Sausage sensor designed for metal detection

Mettler-Toledo Safeline says its HDS Pipeline Detector has been designed specifically for detecting various forms of metal contamination in sausages during processing. With contamination possible from swarf and other slivers of metal during the meat grinding process, locating their presence can prove to be difficult task for manufacturers, Mettler-Toledo says. The system is designed to be compatible with a number of processing lines and can find even non-spherical ferrous, non-ferrous and non-magnetic stainless steels that may be in a product, claims the company. Findings from the detector are then able to be stored on a data managment solution through in-built Ethernet technology within the HDS system for traceability and due diligence purposes, according to the manufacturer. Robust solution ​As part of the products design, Mettler-Toledo claims that the system can be integrated easily onto existing production lines even in cold wet, high-pressure wash down environments with the detector sealed to IP69K standard. The manufacturer says that it also constructed the product to be slim and mobile for easier storage alongside a number of major vacuum fillers used within sausage processing. Further to this focus, zero metal free zone (ZFMZ) technology is also used in the product to allow metal pipping and other fixtures to be used in the detector without interfering with the operation themselves, according to the company. The system can also be fitted with twister extensions that it claims are compatible with all major attachments for twisting the products. Creaming ​Aside from safety aspects, the manufacturer claims that the detector can also help to cut down on the uneven distribution of meats within a sausage as it makes its way through a pipe - known as creaming - to maintain product quality during monitoring. The group says the product is available globally through its distribution agents.