Key Technology Manta sorter with three-way sorting capability

Key Technology has added three-way sorting capability to its Manta sorter. Featuring two ejector systems, three-way sorting allows food processors to automatically eject product that can be reworked and recovered separately from material sent to waste, typically foreign material. Good product continues through the camera/laser sorter unaffected as usual. This capability allows processors to produce a high-quality finished product without losing recoverable off-grade product to the waste stream or requiring additional sorting expense to separately rework product.

Manta with three-way sorting is suitable for processors that want to remove foreign material as well as valuable off-grade product from their primary product. For these processors, traditional two-way sorters require the reject stream be re-sorted using manual inspection or a second automated sorting system to recover valuable off-grade product. Depending on the application, moving to three-way sorting can increase yields, reduce the risk of FM in finished product, reduce labour costs and/or minimise capital equipment.

Manta is Key’s highest capacity, high-performance sorter, which features a 2 m wide scan area that maximises throughput within a space-saving footprint. Handling up to 27 metric tons of product an hour, Manta performs high-resolution imaging of each object to detect and remove the smallest defects and foreign material via both colour sorting and laser sorting. Using Key’s proprietary colour cameras, Manta recognises each object’s size and shape as well as millions of colour differences to remove defects based on user-defined accept/reject standards. Integrating Key’s Raptor laser technology into Manta allows the sorter to inspect objects’ structural properties, which is often the most effective method for detecting and removing foreign material.

As a high-speed belt sorter, product discharges from Manta sorters with a consistent trajectory that enables the software to accurately pinpoint foreign material and defective products to eject. Featuring two ejector systems and two reject chutes. It can be changed over within seconds via the touch screen to achieve traditional two-way sorting if off-grade products have no recoverable value.