Sensitive about safety

Aspar Pharmaceuticals is installing high sensitivity, high throughput Tablex metal detectors from Safeline, of Salford in the UK, on its two new production lines. Designed specifically for inspection of solid dose tablets, the Tablex detectors can find minute fragments of metal, including stainless steel and aluminium, at inspection rates in excess of 10,000 tablets per minute.

Tablex features automatic balance control for 'set-and-forget' operation. A crystal-controlled oscillator and advanced detector head design deliver stability, says Safeline, while the high frequency coil system provides sensitivity to all metal types without the need for periodic adjustment. The detector has a number of fail-safe features, including a bi-stable solenoid designed to move the diverter valve to the reject position should a power failure occur. The new machines will check a range of tablets including paracetamol, aspirin, dispersible aspirin and ibuprofen.