As a manufacturer of flavor particulates supplying many of the top food processing companies worldwide, Quali Tech takes product quality and food safety very seriously. The company recently conducted a search for a metal detector that would achieve the highest degree of sensitivity and reliability, and selected the Gravity FlowHD from Mettler-Toledo Safeline.
“We have purchased metal detectors from a number of different manufacturers over the years,” said Mike Hodgens, corporate VP of operations at Quali Tech. “The Safeline system is my favorite. It’s indestructible, incredibly reliable, and easy to clean. But most importantly, the detection sensitivity is fantastic. Actually, it’s mind-blowing what it can find.”
The Gravity FlowHD metal detector removes all tramp metal contamination from dry, free-flowing bulk product lines. With patented Zero Metal Free Zone (ZMFZ) technology, which allows the reject valve to be located close to the detector without interference, the overall height of the system is minimized while detection sensitivity is maximized and false rejects are virtually eliminated.
No Worries with Metal Detector
“The reject mechanism on the Safeline unit is very quiet and smooth. It’s a very good design,” explained Hodgens. “On most other systems, the reject device uses a lot of force to react quickly. That force translates to noise and vibration, which impacts the ability of the detector to remain stable over time. In contrast, the Safeline system is consistent and reliable. Everybody from maintenance to production to quality assurance knows they don’t need to worry about the Safeline metal detector.”
Quali Tech produces hundreds of industrial flavor particulates that add taste, color, and texture to a wide range of snack, bakery, and dairy products. “Our products have an amplifying effect. One truckload of our product becomes many truckloads of our customers’ products. So, we’re very careful to deliver only the highest quality product.”
Counting its newest Gravity FlowHD metal detector, Quali Tech now has three Safeline metal detectors in operation.
“Typically, there is a tradeoff between sensitivity and reliability, but not with this equipment. The Safeline metal detectors are very unusual – we get a more durable unit that also performs more consistently at high levels,” noted Hodgens. And the service Quali Tech has experienced is equally impressive.
“Earlier this year, demand for our products was increasing faster than we expected and so we accelerated the timetable for adding a new line. We needed a new metal detector quickly and couldn’t wait for one to be manufactured. We called our rep, Mark Luetmer at Westlake Packaging. We were very specific about what we wanted. He dropped everything to make it happen and found a unit in stock. One week after that first phone call, we issued a purchase order, and three days later, we had the metal detector.”