The inspection challenge
Food sorting applications go beyond simple pass/fail inspection. Processors increasingly need to identify, classify, and separate products based on internal characteristics such as density, composition, or inclusion content—often at high throughput and with minimal product handling.
Traditional sorting approaches face clear limitations:
- Manual sorting is labour-intensive and inconsistent
- Vision systems rely on surface appearance and struggle with overlapped or packaged products
- Weight-based sorting lacks internal visibility and material discrimination
As product complexity increases and margins tighten, processors are turning to X-ray inspection to support more accurate and repeatable food sorting decisions.
Why in-line X-ray is essential in food sorting
X-ray inspection provides insight into a product’s internal structure rather than just its external appearance. By measuring X-ray attenuation across the product, systems can infer density and composition differences that are invisible to optical methods.
In food sorting applications, X-ray enables:
- Differentiation between products with similar external appearance
- Identification of inclusions or composition variation
- Sorting of overlapped or packaged items without product separation
Unlike contaminant detection, food sorting often relies on relative measurement and classification, placing greater emphasis on signal consistency and repeatability.
Detector and signal chain requirements
Reliable food sorting performance depends on the detector’s ability to deliver stable, repeatable measurements over time.
Signal repeatability
Sorting decisions are often based on small differences in measured attenuation. Variability in detector gain or offset directly translates into classification errors.
Uniform detector response
Uniformity across the detector array is essential to ensure that identical products are classified consistently, regardless of their position on the belt.
Long-term calibration stability
Sorting systems must maintain consistent thresholds over long production runs. Frequent recalibration disrupts operations and reduces the value of automated sorting.
Integration and lifecycle considerations
Food sorting systems are typically integrated directly into high-speed production lines, often downstream of processing or portioning steps.
Key considerations include:
- Throughput and belt speed compatibility
- Environmental robustness in washdown and temperature-variable settings
- Maintaining yield while enforcing sorting criteria
For OEMs, detector stability and reliability directly influence system acceptance, commissioning time, and long-term customer satisfaction.
Sens-Tech approach to food sorting applications
Sens-Tech’s X-ray detectors are designed to support stable, repeatable measurement, which is essential for food sorting applications.
By focusing on:
- Signal chain consistency
- Detector uniformity
- Platform reuse across food inspection and sorting
Sens-Tech enables OEMs to develop sorting systems that maintain performance over time while reducing lifecycle risk.
This platform-based approach allows food inspection and sorting solutions to be built on a common detector foundation, simplifying development and support.
Related food inspection applications
Food Sorting Products
Product Family
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Length of active area
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Energy
Scintillator
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