As sugar is a "non-metalic particle", I guess you will have no problem detecting plenty of non-metalic particles in your stream.

You need to be more specific, is it large lumps of sugar, pieces of plastic, any foreign bodies over a certain size, etc. etc. that you are trying to detect?

Also, are you really trying to "detect" them or are you trying to "remove" them? Depanding upon what the particle is, it may be easier to remove than to detect with an instrument. ■

We are trying to solve a quality problem, so we actually call "non-metallic" particles to all kind of impurities but specially dark points ■

We don´t have any problem to handle metallic particles (magnetic or non-magnetic). Such particles can be detected with a a well known field sensing aparatus.

The major problem is deailing with : Debris, belt pieces, caked sugar coming from corners, Grease leakage from hangers that become sugar covered, and all of them turn to a dark color.

As this is a normal group of impurities, I wonder if anybody has searched in the leading edge technologies using optical sensors and neuronal nets to make direct comparisons against pre-setted pictures or something like that. I read about it some time ago in National Instruments and in Hunter Labs., but We want to know if there are succesfull applications. ■

How about screening? ■

Thanks bkeck

Of course we are working wiht withe refined sugar so you are right.

I think that sizes range about 2-3mm and rarely 4mm.

What is the operating principle of the detector you are referring?

From a consultant in a recent meeting I heard that is available some device working with microwaves but he didn´t remember any make.

In a recent TV program I have seen an application to sense in a rice stream just in the feeding chute to the bagging machine and uses an air blast to separate the imputities.

Finally, if we can control metallic and non-metallic particles with the same device I think the cost is not a concern. ■