US-based Key Technology last October supplied a Taurys™ laser sorter to the Stockton, CA, walnut shelling plant of Morada Nut Company. The machine is used to remove foreign material (FM) and defects from the product as well as for colour sorting. Taurys is Key’s newest high performance chute-fed laser sorter. It can be configured with a wide range of detection wavelengths to sort on the colour and/or structural properties of a wide variety of nuts as well as dried fruit, frozen fruits and vegetables, fresh cut produce, confections, coffee, and snack foods. With its powerful sort engine, new architecture, new ejection manifold, and the most effective and reliable lasers, the machine is capable of handling higher incoming defect loads, with increased detection resolution, and improved accuracy of defect and FM removal and colour sorting. The unit improves sorting efficiencies and reduces false rejects to help food processors improve product quality while maximising yields. Morada typically runs a standard double pass through Taurys. The first pass removes shells and other FM as well as defects such as shrivelled kernels. The second pass is fine tuned to colour sort for grading purposes.
 

Key Technology has its European head office in Beusichem, the Netherlands. www.key.net 

 

 

Taurys laser sorter from Key Technology at the Morada plant