Food & Beverage Asia June/July 2020

FIRST LOOKS 59
Key Technology introduces integrated sorting systems for
fresh-cut apples
Key Technology has introduced its
new sorting system for fresh-cut apple
products. This solution integrates Key’s
Iso-Flo shakers, rotary sizing and grading
systems, belt conveyors and a VERYX
digital sorter. Removing pieces of stem,
seeds calyx and flower, and core as well
as foreign material (FM) and product
defects like dark and light stains, rot and
skin, this apple sorting line automates
inspection to improve overall product
quality and increase yield while reducing
labour requirements.
The integrated solution sorts peeled and
skin-on apples, as well as pears, which
are cut in a variety of sizes and shapes
including cubes, strips and wedges. With
VERYX sorters available in different sizes,
Key is able to design apple sorting lines
for processors with production capabilities
from 3-15 metric tons per hour.
The new solution begins with belt
conveyors that transfer whole, halved or
sliced apples, after they are peeled and
cored, to Key’s Sliver Sizer Remover (SSR),
which mechanically removes fines that
result from the peeling
and coring process. The
product then continues to
either a cutter that cuts
the apples into different
sizes and shapes or, if
already sliced, directly
onto the sorter. By cutting
whole or halved apples
instead of wedges, the
yield from the cutter is
improved since there are
fewer slivers. When whole
or half apples are the final
product, the cutter can be
A conveyor then carries the apple cubes,
strips, dices or wedges to an Iso-Flo
infeed shaker that spreads the product
for presentation to a mechanical Precision
Size Grader (PSG), which removes small
pieces that are generated in the cutting
process. Next, a Key Iso-Flo dewatering
shaker removes any residual water while
spreading and singulating product to feed
the downstream VERYX sorter.
Equipped with top- and bottom-mounted
cameras and laser sensors, VERYX
detects colour, size, shape and structural
properties of every object, including the
presence of chlorophyll, to find and remove
defects and FM. As a belt-fed sorter that
can view product entirely in-air with
top and bottom sensors for full-surface
inspection, VERYX is ideal for challenging
shapes like large cubes and wedges.
The VERYX architecture positions sensor
windows, light sources and backgrounds
away from product splatter so accurate
inspection is sustained throughout long
production cycles without operator
intervention. Key’s mechanical product
handling systems also enhance sanitation,
with features such as open designs, fully
welded frames, one-piece block pans,
stainless steel bed surfaces, oil-free drives,
label stand-offs and more.
VERYX features next-generation four
channel cameras and high-resolution laser
sensors, which offer twice the resolution
of previous sensor technology to find
smaller FM and defects. Key’s Pixel Fusion
technology combines pixel-level input
from multiple cameras and laser sensors,
producing higher contrasts to find difficultto-detect
FM and defects.
Key designed this apple sorting line
to manage different apple and pear
varietals, and various cut shapes and
sizes with minimal changeover. Recipedriven
operation enables VERYX to be
changed over to handle a new product in
seconds with only a couple of taps on the
touchscreen, the company claimed. The
SSR and PSG can be adjusted to manage
different cut shapes and sizes.
VERYX can also be equipped with Key’s
Information Analytics
software, which allows users
to analyse and share big
data across their enterprise
via an OPCUA compliant
infrastructure. Data about
the sort process and about
each and every object flowing
through the sorter, whether
the data is used to make sort
decisions or not, is available
to reveal patterns, trends
and associations to optimise
processes upstream
and downstream of the
easily bypassed.
New integrated sorting system for fresh-cut apple products from Key Technology sorter. ■
Key Technology
FOOD & BEVERAGE ASIA JUNE / JULY 2020