Metal detection screens people for weapons, tools or stock leaving a site. A walk-through detector is an archway containing transmit and receive coils that sense metal as a person passes through, indicating the approximate height of the object with zone lights so a guard knows where to search. A hand-held wand is used for the secondary search that follows. IDS supplies and installs ZKTeco and AMD equipment and configures sensitivity so the screening line actually moves.
The technology is used at mines and manufacturing plants for stock-loss control, at schools and campuses for weapons screening, at courts and government buildings, at stadiums and event venues, at correctional facilities, and at distribution centres and jewellery or electronics manufacturers where high-value small items leave in pockets. In retail head offices and warehouses it is normally installed on the staff exit rather than the entrance.
The specification that matters is zone count and sensitivity programming. Multi-zone archways identify the vertical position of the detected object, which cuts search time dramatically compared with a single-zone unit that only says something is there. Sensitivity programmes let you ignore belt buckles and steel-toe boots while still catching a knife or a phone, which is the difference between a functioning screening point and one that alarms constantly and gets ignored. Throughput ratings matter where a shift change puts hundreds of people through in minutes.
Price is driven by the number of zones, the throughput rating, whether the unit is indoors or weatherproofed for an outdoor lane, and whether counters, networking or CCTV integration are required. Hand-held wands are inexpensive and are usually bought in quantity alongside an archway. Installation is straightforward compared with turnstiles — a level surface, clean single-phase power and separation from large moving metal such as roller doors — but sensitivity calibration on site is essential and is included in our commissioning.
Typical price range
Hand-held wands from around R2,000; walk-through archways from around R35,000 installed
Hand-held detectors are a low-cost per-unit purchase. Walk-through archway pricing depends mainly on zone count, throughput rating and whether the unit is weatherproofed, with on-site calibration included in our installation.
