Advances in vision inspection systems

PLAYING a vital role in meeting the increasingly demanding standards of food safety and cleanliness in every world market, vision inspection systems such as the SORTEX E1D deploy the most advanced technology to detect contaminants more accurately and reject them more efficiently than is possible with other technologies.

The latest addition to the Buhler's E range from Sortex is a double-sided sorting solution designed for frozen fruit, berry and vegetable process lines to ensure an efficient and high quality product yield. Advanced feed, vision and ejection technologies provide high capacity and quality optical sorting within a small footprint.

Having previously introduced components that provide in-the-blowmoulder material distribution measurement as well as automated blowmoulder control, Agr has developed the Pilot Vision system as the final component to complete this comprehensive package.

Historically, most frozen and canned spinach processors have not automated sorting because the application is so difficult and the quality improvements often didn't justify the high yield loss. That's changed with Key Technology's new Wet Spinach Sorting System that has solved the old problems in product handling, conveying, and sorting.

Small footprint, powerful detection
Offering a high performance sort in a small footprint, SORTEX E1D has been designed to bring the benefits of larger sorters to smaller processors whilst delivering high quality sorting, such as inspecting product for discoloured or misshaped product, subtle blemishes, detecting extraneous vegetable matter (EVM) and foreign material (FM) in frozen fruit, berries and vegetables in the process line, or any combination.

The high quality sorter comes with a state-of-the-art inspection system using visible bi-chromatic cameras to detect small and subtle colour defects plus PROfile technology to detect objects by their shape.

In addition, an optional InGaAs technology camera can be installed enables processors to cope with challenging defects such as dark stones in blueberries or cigarette filters in mushrooms.

"Double-sided viewing gives even better detection of subtle defects as more of the product is visible," said Sortex PR executive Tracey Ibbotson. The E1D can be used for inspection bulk to bulk and packaging lines, because InGaAs technology detect stray packaging materials such as wood, plastic or cardboard in packing lines or bulk to bulk sorting situations.

"You can fit this sorter in various lines on the process line. It can go before the blanching, after/before freezing," said Ms Ibbotson, "and actually, it's also being used in the packing lines now as last-minute
detection system. Because sometimes, additional contaminants are entered into the food chain through the packaging materials, such as wood from the pallets, wood for instance. Some of these are hard to detect because they're of a similar colour, so this is a really good last minute check to remove those and make sure they're quite safe before going out."

Catching random defects with 100% inspection
Designed to work in conjunction with today's high speed reheat stretch blowmoulding equipment, the Pilot Vision system provides detection of random occurring defects during the production of PET bottles. According to Agr chief operating officer Robert Cowden, the in-the-blowmoulder inspection system for PET containers was designed to deal with contaminants owing to the increased e of recycled plastics.

"The increased use of non-virgin materials has contributed to growing incidences of contaminants, black specs and un-melted material that can randomly appear during the blowing process, compromising quality and usability. Since these occur on a random basis, 100% inspection is required," Mr Cowden said.

"[The Pilot Vision system] gives bottle makers the assurance that bottles with these typesRunning Shoes & Gear