BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Dynamic Inspection and Sensortronic Scales are combining services…
meaning that both Dynamic and Sensortronic can offer sales, service
and calibration on metal detectors, checkweighers, x-ray, vision inspection,
weighing scales, lab balances, weigh hoppers and silos. With IANZ
and trade certifications, Sensortronic Scales has been at the forefront
of the New Zealand industry for more than 30 years and is dedicated
to serving the local industry. Its goal is to achieve customer satisfaction
by providing quality weighing equipment along with nationwide repair,
maintenance and calibration services with the best value. Dynamic
Inspection is a New Zealand-owned and operated company specialising
in the sales and service of in-line product inspection equipment including
metal detectors, checkweighers, colour sorting, vision inspection,
defect removal and x-ray equipment in New Zealand, Australia and Asia.
www.foodtechnology.co.nz 33
P: +64 7 823 4111 | E: sales@dynamicinspection.co.nz | www.dynamicinspection.co.nz
P: 0800 4722 537 | E: info@sensortronicscales.co.nz | www.sensortronicscales.co.nz
STOCK TAKE
Christchurch-based robot maker Invert
Robotics has raised $6.4 million from private
investors to expand into Europe and
branch out into other sectors. The company,
which produces mobile climbing
robots with video feeds that can inspect
industrial tanks without damaging them,
supplies to Fonterra, Synlait Milk, Murray
Goldburn and a selection of global food
and beverage brands. The company first
raised $740,000 through crowdfunding
platform Equitise in 2016, and has now
raised $6.4 million from private investors
from Australia and New Zealand,
including former Macquarie Group chief
Allan Moss. Powerhouse Ventures is still
the robot maker’s biggest shareholder at
23%, with the New Zealand Venture Investment
Fund (NZVIF) second at 14.5%,
followed by Guildford Investments with
5.3%. “Unlike other inspection methods
using dyes, drones and optical or laser
devices, Invert Robotic’s technology provides
360-degree diagnostics and does
so in up to half the time of traditional
inspections,” managing director Neil
Fletcher says. “The accuracy, efficiency
and the value-adding environmental and
safety benefits of robotic technology
makes it an obvious choice as global
consumer demand for product safety,
brand integrity and transparency grows.”
The robots have attracted interest from
the food and beverage manufacturing
industries in Europe and Asia, such as
FrieslandCampina and Heineken, and the
company expects revenue to quadruple
in the current financial year. It is about
to open premises in Germany and
Denmark, and has already opened in the
Netherlands. Fletcher says an announcement
about a European partnership will
soon be made, after attracting attention
from the aviation inspection market and
chemical industries, as well as energy, oil
and gas.
permits an ergonomic textured feel. Knives are
often cleaned at high temperatures in industrial
dishwashers as the requisite hygiene and purity
standards need to be maintained, particularly in
the area of food processing. Dishwasher safety
and heat resistance also need to be displayed
by the plastic in the handle. Hygienic protection
is often required against cross-contamination
and reinfection. This is another prerequisite
when processing meat and fish, where the
most stringent demands are made on hygiene.
Where precious metal ions in the blade can
ensure permanent antibacterial protection,
antimicrobial properties are achieved during the
compounding process, whereby the germ-resistant
effect is not restricted to the surface,
but applies for the entire product. This also
means that these properties are not affected by
external impacts such as scratches, excessive
use or wear. Lastly, detectability is another
factor which is often a requirement within the
sector as even the tiniest deviations can have
far-reaching consequences in the area of food
production and medical technology which
means they cannot be simply passed off as
'minor details'. Hygiene and safety in terms
of any kind of residue is regarded particularly
critically here. A meat knife is subject to an extremely
high intensity of use which in turn has
an impact on the strain to be withstood by the
material. This harbours the risk of damage to
the knife, causing food to be contaminated with
metal and plastic particles. But unlike metal
components, conventional plastics cannot be
discovered using detectors or x-ray devices. By
adding special master batches to the TPE plastic
during injection-moulding, the end product
can be attributed to detectable properties.
climbing robots:
• Enable precise
and accurate
remote inspection
of non-ferromagnetic
surfaces such
as stainless steel,
carbon fibre, aluminium
and glass
• Are installed
with high definition
cameras and sensor
technology to allow
for equipment to
be assessed for
maintenance and
for preventative
analysis on a
remote basis.
• Give inspectors
real-time
video during the
inspection to allow
for immediate and
highly accurate
analysis.
KIWI ROBOTICS
SPOTLIGHTED
T E S T I N G
INVERT
ROBOTICS’
/www.foodtechnology.co.nz
/www.dynamicinspection.co.nz
/www.sensortronicscales.co.nz
link
link
