Cocoa and instant drinks: X-ray even through metallised packaging
A producer of cocoa and instant drinks for large coffee roasters replaced sieves and metal detectors with a MEKI X-ray system. It inspects even metallised bags, and reject confirmation ensures every faulty pack really leaves the line.
This case study is based on material from Mekitec. Utily Solution is Mekitec's exclusive sales and service partner in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Customer
A German producer of cocoa powder and instant drinks with roots in the 1930s, now part of a larger food group. It works mainly under private labels for large coffee roasters and exports a growing share. It is IFS and BRC certified.
Challenge
For years the company relied on sieve separators and metal detectors. A metal detector, however, cannot find non-metallic contaminants and is practically unusable with metallised packaging, because the metal layer interferes with the measurement. The company wanted end-of-line inspection to close these gaps.
Solution
After testing, it chose the Mekitec MEKI X-ray system, which was easy to integrate at the end of the packaging line. Test cards with contaminant samples showed that the X-ray reliably detects non-metallic contaminants too.
At the customer’s request, Mekitec added a reject confirmation module. It makes sure that every pack in which the X-ray found something actually leaves the line. The goal was to reject faulty packs with a 100 % success rate.
Results
- Inspection even through metallised bags, which the customer calls an enormous advantage.
- Non-metallic contaminants no longer get through.
- Confirmed rejection thanks to the confirmation module.
- Documentation for IFS and BRC audits.
We can confirm whether X-ray reliably sees through your packaging with a test on your products.
