A first-of-its-kind metal detection platform from Thermo Fisher Scientific scans up to five frequencies to help food and consumer goods manufacturers find ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless steel metal contaminants in products. The Thermo Scientific Sentinel multiscan metal detector also enables users to identify contaminants that are up to 50 - 70 percent smaller in volume than previous technologies.
Making its debut at PACK EXPO Las Vegas 2017, the Sentinel metal detector features IP69K washdown capabilities, according to Bob Ries, lead product manager, product inspection for Thermo Fisher Scientific.
Scanning many frequencies with one detector means that the probability of detection exponentially increases, reducing the risk of costly contamination events that require rework, scrap and recalls.
The Sentinel metal detector is designed for a wide range of applications such as dairy, meat, poultry, fruit, vegetables, bread, and health and beauty. Inspecting these products for foreign objects is challenging because of what is known as product effect, where the signal from a particular type of metal can be hidden inside the electromagnetic response of the product. With prior technology, switching the operating frequency could make the hidden metal detectable, but could then make a different type of metal undetectable. Thermo Fisher designed the Sentinel to alleviate this problem by scanning multiple frequencies, increasing the probability of finding all random sizes, shapes and types of embedded metal foreign objects.
