Metal Contaminant Types
Metal Contaminant Types
October 1, 2021
Best Practices - Metal Detection
Metal Detection Protocols and Practices
December 1, 2021
Metal Contaminant Types
Metal Contaminant Types
October 1, 2021
Best Practices - Metal Detection
Metal Detection Protocols and Practices
December 1, 2021
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X-ray Contaminant Types Photo

X-Ray Contaminant Types

X-ray Contaminant Types PhotoX-ray inspection in the food industry requires an understanding of the principles behind x-ray technology. Metal detection is based on the conductivity and magnetic properties of metal, but x-ray inspection is based on density. And the densities can range from 0.857 g/cm3 (polyethylene) to 7.82 g/cm3 (SS 316) and 8.48 g/cm3 (Non-Ferrous). That’s a pretty wide range of x-ray contaminant types!

That means you need to know what plastic or metal (x-ray contaminant types) you’re looking for and what its density is. And you may not have the equipment onsite to determine the viscosity (density) of your potential contaminant. In addition, you’ll have to judge the difference between the density of your product and the contaminant. Some companies will tell you they can find any foreign substance or object in your product. That’s simply not true. Consider that if the density of your product is 1.59g/cm3 (sugar) and your contaminant is nitrile rubber (1.2 g/cm3). In that case, you won’t be able to detect the rubber no matter what your x-ray system or settings.

Will It Float

In general, the quick test is this: “If it floats, it’s not detectable.” In other words, if your x-ray contaminant type is less dense than water, 0.997 g/cm,3 then it’s not detectable. It’s the reason your skin and organs (for the most part) don’t show up under x-ray.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t detect anything. In that same sugar, you should be able to detect:

  • Polypropylene – 0.9g/cm3 (nearly impossible/less dense than water)

  • Nylon – 1.1 g/cm3

  • EPDM Rubber – 1.14 g/cm3

  • Acetal (Delrin)  – 1.4 g/cm3

  • Buna Rubber – 1.33 g/cm3

  • Viton Rubber: – 1.85 g/cm3

  • PTFE 2.2 g/cm3

  • Quartz – 2.2g/cm3

  • Soda-Lime Glass 2.5 g/cm3

  • Aluminum 2.7 g/cm3

  • Ceramic (AL203) 3.7 g/cm3

  • Ceramic (ZRO2) 5.6 g/cm3

  • Stainless Steel 316 7.82 g/cm3

  • Ferrous 7.85 g/cm3

  • Non-Ferrous 8.48 g/cm3

Acetal (Delrin), which is 1.4 g/cm3, may not be detectable. After all, it’s only 0.2g/cm3 different from the sugar.

What We Offer

All these x-ray contaminant types (including the Delrin) are offered here at Testrods.com. You can get them in laminate or thermoform cards. Acetal pucks are also available in Soda-Lime Glass and Ceramic. We can put the contaminant in standard test pieces and/or custom design any kind of test piece you might need. Keep in mind that while acetal (Delrin) can be used as a contaminant type. As such, it has a density of its own (above). So depending on your application and x-ray settings, may leave a “shadow” and create a false positive.

In general, we suggest customers purchase a multi-card with several different sizes of contaminant, whatever the type. More than one type of contaminant can be put on the same card, too! That way, you can test the contaminant sizes and types against the material you’re hoping to detect. You’ll get an accurate assessment of what you can achieve in real-time. Once your testing is complete, you can order the specific size and contaminant type cards you want for regular testing. Our goal here at Regal Packaging Services is the same as yours, navigating a way to find any x-ray contaminant types you need to find.

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Floatable Thermoform Test Cards

Some applications involve large tubs, vats, or some other type of product travel where it would be nice to have a test piece that floats. Once again, our thermoform cards provide the simplest solution. We simply insert some type of structure that forces the thermoform card to retain air, which, of course, is what makes it float. We have also manufactured floating rods, which are more difficult because there is less space to close in enough air to make the rod float but is doable.

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Chip Clip

We took an ordinary plastic “chip clip” as defined by the customer and embedded the contaminant into the clip. The clip can be attached to the product on the line without damaging or opening the product for testing purposes.

