Metal Detectable Engineering Plastic for the Food & Pharmaceutical Industries

York, United Kingdom, June 30, 2007 --(PR.com)-- Within the food and pharmaceutical industries there is an ever-present risk of contamination that, if undetected, can result in damage to equipment, costs incurred through product recalls, harm to the company's reputation and, in the worst case, serious injury to somebody inadvertently consuming the contaminant. A relatively straightforward measure that can be taken is to use only metal implements - such as spatulas, scoops and scrapers - and install an inline metal detection system that can detect any metallic contamination of the product and automatically reject it.

However, there are drawbacks with this approach. For instance, metal implements are costly, especially if manufactured from stainless steel, they can be heavy, and the geometries that can be created at a reasonable cost are somewhat limited. In some cases, therefore, plastic implements are used, with the polymer grade selected so as to minimise the chance of breakage. Nevertheless, using plastic implements carries with it a risk that small fragments could contaminate the product and remain undetected.

New EU hygiene legislation specifies, with the primary objective being to optimise public health protection by improving and modernising the existing EU legislation. The new legislation maintains, and sets out more clearly, the duty of food business operators to produce food safely. This is a requirement that is contained in current legislation and is underpinned in general food law. Requirements for food business operators are laid down in the new EU Regulation 852/2004.

It is intended that the more risk-based and flexible procedures will better match the needs of individual businesses and enforcement agencies. This will be facilitated by the introduction of food safety management procedures based on the application of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles. HACCP-based principles are widely regarded throughout the EU and in most developed countries as crucial to the management of food safety and, in turn, consumer protection.

These principles prescribe a certain number of requirements that must be met throughout the cycle of production, processing and distribution in order to permit, via hazard analysis, identification of the critical points that need to be kept under control in order to guarantee food safety: identify any hazards that must be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels; identify the critical control points at the step or steps at which control is essential; establish critical limits beyond which intervention is necessary; establish and implement effective monitoring procedures at critical control points; establish corrective actions when monitoring indicates that a critical control point is not under control; implement own-check procedures to verify whether the measures adopted are working effectively; and keep records to demonstrate the effective application of these measures and to facilitate official controls by the competent authority.

Detectable plastic
A novel material has recently been developed that could help food and pharmaceutical manufacturers comply with the new Regulations and, more importantly, give them the opportunity to use cost-effective, functional, ergonomic plastic implements that are approved for food-contact use. A key feature of products manufactured from this material is that fragments are detected and rejected by standard in-process metal detection equipment.
Known as Detectamet, these products from E-Components and Chains are injection moulded a specially formulated, non-toxic, non-fibrous grade of polypropylene that has a metal-based additive so that fragments as small as a 2mm cube (weighing 0.01 g) can be detected and rejected, depending on the metal detection equipment used and its operating parameters. Moreover, the high-impact material is described as 'shatterproof and virtually unbreakable', which, in itself, helps to reduce the risk of any fragments entering the food or pharmaceutical product, and the finished articles are approved for direct food contact under EU Directive 90/128/EEC rules from the FDA (the USA Food and Drug Administration). Detectamet products are available in red, green and yellow in addition to the standard blue.

The most popular product developed so far is Detectamet pens. These are available as a stick design or retractable, with a choice of four colours for the pen and three colours of ink. Clips are reinforced to reduce the chance of them becoming detached, and the stick pen can be supplied without a clip if preferred.

Numerous other Detectamet products have also been developed, usually in conjunction with a customer following a specific request. Examples of Detectamet products include a stylus for use with PDAs (personal digital assistants), scoops, scrapers, stirrers, shovels, buckets, cutters, knives, cups, clipboards, sticking plasters (dressings), earplugs and vinyl gloves. For machinery and process applications, there are Detectamet rubber sheeting, rubber extrusions, O-ring seals, belting, suction cups, retaining clips and cable ties. In addition, test sticks, pucks and balls are available for verifying the correct operation of metal detectors.

taking the above into consideration, E-Components & Chains Limited of Pocklington UK are pleased to announce the launch of their Detectamet Metal Detectable Engineering Plastic Detectathene.

Specifically developed for the Food, Pharmaceutical, Packaging, Bottling & Canning, General Engineering Industries this unique Detectamet Detectathene offers:

· Metal Detectable
· X Ray Visible
· Excellent wear resistance
· High Impact Resistant
· Easy to Machine
· Self Lubricating (good bearing properties)
· Abrasion Resistant
· Water repellant
· Acid resistant
· Corrosion resistant
· Vibration & noise dampening
· Blue Colour
· Chemical Resistant
· Lightweight
· Cost Effective
· Dirt Repellant
· Suitable for low temperature environments (-260 degrees - + 80 degrees Celsius)
· Available in Sheet Sizes: 3mt x 1mt, 2mt x 1mt, 1.25mt x 1mt
· From 8mm – 160mm Thickness

Typical applications include: Wear Strips, Guide Rails, Corner Wearbends, Chain Guides, Bearings, Bushes, Scrapers, Rollers, Idler Wheels, Liners, General Machined Parts.

For more information please contact the following:
E-Components & Chains Limited
Units 2A, Hampden Road
Pocklington Industrial Estate
Pocklington
York
YO42 1NR
Tel: 0044 (0) 1759 304200
Fax: 0044 (0) 1759 305236
Email: eccltd@aol.com
Web: www.ecc-ltd.co.uk

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