Global processing machinery manufacturer and member of Duravant’s Food Sorting and Handling Group, Key Technology, has launched its latest Compass optical sorter – with this iteration intended for sorting leafy greens.
Designed to inspect fresh-cut product straight from the field, the belt-fed system combines high-performance foreign material (FM) detection and removal with gentle, hygienic product handling. Compass identifies and rejects a wide variety of FM including dirt clods, rocks, sticks, insects and animal parts, as well as product defects when running single varieties.
Duravant Group president – food sorting and handling solutions, Jack Lee, said foreign material is one of the biggest challenges at the early stage of leafy greens processing, but many processors can’t justify the expense or complexity of traditional optical sorting systems.
“Compass changes that. It delivers accurate and reliable FM removal in a user-friendly, cost-effective solution engineered to withstand the dirt and debris common at the front end of leafy greens lines,” said Lee.
To simplify operation and reduce training requirements, Compass is recipe driven and features a touchscreen interface that mimics smartphone app navigation. Intelligent belt control automatically maintains proper belt tracking, minimising downtime and need for manual adjustments.
Fresh-cut leafy greens are lightweight and often moist, which can cause them to clump, overlap or stick to surfaces during sorting if not properly handled. Key combines Compass with infeed conveying systems to maximise sort accuracy. Optional air-assist systems create a controlled curtain of air that improves the transition from the infeed conveyor to the belt for gentle product flow. Air knives at discharge help carry leaves through the pass stream, minimising the chance of good product falling short or sticking.
Compass is equipped with customisable camera options including up to eight channels of multispectral sensor data to deliver advanced performance at a lower cost of ownership than laser-based sorters. An optional chlorophyll-sensitive detection channel further enhances contrast between leafy greens and FM.
Every Compass is also equipped with Key Discovery, a data analytics and reporting software that gives processors real-time insights into line performance and product quality trends. The series is available in a range of configurations and sizes to meet individual customer application and capacity requirements.
Key has a global service team, including an office in Victoria. More information on Compass and the company’s other solutions can be found at key.net.
