Mettler-Toledo
Metal detection technology for Ritter Sport
The Ritter Sport brand name is synonymous with square chocolate bars and a wide variety of flavors. This variety requires frequent product changes, placing the highest demands on the quality management at the family business.
The Ritter Sport brand name is synonymous with square chocolate bars and a wide variety of flavors. This variety requires frequent product changes, placing the highest demands on the quality management at the family business.
For detecting metallic contaminants, Ritter Sport has chosen metal detecting devices from Mettler-Toledo Safeline which, with their speedy changeover times and high detection accuracy, help to improve efficiency.
In the production of chocolate, there are many ways in which metal fragments and other metallic contaminants can find their way into the final product. Metallic swarf can be generated by friction in the stirring machine and find its way into the liquid chocolate – especially during the last step in chocolate production, the conching process. In order to detect this swarf and other metallic contaminants in the final product, Ritter Sport, who have used Mettler-Toledo’s metal detection devices for many years, now uses the current Mettler-Toledo Profile series.
The metal detection systems can be found just before each of the packaging machines on the five production lines in the Swabian town of Waldenbuch. “With the Mettler-Toledo Profile series we are able to use dependable metal detection devices with multi-frequency technology,” summarizes Bernd Geiger, Packaging Technology Project Manager at Ritter Sport. Thanks to Mettler-Toledo’s Ultra High Frequency Technology, metal detection devices such as the Profile system can detect even irregularly shaped contaminants such as splinters or wires. Contaminated products are removed from the line using a retractable edge. The rejected chocolate falls onto a conveyor belt diagonal to the direction of transport, is carried to a collection container, and is excluded from the production process.
Avoiding products effects
Goods that cause a product effect are particularly challenging in practice. “Chocolate with a very high cocoa content, such as extra dark chocolate, can create a product effect signal,” explains Bernd Geiger. In metal detection technology, this effect leads to false rejects and creates additional, avoidable costs. Thanks to the OVNC software algorithm, the Profile system compensates for the product effect in chocolate and so reduces the number of falsely rejected products. The product effect does not influence the metal detector’s detection sensitivity.
“In addition to detection accuracy and a low number of false rejects, the simple and intuitive operation of the Profile metal detection device really convinced us,” continues Bernd Geiger.
Switching with a few taps
The Profile series’ large, full color touch screen can be operated intuitively thanks to its familiar Windows interface. On one product line, Ritter Sport produces six or seven different varieties of chocolate per day, which involves several product changes. All 24 standard varieties are saved in the product memory of the metal detection solutions. This allows the operator to prepare the line more quickly for the next product and means that switching from Raisins & Hazelnuts to White + Crisp takes only just a few taps.
By connecting the detection devices to the ERP system, production managers can supervise and conduct statistical analysis on data from every metal detection device from the comfort of their office. Proactive software – which warns of problems before they even occur – guarantees high operational uptime and minimal maintenance for inspection devices.
The Profile series ensures not only high-quality products and high productivity, but also prevents downtime. It therefore contributes notably to cost reduction and competitiveness at Ritter Sport.
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