The firm said all metal detectors are certified to this level and it was important for food safety that the machines could be washdown properly.
The machine uses IP69K certified casing and an epoxy chute to make it water resistant.
Fortress metal detectors are used in the bakery, dairy, confectionery and fresh, chilled and frozen foods industries.
Certification ensures the highest level of waterproof resistance to high pressure jet wash and complete seal against dust.
Tested to Ingress Protection (IP) standards by an independent European test facility, the metal detector was subjected to a 80°C (175°F) steam clean spray with pressure up to 100 bar (1500 PSI), and placed in a dust chamber for eight hours.
Machine benefits
Kelly Sharpe, marketing manager, told FoodQualityNews.com that IP69K mattered most to their customers in food processing.
“Fortress detectors use fewer parts in construction so less can be bothered by environment concerns, such as cold or vibration.
“It has unique data collection, so quality departments can access reports and information online, so they are not relying on manual reporting which is good for companies with a high rotation of staff, they can get the information through the software themselves.”
The machine in use at a meat processing site
Stealth has been developed to be compatible with earlier models of the ‘Phantom’ branded metal detectors, including retrofitting of features and functionality.
Using Fortress CONTACT Lite Software, the Stealth metal detector can be transformed into a Critical
Control Point, capturing performance details such as QA tests, rejects and faults.
Use of metal detectors
Sharpe said metal detection is a more affordable technology, compared to x-ray, which is expensive to purchase and maintain.
“In metal versus x-ray detection technology, X-ray tech can’t do what metal can and vice versa, it depends on what product someone is manufacturing.
“Metal detectors can make sure components are included like a box of cereal with a metallised pouch inside for a prize.
“Processors with metal detectors can check and ensure their suppliers are audited and that food safety is set to a certain standard with the raw materials, like flour, coming in.”
Stealth uses Digital Signal Processing (DSP) technology to detect and reject ferrous and non‐ferrous metals, including non‐magnetic stainless steel in food processing and packaging applications.
UltraSense ensures high sensitivity levels are maintained to detect metal contaminants, and Auto Test, self‐diagnostics tool, which helps to guarantee performance and minimise costs.