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Bone Simulate

Bone is a difficult contaminant to find because it can vary widely based on the size, age, and calcium content (as well as feed used) of the animal. After working with several customers, Regal Packaging Services offers Pork, Beef and Chicken Bone Simulate. We have a small range of sizes at a variety of depths to simulate whatever you might expect to find in the product. Our recommendation (assuming your x-ray has visual display) is always to start with a multi-card. Using a multi-card gives you an easy way to test several sizes and depths to determine what matches the bone you’re using. Once you’ve made a comparison, testing the card against the bone you’re looking for, you can purchase a card with a single contaminant for regular testing.

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10mmd x 25mml Pill

This small pill shaped test piece is used in a system with a vacuum tube that shoots the test piece through the aperture and returns it to the “home” base. Your system may never be like it, but the point is that we can make a customized solution no matter how unusual or impossible it might seem.

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Thermoform Multi-Cards

As you may have seen in some of the other thermoform card descriptions, we can put nearly as many seeds as you can imagine on a single card. Pictured here you will find a wide variety of configurations and contaminants. Just let us know your specs: size of the card (up to 8” x 8”) along with size and type contaminant(s) and we’ll get you a quote as quickly as possible. Working with a multi-card is especially helpful when you are looking for multiple types of contaminants or when you want to determine what size of the same contaminant you are able to detect. In that event, once the size is chosen, you can order individual card(s) for regular, standard inspection and detection.

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48inch Testrod

There are a wide range of applications that require a test piece much longer than our standard 5” or 6” Testrods. We can make up to 3/8” x 34” or 1/2” x 34” rigid test pieces which can then be extended well beyond that length with a “handle” made of acetal cylinder larger than the 3/8” or 1/2” extension. In the photos, we used a 1” x 24” cylinder handle with a 3/8” x 24” inch extension.

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12x0.375 with Pointed End Test Pieces

Test pieces can be made in a variety of sizes and given a pointed end in applications that require the contaminant (metal) to be inserted into a food package such as sugar or some other soft packaged food product. This allows the metal to reach the center of the aperture.

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Double End Whips

Double-End Test Whips are also available, with metal in both ends. One consideration is to make certain that the whip is long enough to keep the metal on the non-testing side of the whip outside the metal free zone of your detector. If you insert, for instance one end of a whip with 2.0mm and 3.0mm Ferrous, you need to make certain that the 2.0mm metal doesn’t affect the detection of the 3.0mm metal (and vice versa). If the 3.0mm metal is inside the metal free zone, then the detector will be reacting to the 2.0 as well as the 3.0 as if they were combined.

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Laminate Multi-NonFerrous Card

Multi-seed laminate test cards are designed for seeds 4.0mm or less. Multi-cards are useful in x-ray inspection to determine what sizes and types of contaminants your system can achieve. They can be especially useful in temperate environments and applications. If your application is rugged or wet, or your standards are larger, we recommend our thermoform multi-cards.

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Package Simulate - Top View

We can simulate a variety of packaging in an application where you need the test piece to mimic what is traveling down the production line. In this case, we manufactured a clear “package” with the seed inside. With this method, the customer is able to reject the container appropriately, and, in the event the package is not rejected, it is easily seen by the line worker for manual removal.

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Candy Bar Simulate

There are two types of “candy bars” pictured here – one similar to a flat candy bar and the other in a custom, near perfect copy of a candy bar. Since we’re now able to produce many variations using colored material, the copy was made in red (Fe), green (NFe) and blue (SS 316). We have the equipment to accomplish nearly anything you can imagine, and these kinds of designs are proof positive.

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Nugget Test Piece

Need a test piece that looks and handles like chicken nugget? We can do it. Interestingly enough, in this situation, our first version for the customer left too much “void” in the hole where the metal was placed. Given the sensitivity the customer system was using, the void had the effect of causing false positives. We were able to minimize that hole and supply the test piece with almost no void. It’s an example of how we can work with you before, during and after manufacturing to ensure all the specifications were met.

