Ravenwood has pioneered advanced seal detection software for its VXR vision pack inspection system. This cutting-edge technology not only ensures 100% accuracy but also protects brand owners from significant monetary losses, product recalls, and substantial fines.
The new detection software is accessible to current VXR customers and can be ordered as an optional feature for new machines.
With the rise of end-of-line automation in food and beverage packaging, ensuring product pack quality through automated systems is more crucial than ever. Relying solely on the human eye and traditional camera-based frameworks is no longer sufficient. Ravenwood’s X-ray inspection technology now facilitates both standard product contamination checks and new seal contamination detection.
Contaminated packs that reach grocery store shelves can result in rapid spoilage and decreased shelf life. Although retailers may sometimes remove faulty packs before they are sold, consumers often discover contamination only after purchase. In both scenarios, brand owners—and occasionally packers—are at risk of incurring fines, leading to financial losses and reputational damage.
James Large, Ravenwood’s VXR and Vision product manager, stated: “This technology significantly enhances production quality in the factory. The VXR’s fault-finding capabilities far surpass those of traditional methods that rely on human visual checks and camera-based systems.”
Traditional fault-finding methods face multiple challenges. Seal contamination detection becomes particularly complex at high running speeds, especially when minimal color contrast exists between the contaminant and the packaging (for instance, beef in black MAP trays). This greatly complicates detection using optical camera-based systems.
Large added: “By utilizing X-ray inspection technology to check for density variations in the seal area, it is now possible to detect even the smallest traces of contamination, whether from the product itself or foreign objects in the pack seal.”
The new seal contamination inspection system operates automatically with minimal operator involvement, guaranteeing thorough checks on each pack, even at high line speeds. It seamlessly integrates standard X-ray capabilities, displaying two images on the VXR interface: one for standard X-ray contamination detection and another for the new seal contamination detection.
