FOTON-X

System Overview

FOTON-X 3020FP is a high-precision X-Ray bone detection device purpose-built for poultry, fish and red meat processing lines. It detects bone fragments from 1mm — including those invisible to any other inspection method — with a published detection success rate of ≥97%. The system simultaneously inspects for additional foreign materials including metal, glass, plastic, stone and rubber in a single pass.

Unlike standard metal detectors that cannot detect bone, cartilage, glass or stone, and whose performance degrades in high-moisture environments, FOTON-X operates on X-Ray physics — unaffected by product wetness, packaging, ice glaze or product mass. It works on both fresh and frozen product, packaged or unpackaged, in single or multi-lane line configurations.

Bidirectional scanning passes product through the X-Ray field in both directions, maximising detection probability for fragments positioned at angles that a single-pass system would miss. Every detection event is logged with statistics generation and visualisation built in — satisfying BRC Global Standard CCP documentation requirements and major UK retailer technical codes.

≥97% Detection Success Rate

1mm Bone Fragment Sensitivity

Bidirectional Dual-Energy X-Ray

Automatic Double-Sided Rejection

Fresh & Frozen Compatible

Single & Multi-Lane

IP65 — Washdown Safe

ISO 9001:2015

Technical Specifications

FOTON-X 3020FP Engineering Data

Download Datasheet

X-Ray Technology

Dual EnergySuperior to single-energy

Scanning Mode

Bidirectional — forward and reverse pass

Conveyor Belt Speed

0.4 m/s

Rejection System

Automatic & Double Sided

Bone/Meat Classification

Yes — AI-assisted discrimination

Modular Design

Yes — adaptable to different line configurations

IP Protection

IP65 — dustproof, protection against water jets from all angles

Bone Fixation Capacity

1 mm minimum detectable fragment sizeKey spec

Detection Success Rate

≥ 97%

Bone & Cartilage

Primary detection capability — chicken, fish, red meat

Metal (all types)

Stainless steel, ferrous, non-ferrous — simultaneous detection

Glass

High sensitivity — all densities

Plastic / Stone / Rubber

Detected simultaneously with bone in single pass

Missing Product Detection

Yes — simultaneous with contaminant inspection

Product Compatibility

Fresh or frozen — packaged or unpackaged

Lane Configuration

Single lane and multi-lane production lines

Statistics & Reporting

Full statistics generation and visualisation

BRC Compliance

CCP documentation satisfies BRC Global Standard requirements

Food Standards

Compliant with food-grade processing environment standards

IP Rating

IP65 — dustproof, water jet protection from all angles

Enclosure Material

Hygienic stainless steel construction — food-grade contact surfaces

Cleaning

Washdown-compatible — rapid toolless access for hygiene inspection

Quality Standard

ISO 9001:2015

Operating Environment

Wet and cold processing environments — chilling halls, deboning rooms

System Operation

How FOTON-X Works

Three-stage automated inspection — product enters, X-Ray detects, rejection fires. No operator involvement required from detection to removal.

Product Enters the Bidirectional X-Ray Field

Portions, fillets or bulk product are placed on the entry conveyor. The system detects product presence and initiates the scan automatically at 0.4 m/s. The bidirectional conveyor passes the product through the dual-energy X-Ray field in both directions — forward and reverse — without any operator action.

Bidirectionality is critical: a single-direction pass can miss fragments oriented at certain angles relative to the beam. Two-direction scanning eliminates this geometric blind spot, contributing directly to the ≥97% success rate.

0.4 m/s conveyor Auto-triggered Bidirectional pass

FOTON-X conveyor — poultry product entering X-Ray zone

Bidirectional pass eliminates geometric blind spots — ≥97% success rate

Dual-Energy X-Ray Images Every Layer

The dual-energy X-Ray source fires two simultaneous energy levels through the full product depth. The system measures how each material attenuates at both energy levels — bone, cartilage, metal, glass, plastic and stone all produce distinct dual-energy signatures that the AI classification engine discriminates in real time.

At 1mm sensitivity, fragments invisible to human inspection, metal detectors and single-energy X-Ray systems are identified. The system simultaneously checks for missing product portions — a second quality function in the same pass at no additional cycle time.

Dual Energy 1mm sensitivity AI classification Missing product check

FOTON-X X-Ray scan — bone fragment detected in poultry portion

Dual-energy signatures — bone, metal, glass, plastic simultaneously identified

Automatic Double-Sided Rejection — Statistics Logged

Any product where a contaminant or missing portion is detected is automatically rejected by the double-sided rejection system — removed from the production line without operator involvement. Clean product continues through at full line speed without interruption.

Every inspection event is logged. The built-in statistics generation and visualisation module records detection type, frequency, location and time. No separate data logging system is needed.

Auto double-sided rejection Statistics generation BRC ready

Food production line — poultry processing with automated inspection

Automatic rejection fires — statistics logged in real time for audit compliance

Why X-Ray

FOTON-X vs. Metal Detector

The comparison is not close. Metal detectors cannot detect what X-Ray sees — and their performance degrades in the wet, high-moisture environments where most poultry processing takes place.

Metal Detector

❌ Cannot detect bone, cartilage, glass, stone or plastic

❌ High moisture and wetness degrades detection performance

❌ Very low sensitivity to aluminium, nickel, chromium

❌ Low stainless steel detection sensitivity

⚠ Requires spherical shape for reliable detection

FOTON-X — Food X-Ray

✅ Detects bone, cartilage, glass, stone, plastic, rubber

✅ Performance unaffected by moisture or product wetness

✅ Easily detects aluminium, nickel, chrome even in small sizes

✅ High stainless steel detection sensitivity

✅ Shape or smoothness of contaminant is irrelevant

Production Line Applications

Where FOTON-X Operates

Deployed across the full poultry, fish and red meat processing spectrum.

Poultry Deboning Lines

Post-deboning inspection of breast, thigh and leg portions — the highest bone fragment risk point in any poultry processing operation.

Fish Fillet Inspection

Pin bone and rib fragment detection in salmon, cod, trout and haddock fillets — fresh and frozen, packaged or unpackaged.

Bidirectional pass1mm sensitivity

Red Meat Processing

Bone fragment inspection in beef, pork and lamb portions — including dense product formats where single-energy X-Ray performance is limited.

Dual-energy advantageDense product capable

Ready Meal Production

Inspection of poultry and fish components before and after mixing — detecting bone and foreign materials in complex multi-ingredient products.

FOTON-X 3020FP Engineering Data

How FOTON-X Works