Global processing machinery manufacturer and member of Duravant’s Food Sorting and Handling Group, Key Technology, has introduced the latest edition of its Compass belt-fed optical sorter for the food industry, unveiling the new at Pack Expo Las Vegas.
Like the chute-fed Compass introduced in 2023, the belt-fed system delivers foreign material and defect removal while setting new standards for ease of use with simplified controls, sanitation and maintenance. In mid-2024, the company also released a version for individually quick frozen (IQF) products, such as fruits, vegetables, seafood, poultry and meat.
Designed for wet, sticky and delicate products, the belt-fed Compass helps processors ensure food safety, achieve precise product quality and maximise yield while delivering a compelling ROI.
Duravant Group president – food sorting and handling solutions, Jack Lee, said the company has been achieving great results in production facilities worldwide, since introducing the Compass family of optical sorters two years ago.
“Now, after extensive development and testing, we're launching the belt-fed Compass to serve additional markets,” said Lee.
“This new system requires minimal training and delivers exceptional value to more types of food processors.”
The new belt-fed Compass is ideal for a variety of produce, snack foods and other products that cannot be handled by chute-fed sorters. The belt configuration provides gentle handling for delicate applications, reducing product breakage while maintaining high throughput. Unlike chute-fed systems, which require significant elevation changes, belt-fed sorters are installed horizontally, minimising facility modifications and reducing installation costs.
Recipe-driven operation ensures consistent sorting performance on every product run. The user interface mimics smartphone app navigation, allowing workers without technical skills to learn to operate Compass in under 30 minutes.
Processors can create new recipes in under 10 minutes and switch between products in less than a minute. Complete changeovers, including washdown, take as little as 15 minutes. The sorter features intelligent belt control that automatically maintains proper belt tracking, eliminating the need for manual adjustments required by traditional systems.
Powered by Key's advanced Next sort engine, Compass finds and rejects plastic, glass, paper, wood and other organic and inorganic foreign material, as well as processor-specified product defects.
Equipped with customisable camera options and up to 8 channels of multispectral sensor data, the sorter can detect the colour, size, shape and structural properties of every object to identify more, smaller defects than systems with conventional 3-channel cameras.
Every Compass is equipped with Key Discovery, a powerful data analytics and reporting software that turns the sorter into an IIoT-connected device and information centre.
Compass is available in a range of configurations and sizes to meet individual customer application and capacity requirements. Each belt-fed Compass is engineered with a compact footprint that simplifies installation and minimises floor space requirements in existing facilities. The system can be installed at a variety of points in the processing line, from upstream near raw receiving to final inspection just prior to packaging, depending on the application.
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.
