Key Technology COMPASS and VERYX optical sorters

Key Technology COMPASS and VERYX optical sorters are designed to automatically remove product defects and foreign material from processed protein products, such as frozen chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, fish sticks, plant-based meat alternatives and more.

The sorters detect the colour, size, shape and/or structural properties of every object to identify and remove a variety of product defects including clumps of product, clumps of breading/batter and product that hasn’t been formed, cooked or coated correctly. Foreign material, such as plastic, metal, glass and paper, that may have been accidentally introduced to the production line is also removed. For processed protein applications, optical sorting is most often used immediately prior to packaging for final inspection but may also be used upstream to inspect incoming ingredients.

Each sorting system is customised by Key in a suitable size and configuration to address the processor’s product characteristics and line requirements. Key infeed and collection conveyors can be integrated with the sorter to gently move product and preserve its integrity while maximising sort accuracy. Optional conveyor screens are available to remove fines prior to sorting, if needed.

Engineered to satisfy the high sanitary standards required for protein processing, Key’s optical sorters feature open designs, sloped surfaces and more, to maximise equipment hygiene and ease cleaning.

Every COMPASS and VERYX sorter is equipped with Key Discovery, a data analytics and reporting software that enables the sorter to collect and analyse data about objects flowing through the sorter to reveal patterns that can help improve upstream and downstream processes.

Key’s optical sorters for frozen protein products are designed to reduce the need for manual inspection. Fast and accurate recipe-driven changeovers are designed to maximise production versatility and uptime while ensuring repeatable results. Operator qualification requirements allow a minimally skilled individual to become a proficient user of the system in less than one hour.