The pursuit of perfection

The pursuit of perfection led Pasta Montana to install an Optyx digital sorter from Key Technology to eject foreign material (FM) and defects from the product stream. The sorter was installed in July 2013 on a line that produces short pastas such as penne, shells and elbows.

“As a pasta manufacturer for Japanese customers that accept zero defects, we need to ensure the quality of our product. Of course, our domestic customers appreciate this too,” said Claude Smith, Plant Manager at Pasta Montana.

“We wanted to add a quality-control step that was as close to certain as we could get. We were looking for a way to guarantee perfect pasta. That’s what drove this project.

“We looked at multiple suppliers and compared their after-sales service and spare parts availability as well as their willingness to customise the technology for our application.

“Key was head and shoulders above when it came to service. They also had better technology. As we got deeper into it and Key continued to modify things for us, we ended up with an integrated system that is steps ahead of what the others offered.”

Traditionally used to sort harvested foods like fruit, vegetables, nuts and potato products, the digital sorting technology needed to be adapted to work with pasta. Key Technology customised the sorter and developed the intelligent software and algorithms for the application.

“Prior to Optyx, we relied on mechanical screening and metal detection as well as QC checks. When we ran products for some of our Japanese customers, we’d slow the line down to half speed and add four people assigned to watch the product and achieve 100% inspection,” said Adam Hatch, Maintenance Tech Class A at Pasta Montana.

“Now, with Optyx, we can run at full speed and we’ve eliminated the human error that comes with manual inspection. We’ve increased productivity by 20% on that line and we’re better able to ensure the quality of our product.”

The Optyx sorter in action at Pasta Montana.

The Optyx 3785 at Pasta Montana features colour cameras and a laser, sorting on a 610 mm wide belt to inspect as much as four metric tons of pasta per hour. Via intelligent algorithms, the cameras recognise colour, size and shape to detect product defects and co-mingled product. The laser recognises differences in structural properties to detect FM, even when it is the same colour as good product - which is especially important when Pasta Montana is running tri-coloured pasta. When FM, defects and co-mingled product are identified, Optyx activates its ejection system to remove these objects from the product stream.

In addition to the Optyx sorter, Key supplied Pasta Montana with an Iso-Flo scalping shaker that removes fines as well as under- and over-size objects and an Iso-Flo shaker with an air flow system that removes lightweight material. A third Iso-Flo conveyor, configured as a scale feed shaker, was installed above the combination weigher to maximise the efficiency of the bagger. This integrated system is found on Line Two at Pasta Montana, which produces a wide variety of small pastas.

“We use shape sorting for every product we run so we can catch an elbow pasta if we’re running penne, and double our protection. The scalper upstream of the sorter does a great job giving the sorter clean product. Compared to our old scalper, this is so much better. For one thing, it’s easier to change screens, which we typically do for each product run. It used to take four people 15 to 20 minutes to change the screens. Now, it takes two people 5 to 7 minutes,” said Amanda Carpenter, Floating Operator at Pasta Montana.

Gentle handling is an important consideration, as some pasta shapes are more fragile than others. “This entire project was geared to producing perfect pasta, and gentle handling was an important part of that. We eliminated breakage points and lowered elevation drops. The discharge of the sorter was a concern, so Key worked to decelerate the product there,” said Smith.

Carpenter added, “Now, we have much less breakage than before and less waste. Further down the line, with the less breakage, the bagging operation becomes much more efficient.”

“Since we installed Optyx, we’ve not had a single customer complaint,” concluded Smith. “And we’ve made it easier for our people to package the best pasta.”