Detection of metal particles

Detection of metal particles is a critical quality control and safety process that identifies metallic contaminants in products, materials, and manufacturing processes to ensure product safety, equipment protection, and brand reputation. The detection of metals in products must be extremely careful since brand reputation and image are at stake, and effective contamination control requires certified systems adapted to specific production needs.

Metal particle detection is essential across numerous industries including food processing, pharmaceuticals, chemical manufacturing, powder industries, semiconductors, and machinery maintenance where even microscopic metal fragments can cause product contamination, equipment damage, or consumer harm. Modern detection systems can identify metal particles as small as 30 microns (0.03 mm) with advanced magnetic sensors capable of detecting fragments smaller than 0.1 mm (100 µm).

Electromagnetic field detection uses an electromagnetic field to detect the presence of metal particles by monitoring field disruptions. When metal particles pass through the electromagnetic field, they disrupt the field, triggering a signal that alerts the operator or activates an ejection system to remove contaminated products from the production line. This method is widely used in metal detectors for continuous product inspection on manufacturing lines.

Magnetic sensor detection employs highly sensitive magnetic sensors such as the Migne xMR sensor developed by TDK, which can detect metal fragments smaller than 0.1 mm by applying technologies from hard disk drive head manufacturing. The system uses a powerful magnet to magnetize the entire object, and metal sensors then detect the magnetism emitted by the metallic debris, with magnetized metallic particles becoming tiny magnets with N and S poles that are detectable by the sensor.

Inductive particle detection systems use inductive sensors for real-time monitoring of metals in airborne particles and lubricants, which cannot be measured using current conventional methods. These systems detect metal wear particles in lubricant oil of rotating machinery through inductive Coulter counting and microfluidic chip-based inductive sensors, enabling predictive maintenance and equipment protection.