AUTOSEARCH-II METAL DETECTOR ENGINEER'S MANUAL

AUTOSEARCH-II METAL DETECTOR ENGINEER'S MANUAL

a

.AUTOSEARCH IIMetal Detector

Engineer's ManualSoftware Version 1.13 - 1.20

Revision 1.2 April 1996

Copyright © 1996 The Cintex GroupAll Rights Reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored on a retrieval system, or transmitted inany form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, with-out the prior permission of the Cintex Group.

Cintex has a policy of continuous product improvement, we therefore reserve the right to modifythe specification contained in this manual without notice.

Pageiv COPYRIGHT @ 1996 The Cintex Group


1.0 INTRODUCTION

Autosearch II incorporates several new features and the introduction should be read even if youare familiar with the previous equipment.

1.1 GENERAL INFORMATION

Cintex Autosearch Metal Detectors are designed to detect metal contaminants in a wide rangeof products. A high frequency magnetic field is set up inside thedetector by a coil. Ferrous orNonferrous particles cause minute disturbances of the field. These disturbances are picked upby two search coils, amplified and used to trip alarm circuits or trigger the automatic rejection ofthe contaminant. The coils are cast into an epoxy resin block to ensure the utmost stability andfreedom from the effects of water or vibration.

In many instances, the material being checked also disturbs the field. A microprocessor in thedetector is included to reduce these disturbances. The microprocessor also synchronizes theoperation of a reject mechanism with the arrival of a contaminant. The detector also incorpo-rates a comprehensive check facility which initiates an alarm if a fault develops in the detectoror the reject mechanism.

A given weight of metal passing through the detector will produce different signals dependingupon both it's dimensions and it's orientation. A piece of wire for example, may give a large sig-nal when passed through the detector sideways but virtually no signal if passed through end on,or vice versa. To prevent this problem, for test purposes, metal spheres are normally used asthey are the same size and shape in any orientation. A piece of wire passing through a metaldetector sideways generates a larger signal than it's identical weight as a:,sphere. However,wires give only a small signal when passed through a metal detector lengihwise as their effec-tive area is so small. For the ultimate in detection capability, two dete¢tor heads angled at 90degrees with respect to each other can be used. ,. . " '

1.2 AUTOSEARCH PERFORMANCE

The sensitivity of a metal detector is defined by the minimum spherical size of a given metal thatwill cause it to ALWAYS operate the reject mechanism without giving an excessive number offalse rejects. It is controlled by two criteria:

1). The signal from the metal to be detected.2). The background signal due to random noise and disturbances or the

product itself.

It is difficult to predict detector sensitivity accurately due to the large number of factors whichcan affect performance. The signal from a piece of metal depends on the following factors:

A). . Size, Shape And Orientation.

B). aterial

carbon steels give the largest signals. Non ferrous metals normally give slightly smaller signa'ls,PmrsK· :al properties of "stainless" steels vary considerably with their grade. The sigJl~I.frpm

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stainless steel is almost always significantly smaller than the other metals.

C). Product Compensation Setting

This is normally set to minimize the specific signal generated by the product being checked. Ifthe signal from the metal is of a similar nature to that of the product, the metal signal will also besubject to some reduction in level.

D). Position Within The Aperture

The sensitivity of the detector is fairly uniform over most of the aperture but rises noticeablytowards the edges. The Autosearch detector is superior in this respect to previous designs.

1.3 AUTOSEARCH FEATURES

The AUTOSEARCH II metal detector is a highly advanced "State of the Art" metal detection sys-tem. Utilizing the latest technology to improve detection capabilities and simplify operation,AUTOSEARCH II is the most advanced metal detection system available today. Superior detec-tion capability and ease of use are the two most noticeable features of AUTOSEARCH II butthese are just the beginning. AUTOSEARCH II features numerous functions that help to makeyour metal detection system more reliable and more useful. Following is a synopsis of func-tions:

LEARN BUTTON No more trial & error when setting product compensation. Press theLEARN button and the microprocessor will analyze the product signaland set the product compensation automatically.