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Mini Acetal Card

Our standard acetal card is 2 1/4"x3 3/8,” but if needed, we can cut that size down to as small as 1 1/4” x 1 1/4” (with limited engraving). If a larger card or a card with multiple seeds is needed, see our Custom Shape-Size Blocks and Tablets.

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Burger Simulate with Blue Contaminant

This distinctive test piece was created to mimic an actual hamburger patty. The customer supplied photos of the raw product, which we were able to reproduce and then we placed blue glove contaminant. Using this configuration, the customer was able to determine what size piece the vision scanning system could detect with the raw burger as the background. Had they simply used a blank card with the glove, the system could easily have achieved contaminant rejection, but they needed to be sure the system could “see” the blue against the product itself.

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Ceramic - 100 seed Card

A card with 100 seeds in a 10x10 configuration is used to place beneath whole chickens on a production line. This gives the x-ray system operator the ability not just to see IF the equipment can detect the metal in the card, but also WHERE the equipment can detect it. If there is a problem, the operator (or company) can make any changes necessary to achieve the end goal – safe chicken in this case. This card really highlights another valuable facet of our thermoform cards.

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Sugar Block Ferrous Top

In this scenario, a company processing sugar needed to have a “bag” simulated with the same weight in order to accurately fall through the reject mechanism. A lighter test piece had the risk of passing over the reject mechanism.

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1/2" Cubes

Our standard cubes are 1” and 1.5,” but we can also manufacture other sizes if needed. The cubes shown here are 1/2" in dimensions. Cubes can be helpful in applications where a ball or cylinder may bounce or roll away during testing, making their retrieval difficult, or, in some cases, present a hazard to the product or production equipment.

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Testrods with Stop Side

This is a test piece that is dropped into a bottle. It’s designed so that the metal appears in the center of the aperture when testing the metal detector. In addition, the round stop makes the test piece easily removable after testing.

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Hexagons

Hexagonal Shaped test pieces can be very useful in places where a cylinder or ball might roll or bounce around a production floor whether dropped by a line worker or ejection from a reject mechanism. Hexagons are similar in weight to the 1inch cylinders without having the smooth, rounded cylinder edge.

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Ultra Thin Rod

Our customer in this plant needed a test piece with a thickness less than 5.0mm. Because we have the capacity to customize sizes and shapes, we were able to mill down a product that met their specifications. That’s always our goal, meeting the specs you need for your product, testing environment and contaminants.

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There are some applications (e.g., metal detection in lumber) that require large seeds. We could put the seed (ball/contaminant) in a large rod or block, but the thermoform card presents a simple, durable, and lightweight solution. The capacity for manufacturing using our thermoform (PETG) system makes it possible to encapsulate nearly anything you can imagine.

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Blocks with Bevelled Edge

We can custom cut nearly any shape needed to fit your application. At times, you may want the test piece to look like your product in its raw form or after packaging. In many instances, we can supply the standard colors for ferrous (red), non-ferrous (green) or stainless steel 316 (blue) used in food and other industries. If your project is larger than 1” in thickness, we can always manufacture in white and color the letters.

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Small Card

This flat tablet or card with multiple seeds and a diagonal configuration is used for x-ray inspection. The various contaminants are different densities and represent the type contaminants that might appear in the end product. We can manufacture a broad array of sizes and thicknesses with as many contaminants as needed for testing your x-ray inspection equipment.

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3in x 1in Puck

Sometimes a cylinder or “puck” is needed to mimic product shape moving down the line. We’re not limited to any particular shape. Pucks can range from 3/4" all the way up to 8.” So, if you’re running hamburgers or some other puck shaped product, this may be the solution you need.

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There may be a reason your application requires a different shape laminate card. We can manufacture a number of shapes like the circular one shown here, but particularly in square and rectangular sizes smaller than 2.5” x 4.25.” We can also manufacture larger sizes as well, if needed.

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In this example, the Testrods team manufactured a 5-foot test piece with a “whip” end for use in an overhead application. With the flexible end, our customer found the test piece well suited for a difficult-to-reach spot on the production line. Test pieces like this can be made in a variety of lengths with the whip being as short or long as needed.