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For many consumers, pets are part of the family – and expectations regarding the food they receive are correspondingly high. Manufacturers must reliably detect potential foreign bodies, ensure the correct product weight and identify quality defects before products reach the market.

The challenge is that pet food is anything but standardized. Wet food may be packed in cans, aluminum trays or flexible pouches, while dry food ranges from smaller packages to large, heavy bags. Different products, packaging materials and dimensions require inspection technology that can adapt accordingly.

One industry, many inspection challenges

X-ray inspection offers pet food manufacturers the flexibility to inspect a wide variety of products and packaging formats. Depending on the application, it can detect high-density foreign bodies such as metal, glass, stones or bone fragments – even inside packaging that can be challenging for other inspection technologies.

Aluminum trays are a good example. The metallic packaging itself makes conventional metal detection difficult, while X-ray technology enables inspection through the packaging material. Flexible pouches present different challenges due to their shape and product distribution, while large bags of dry food require systems capable of reliably handling significantly greater dimensions and weights.

Inspection can also take place before packaging. Bulk products can be checked before entering the filling process, adding another control point to the production line.

Safety and weight control in one process

Foreign body detection is only one part of product quality. Correct weight is equally important – both for regulatory compliance and for efficient production.

Wipotec checkweighers continuously verify product weight during ongoing production. Where both weight control and foreign body detection are required, the technologies can also be combined in a single system.

The Wipotec SC-W, for example, combines X-ray inspection with dynamic checkweighing. This allows two essential quality checks to take place within one compact solution – an advantage particularly where production space is limited or manufacturers want to reduce the number of individual machines and product transfers along the line.

Looking beyond foreign bodies

Modern X-ray inspection can do more than detect contaminants. Depending on the application, systems can also perform additional quality checks, including completeness and fill-level control.

Combined with other technologies such as metal detection, optical inspection, marking and verification, manufacturers can configure an inspection concept that reflects the specific requirements of their product and production environment.

This modular approach is particularly relevant in pet food manufacturing, where one production site may handle multiple recipes, package sizes and packaging materials.

Different packaging. One goal.

Whether wet food is packed in an aluminum tray, a portion is sealed in a flexible pouch or several kilograms of dry food leave the line in a large bag, the objective remains the same: safe pet food and reliable quality control.

Wipotec inspection solutions are designed to support manufacturers across these different applications – from product inspection before packaging to final weight and quality control.

Because packaging may change, products may vary, and production requirements may differ. But when it comes to pet food safety, the goal remains the same.

Read more about it: Product inspection of pet food and watch all our videos about it.