Packaging & Inspection
Vertical Form Fill Seal Machine
Snack, nut, frozen food, grain and powder producers moving from manual bagging to automatic packing.
Rated in finished bags per minute, set by bag length, fill weight and film
09 · Packaging & Inspection — Equipment
Food X-ray Inspection System
An X-ray inspection machine that finds dense foreign bodies, missing pieces and some pack defects in packed or loose food, and rejects them inline.
- Rating
- Matched to line speed; detection depends on product thickness and contaminant
- Versions
- Packed goods conveyor · Bulk product · Pipeline
- Best for
- Food plants with foil packs, bone or stone risk, or customers who require X-ray inspection
- Detects dense contaminants such as metal, glass, stone and some bone
- Works through foil and metallised packaging
- Can also check missing items, fill and some product defects
- Shielded cabinet; operation follows local radiation rules
Short answer: A food X-ray inspection system passes product through a low-energy X-ray beam and builds an image in which dense foreign bodies, missing pieces or irregular fill stand out, then rejects affected items. The configuration depends on what you need to find, how thick and even the product is, and whether you inspect packs, loose product or pumped masses.
How it works
Product travels on a belt or through a pipe into a shielded cabinet. An X-ray generator above sends a beam through the product to a line detector below. Denser or thicker areas absorb more of the beam and appear darker in the image. Software compares each image with the expected pattern for that product, picking out small, dense points (metal, glass, stone, calcified bone) and checking features such as piece count or fill level. Items that fail are rejected downstream by an air blast, pusher or diverter, and images can be stored for review.
Lead curtains and interlocks keep radiation inside the cabinet during operation.
Which configuration fits
| Form | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Packed goods conveyor | Foil packs, cans, trays, cartons | Varying pack thickness reduces sensitivity |
| Bulk product | Nuts, beans, frozen pieces before packing | Product must be spread evenly |
| Pipeline | Minced meat, sauces, pumped products | Pipe size and flow rate must suit the beam |
Thin, uniform products give the clearest images; thick or layered products make small contaminants harder to see.
What we need from you to quote
- Product and packaging details, with samples where possible
- Contaminant types and sizes, and sample test pieces
- Pack dimensions or pipe size, and line speed
- Additional checks: count, fill level, missing components
- Reject, image storage and record keeping requirements
- Local regulations that apply to X-ray equipment
- Power supply and room conditions
Where it sits in a line
X-ray machines usually sit at the end of the packing line after a tray sealer, premade pouch packing machine or VFFS packaging machine, next to an in-line checkweigher. Where foil is not involved, a food metal detector may be enough. Bulk units can follow a nut shelling machine to catch shell and stones.
Common configurations
- Option A
Packed goods conveyor
inspects bags, pouches, trays, cans and cartons, including foil and metallised packs.
- Option B
Bulk product
inspects loose product spread on a belt, such as nuts, beans or frozen pieces, before packing.
- Option C
Pipeline
inspects pumped meat, sauces or slurries in a pipe, with a reject valve.
What we confirm before quoting
Our engineers check these points with you, so the quotation fits your site rather than a catalogue default.
- 01Foreign body types and sizes you need to detect
- 02Product thickness and how uniform it is
- 03Line speed and pack spacing
- 04Whether missing pieces, fill level or broken items should also be checked
- 05Reject method, image storage and record keeping
Frequently asked questions
Metal detector or X-ray: which do I need?
A metal detector finds metal by conductivity and is less costly. X-ray finds anything clearly denser than the product, including glass, stone and many bones, and works through foil. Which you need depends on your contamination risks, packaging and customer requirements.
Can X-ray find every bone or plastic piece?
No. Detection depends on density difference and size relative to product thickness. Low-density plastics, wood and soft cartilage are hard to see. We agree target contaminants and test samples so expectations are clear before setup.
Is X-ray inspection safe for food and operators?
The dose used for inspection is low, and the machine is shielded with curtains and interlocks. Operation, registration and dosimetry follow your local regulations, which you should check before installation; we provide machine documentation to support this.
Get a quote for the Food X-ray Inspection System
Tell us your raw material, finished product and target output. Our engineers reply with a matched configuration and quotation.
What to send with your inquiry
- 1Raw material and its condition
- 2Finished product and packaging
- 3Target output — raw input or finished product
- 4Site photos, power supply, utilities
Email sales@hnfoda.com
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