AUTOLEARN No more rushing out to make adjustments when you change product.With AUTOLEARN enabled, the microprocessor will automatically setthe product compensation when a different product is detected.

DUAL PRODUCTS With DUAL PRODUCT mode enabled, you can alternate two differentproducts through the metal detector without having to make anyadjustments.

PRODUCT TRACKING No need to make adjustments during 'the course of a run for smallchanges in product effect due to temperature or moisture changes.Tracking allows for automatic adjustments of product compensationas the product changes during the course of production,

No need to make adjustments to the head balance. AU- OSEARClif~;:.- ;~ - ,,1' ~.• :tJ;t

.f'{,Jtt automatically compensates for changes in the head balance caused if;¥. ,.; <:-by such things as thermal expansion & contraction, component deteri-

oration etc.

AUTOBALANCE

PC NETWORK' No need to leave your office to check on all the metal detectors inyour plant. MIACS (Management Information And Control System) isa software package that works with the hardware already built into theAUTOSEARCH II. MIACS will allow upto 32 metal detectors to be

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REMOTE CONTROL.

SELF TEST

REJECT CONFIRM


connected via a computer network. You have complete control overall metal detector operations from your PC. All metal detectors reportto the PC where printouts can be obtained detailing all events.

No need to remove the water tight cover to change the settings.AUTOSEARCH II utilizes an infra-red remote control that worksthrough the window in the front cover to allow full access to any partof the program.

No need to worry about whether or not the metal detector is working.An internal self test is constantly monitoring the performance and canalert you should there be a problem.

No need to worry about whether or not the reject mechanism is work-ing properly. If metal is detected and the product is not removed analarm can be sounded or the line stopped.

REVERSE DETECTION No need to add hardware for reverse detection. Utilizing the built incontacts and a photo-eye you can reject those packages that DONOT contain metal.

MENUS

PRINTOUTS

VARIABLE SPEED

VERSATILE DISPLAY

MULTI LINGUAL

TWO PASSWORDS

No need to re-enter all those product parameters every time youChange product. AUTOSEARCH II allows SO different product set-ups to be stored in battery backed RAM where they can be re-calledinstantly. (With MIACS installed, the number of menus is unlimited.)

No need to spend a lot of money for quality control. Using an inex-pensive printer you can plug directly into the AUTOSEARCH II andreceive printed reports detailing: all system parameters cunrently set,all product parameters stored and date & time stamped record of allevents. (An event occurs whenever the unit is turned on, metal isdetected, a fault is detected, a test of metal detection is conducted ora menu is loaded.)

No need to make adjustments for a change in speed.AUTOSEARCH II can be set to work with fixed speed, variable -speedor gravity feed product transports.

Not restricted to a simple Bar Graph display, AUTOSEARCH II haseight different display screens available. While most operators willonly use one or two of the display modes, key personnel have accessto internal data that simplifies set up and verification of normal opera-tion.

No need to learn a new language just to operale;.your metal detector.All wording can be displayed in English, SQani~h, French, German orDutch. Other languages can be made av~l,J~~le·if required. EurQpe.anand American date formats are .also both -sepported.

o need to worry about unauthorized changes being made to the setup parameters. Two levels of access are available. Operator accessallows only the product specification to be changed. Engineer accessallows all parameters to be Changed.

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PRECISE REJECTS No need to reject too much product. Reject duration can be pro-grammed in 1/1OOthof a second increments.

DETECTION TEST No need to worry if Quality Control checks are being carried out.Built in test functions allow testing of the metal detector operation withspecific test samples and the printout generated details the time andresults of the test.

MODULAR No need to spend a lot of time setting up boards prior to installation.There are only four boards total in the electronics package.

VARIABLE VOLTAGE .No need for a transformer, AUTOSEARCH II can be set to operate on110V/220V 50Hz/60Hz. User adjustable transformer taps make volt-age selection simple.

SELECTABLE UNITS No need to convert between units. AUTOSEARCH II can be pro-OF MEASURE grammed in Imperial or Metric units.

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AUTOSEARCH-II METAL DETECTOR ENGINEER'S MANUAL