view x-ray inspection system for packaged products complete with a special reject function. The technology offers superior sensitivity, capable of detecting contaminants up to 50 per cent smaller than traditional machines. With a single x-ray generator, the Tall PRO XSDV produces two beams, enabling the inspection of different sides of each pack as it passes through the search head, maximizing detection rates. The Tall PRO XSDV features a slim-line profile with a small footprint that is ideal for food production facilities with limited factory floor space. It is suitable for the inspection of tall rigid containers, including milk, drinking yoghurts, bottles, jars, food cans or food pouches. The system also checks fill levels, facilitating portion control for enhanced production line efficiency.
Somchai added: “We know that manufacturers are looking for more than physical inspection equipment, with greater importance being placed on multiple quality checks and elimination of faulty products leaving their plants. With our advanced x-ray inspection systems, such as the Tall PRO XSDV, the technology performs many product integrity checks including fill level inspection, component count, seal inspection and mass measurement. These combined allow manufacturers to make the most out of the space on their production lines while enhancing product inspection capabilities to help them uphold consumer safety and confidence.”
The Eagle™ Pack 430 PRO was also on display at ProPak Asia, which offers manufacturers an x-ray inspection solution specific for mid-sized packages and products. With many standard features to simplify material handling, the technology allows for fast and comprehensive product inspection and uncomplicated maintenance. The Pack 430 PRO is enhanced with newly optimized Material Discrimination X-ray (MDX), a dual energy technology which uses the chemical composition (atomic number) of a material to discriminate between physical contaminants and the original product. This means that contaminants that have been almost impossible to detect, such as shards of glass, low-density plastics, rubber, stones and calcified bones, within multi-textured products like bags of salad, mixed fruit and nut snacks with varied densities, can now be identified and removed. This added level of detection can help avoid costly product recalls and help ensure the safety of consumers. MDX can also be integrated to enhance contaminant detection on other Eagle x-ray inspection systems.
As Asia becomes the largest market for flexible packaging1 , there was much interest at ProPak Asia for inspection solutions that cater for mid-sized packaging products. The Pack 430 PRO is suitable for standard poly-wrapped products, as well as low-density foil or metalized film used in plastic containers, cartons, boxes and pouches. The system includes the Eagle SimulTask™ software, which allows on-screen self-diagnostics, full multi-lane and multi-view capability and dynamic belt speed adjustments. Somchai added: “All these features mean the manufacturers can comply with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles and global safety regulations, allowing them to tap into the regional and global export markets. As busy consumers across Asia opt for mid-sized products such as healthy instant noodles, that are more convenient than traditional bulk buying of dry ingredients, machines like the Pack 430 PRO take center stage because they give manufacturers the ability to respond to the market as it shifts.”
In addition to x-ray inspection machines, the Eagle™ H-Series Metal Detector was on display at the event. The machine provides excellent detection of all metal contaminants including ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless steel. It can be used to inspect dry and wet products, also in unpackaged formats, offering manufacturers greater flexibility. This allows for regulatory compliance in markets like Thailand that regulate metal contaminants2 . Eagle representatives also demonstrated how users of x-ray inspection machines could benefit from the company’s proprietary SimulTask™ software. The advanced image analysis software is the backbone to all of its x-ray technologies and allows manufacturers to “set and forget” on the production line. As such, it boosts x-ray system capabilities and gives easy access to reports and statistics for trading compliance, plus, in the event of a product recall, helps to prove due diligence. It includes a fully customized interface and has on-screen self-diagnostics for ease of use on the production line.
All Eagle product inspection technologies – metal detection and x-ray – are capable of being network enabled allowing Eagle’s technicians to pre-schedule remote diagnostics, reducing maintenance downtime.