Laser sorter raises the speed barrier

In a bid to reduce costs and automate their production, foodmanufacturers are running their lines at ever-faster speeds. In turn, suppliersto the industry have been increasing the speeds at which their machinesoperate. Key Technology says its new Optyx 6000 Raptor laser sortercan process up to 40,000 pounds (18 metric tons) per hour, depending on theapplication. The Optyx 6000 has been designed to sort fresh, frozen anddried fruits and vegetables, including frozen potato products, tree nuts,raisins and other food products. The Optyx 6000 combines color cameras with laser technologyto do the product sorting. It analyzes size and shape as well as millions ofsubtle color differences. This allows it to remove defective products based onuser-defined accept and reject standards. Key's Raptor laser technology expands the sorter'sinspection capabilities by detecting foreign matter based on the differencesbetween the structural properties with the product. The sorter's platform measures 48-inches (1220 mm), doublethe width of its previous model. The wide scan area doubles production capacitywhile all-digital electronics maintains the same ultra-high resolution. "Unlike traditional analog laser systems, Raptor'sall-digital architecture delivers uncompromised data that drives the mostadvanced algorithms for complex sort decisions," Key Technology stated in apress release today. The Optyx 6000 series sorters employ multiple cameras andsensors in a variety of configurations to match the needs of each processingapplication. The Optyx 6000 Raptor can be configured for eithersingle-side or two-side laser scanning. A user interface displays the sorting information, allowingthe operator to see what the laser is detecting. The feature delivers a more intuitive machine feedback tothe operator, which allows for more accurate adjustment of accept or rejectthresholds, the company claimed. Product settings can be stored and retrieved forproduct changeover.