COMPASS Optical Sorters — a quantum leap in sorting technology

The latest technology in the COMPASS optical sorter offers improved sorting accuracy and ease of use.

In the modern food processing industry, product sorting, defect detection and foreign material (FM) detection are typically carried out using automated sorting equipment in the form of either a belt fed sorter or a chute fed sorter, depending on the conveyance characteristics of the food product. Chute-fed sorters are used to inspect dry or frozen products, while belt sorters are used when the product is wet, sticky or delicate.

Chute sorters give a doubled sided view

In a chute sorter, the product falls through a space between entry and exit chutes where defect detection technology can be applied from opposing sides, allowing both sides of the product to be scanned.

Chute sorters typically use laser or vision technology for defect and FM detection. While laser detection has advantages such as simplicity and speed in measuring physical dimensions, it can have limitations when it comes to handling more complex sorting criteria. Having moving parts, laser sorters also require relatively frequent calibration and replacement, adding to maintenance costs. In contrast, today’s chute sorters utilising advanced vision sensor technology are able to make highly accurate sorting decisions based on visual attributes in addition to size and shape, such as colour defects, and other visual characteristics, while having a long operating life and requiring less physical adjustment.

Introducing the COMPASS sorter

Food processing is a constantly changing market, and as the industry evolves, so must the equipment. A new portfolio of optical food sorters, announced earlier this year, are promising to take the food inspection process one step further, with extreme ease of use, and accurate results through every production run.

The new COMPASS family of optical sorters from Key Technology are a direct response to industry demand for easier to use, easier to clean, powerful sorting solutions — with low cost of ownership.

The first solution in the new COMPASS line up — a chute-fed model — has just been released, with a belt-felt model expected next.

“Optical sorting technology has developed significantly over the last decade, and more advanced sorting capabilities generally meant a system that was also more complex to operate and costly to maintain,” said Mark Holden, Key Technology Territory Manager for Heat and Control Pty Ltd. “The COMPASS optical sorter is the first of its kind that offers consistently high sort accuracy and significantly simpler and more intuitive operation than other food sorting systems.”

COMPASS chute-fed sorters can sort processed, frozen and pre-processed vegetables and fruits, nuts, dried fruits, confections and other food products. Thanks to its advanced sensors and lighting technology, as well as Key’s NEXT sort engine, COMPASS accurately identifies and separates plastic, glass, paper and other organic and inorganic foreign material from the line, in addition to sorting the specific product defects each processor wants to manage to deliver its customers the product quality grade they expect.

Vision advancements

One of the technological advancements introduced in the COMPASS chute sorter’s vision system is a new class of sensors to inspect each item in the product stream on the basis of its colour, size, shape and material characteristics. Utilising a unique feature called Pixel Fusion, COMPASS sorters merge the input of multiple sensors into every pixel of the images the sorter takes to analyse the food processing line stream. This superset of information allows the sorter to make clear, accurate determinations about whether an object is a good piece of product, or a product defect or foreign material that should be removed from the line.

The sensor technology in COMPASS also incorporates short-wave infrared imaging in addition to colour, allowing the sorter to pick up material properties such as moisture levels and certain chemical properties.

Ease of use

Key Technology has also designed COMPASS for ease of use. The new, ergonomically designed user interface greatly simplifies the critical tasks the operator performs to set up the sorter to start production, and make any adjustments required while in production. A new production operator with no technical background can learn how to operate the system proficiently in a very short time.

The COMPASS chute sorter is offered in widths of 600mm and 1200mm, and in a configurable range of system types and sizes to meet individual customer applications and capacity requirements.

Data integration

COMPASS also features Key Discovery data analytics and reporting software that turns the sorter into an IIoT-connected device, suitable for Industry 4.0.

Key Discovery provides access to valuable reports and live dashboards to analyse and understand trends in product quality and the sorting process. COMPASS can also connect flexibly with other line equipment upstream or downstream from it, and with any SCADA and MES line management software.

Low maintenance overhead

COMPASS is efficient to operate and easy to maintain. With no moving parts, normal cleaning is the only maintenance required. Food-safe design features and easy access to critical equipment areas minimise the time required to clean and sanitise the equipment after production. Its low cost of ownership makes it possible for food processors to realise a higher return and shorter payback on their initial investment.

In 2024 Key Technology will also introduce COMPASS belt-fed sorters for applications including fresh-cut vegetables, leafy greens potato chips, snacks and bakery products.

Top image caption: COMPASS chute-fed sorters can sort processed, frozen and pre-processed vegetables and fruits, nuts, dried fruits, confections and other food products.