Modern X-ray equipment software for better detection, efficiency, and compliance.

For science, legislators, and especially food processing companies, the topics of food safety and quality are a constant challenge. However, since the state cannot fully actively control food safety, it is particularly the food industry that bears a great responsibility.  Keyword principle of self-control. This means: Whoever produces and markets food is responsible for food safety and liable for the consequences of foreign body contamination. Therefore, guideline-compliant production is indispensable. At the same time, efficiency and cost-effectiveness must be considered.  

To meet the demands for maximum food safety and economic efficiency in food production, innovative X-ray inspection makes an important contribution.  This includes the implementation of modern software that supports and optimizes the efficiency of the X-ray equipment hardware.

The following article explains the current state of the art, taking into account the significant advantages.

The quality of food has top priority. It is essential to prevent faulty and contaminated products in order to avoid far-reaching consequences, including costly recalls, extensive claims for damages, or, in the worst case, health damage to the end consumer.

Modern software solutions, which are also used in Sesotec X-ray inspection systems, serve as a supportive counterpart to the proven hardware functions of X-ray devices to remedy this. Depending on the manufacturer and X-ray inspection model, food processing companies benefit from various software features. Some are common standards, while others impress with new performance advantages. What they have in common, however, is that they make an important contribution to optimizing detection accuracy, support compliance with food safety standards, and increase usability and productivity in food production. Below are some examples of software features described:

While disturbances are registered in metal detection that are triggered by the conductivity and magnetic properties of ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, or stainless steel, X-ray technology focuses on density comparison. The method is particularly suitable for foreign bodies with high densities such as stones or metals. However, weaknesses often reveal themselves in the detection of foreign bodies with a lower density.

The risk of not detecting contaminants such as bones, metal wires, and glass shards is correspondingly high. When selecting a suitable X-ray inspection system, it is therefore advisable to ensure that they have features that improve the detection of bones, metal wires, and glass shards:

• Bones: For a long time, the detection of bones in, for example, meat and poultry processing was a challenge. With this software, the identification of bones and cartilage is further optimized.
• Metal wires: Wires – regardless of the type of metal and diameter – are also detected. This includes smaller elongated wire forms that may remain undetected with other detection methods such as metal detection.
• Glass shards: Especially glass is very difficult to identify with other detection methods. The software filter further optimizes the general advantages of X-ray inspection in terms of density comparison in the detection of glass fragments. 

The filters can complement each other. For example, the glass filter in combination with the bone filter detects large flat foreign bodies with low density much better.

But not only that: Properties such as the weight or shape of the food products also play a major role. X-ray inspection systems therefore ideally have software solutions for reliable identification of weight and shape deviations and for completeness control of individual products of a line. The software calculates the weight of the products taking into account dimensions and density and identifies broken, deformed, or missing products within a package. This is particularly time-efficient in combination with software solutions that enable simultaneous X-ray inspection of multiple products on multiple lines. Common features for this are:

• Multi-line: It enables simultaneous X-ray inspection on up to 4 lines. Products from multiple lines can be combined and examined on one device.
• Multi-product: It allows the promotion of up to 20 different products in any order. The software recognizes which product is currently passing through the X-ray and selects the corresponding parameter set within milliseconds.
• Zone Analyzer: It allows zone definitions within an X-ray image. Counting and weighing is possible independently for each area and allows optimal detection sensitivities.

A seamless, efficient monitoring and documentation of all measures to comply with food safety standards such as IFS, BRC, or FSSC 22000 and to identify potential weaknesses is theoretically simple, but not in practice. The multitude of regulations, rules, and standards, along with constantly changing conditions, is becoming increasingly complex. Therefore, software solutions that enable seamless and efficient documentation are advantageous through:

• Audit Checks: The software guides through the audit routine and logs all steps for adequate monitoring of quality throughout the production process. With the help of the audit checks, weaknesses can be more easily identified, corrected, and documented.
• Sensitivity Predictions: The software allows the X-ray inspection system to be trained using virtual calculations. Without a test card and extensive input from the operating personnel. The detection sensitivity of stainless steel and glass is automatically determined. Test cards are stored in all sizes in the software and are calculated with the grayscale image of the product as if a product with a test card were actually being recorded.
• Compliance Mode: The required detection accuracy is manually adjustable. In the event of any parameter changes, these can be easily stored in the software for consistently constant and at the same time flexibly adjustable process stability.
• Self-Monitoring: The software continuously checks current sensitivities at specified time intervals. This control allows for the immediate identification of deviations, quick countermeasures, and thus increases the overall stability of the production process.
• Validation Process: The validation process provides proof that the desired quality goal for the product is achieved. Product data and information on the detection signal are evaluated and combined in the metal detector to create the validation certificate in PDF format. The menu supports step-by-step execution of the validation process and enables paperless documentation and traceability.

Measures that save time and costs contribute to the economic success of food processing companies. Reliable foreign body detection and thus a high level of food safety, which is still largely dependent on the human factor today, requires high motivation and user acceptance. Only in this way can you avoid errors in the production process, health damage to the end consumer, and a long-term loss of reputation. There are also various software solutions for this, which relieve the operating personnel, reduce the amount of necessary input, and at the same time make it significantly more time-, cost-, and result-efficient, such as:

• Automatic edge detection: The software automatically detects packaging effects that hinder sensitivity and adjusts the filter to the product contours. Expertise in filter techniques and more is not necessary for the operating personnel.
• Automatic setting of the X-ray source: During the learning process, the optimal X-ray performance for maximum detection accuracy is set fully automatically (Auto KV).
• Clip detection: A software solution with the "Ignore clip" function. This allows users to exclude the gray value of a metal clip and thus increase the detection sensitivity inside the product. This only requires a checkmark in the filter menu.

Defective and contaminated products can have serious consequences: recalls, health damage to the end consumer, and/or claims for compensation. Scenarios that are costly for food companies and particularly damaging to reputation and image. Depending on the manufacturer and X-ray inspection models, various software solutions exist on the market to support food processing companies in terms of detection accuracy, productivity, compliance, and user-friendliness, so that these worst-case scenarios do not occur.

Particularly noteworthy are those software solutions that support the implementation of various food safety standards such as IFS, BRC, or FSSC 22000 in compliance with regulations and make a valuable contribution to efficient production while simultaneously increasing food safety.