KPM Analytics Introduces Vision Inspection System Designed for Meat Processing Industry

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. — Meat and poultry processors are applying lessons from the pandemic by adopting vision inspection technology to augment quality assurance processes and save on labor. One new option is KPM Analytics’ P-Series in-line vision system, a vision inspection system that is specifically designed for the meat processing industry and helps processors redeploy workers while improving quality, food safety and processes.

The system combines a host of visual and dimensional measurements with AI to automate product quality assessment and detect foreign objects. It is ideal for inspecting whole, portioned and processed meat and poultry products, the company reported.

The P-Series system’s product measurement library, developed through years of experience working with meat and poultry processors, includes common quality issues such as bruises, blood spots, incomplete breading, missing components, excess fat and others. Additionally, P-Series systems utilize AI for statistical analysis and deep learning for anomaly detection, detailed feature analysis and data-handling tools.

P-Series systems are designed for the sanitary environment of meat processing, including compatibility with cleaning procedures and chemicals, said KPM Analytics.

P-Series systems also allow meat and poultry processors more capabilities to detect low density defects that cannot be found by X-ray and other foreign material detection equipment. This includes:

• Non-visible spectrum foreign materials: Infrared imaging allows processors to analyze properties like moisture and oil content. P-Series' hyper-spectral imaging capabilities improve detection of foreign objects that appear the same color as fat and meat.
• Visible spectrum foreign materials: High-resolution calibrated cameras detect foreign materials on the top and bottom surfaces. These include foils, films, plastic, paper and compositional defects.
• Advanced analysis with AI: AI-driven applications detect minor variations in color, texture, size and shape patterns.
  

To tailor a system to individual needs and price points, plant managers can configure a P-Series system with any number of capabilities, including 2D inspection, 3D inspection, top and bottom cameras and hyper-spectral imaging.

In addition, the system is available with a range of conveyor and rejection options to fit the product being handled. In contrast to vision systems that require equipment to mechanically flip the product to inspect both sides, the P-Series conveyor accepts top and bottom cameras. This means that the conveyor length is short and the same height as the rest of the line, having minimal impact on production floor space, KPM Analytics said.

The P-Series system combines the visual image with geometric data to allow more accurate and deeper analysis, according to the company. For example, as a product gets thicker, it gets closer to the camera, changing its appearance. The system can use a 3D camera to adjust the calibration. The system can combine images of all sides of a product with dimensional data to get a complete picture of quality, rather than rejecting all products with a single minor flaw.