Key Technology Introduces its Highest Volume Sorter – Manta™

Key Technology introduces Manta™, a new state-of-the-art high volume, high performance sorter featuring a two-meter wide scan area that dramatically increases throughput within a space-saving footprint. Handling up to 27 metric tons (60,000 pounds) of processed vegetables or fruit per hour, Manta offers high resolution scanning to detect and remove the smallest defects and foreign material. In addition to processed vegetables and fruit, Manta is being developed for other industry applications.

Designed for exceptional versatility and superior sanitation, this innovative sorter increases production capacity while maximizing product quality and food safety. 

With the highest number of sensors and image processing modules of any sorter on the market, Manta maintains the high resolution of the finest narrow-belt sorters on its wider, higher capacity frame. Designed for flexibility, Key can configure Manta with up to eight top-mounted color or Vis/IR (visible infrared) cameras and up to two top-mounted FluoRaptor™ fluorescence-sensing lasers. Optional bottom-mounted sensors can be added to meet the specific needs of each application. Extreme modularity allows Manta to be easily reconfigured in the field, which enables processors to confidently select a camera/laser arrangement today knowing that the sorting system can grow if their needs change. 

Manta’s dynamic design supports on-belt viewing as well as off-belt, in-air viewing, which can also be modified in the field at a later date if needed.

Using Key’s proprietary color cameras, Manta recognizes each object’s size and shape as well as millions of subtle color differences to remove defects based on user-defined accept/reject standards. Adding FluoRaptor to Manta expands the sorter’s inspection capabilities by reliably detecting foreign material (FM) and extraneous vegetable matter (EVM) based on differing levels of chlorophyll. Combining color and laser sorting on one platform provides the most comprehensive sort available today.

Manta features a 2-meter (79-inch) wide scan area and handles up to 27 metric tons (60,000 pounds) of product per hour in a footprint that is similar to Tegra. Compared to Optyx 6000, which easily handles 10 metric tons (22,000 pounds) of product per hour, and Tegra®, which typically handles up to 14 metric tons (30,000+ pounds) of product per hour, Manta dramatically increases throughput while maintaining optimal performance. 

“Bonduelle, one of the largest vegetable processors in Europe, has purchased a Manta to be installed in early 2008. Their Manta sorter will be configured to handle a range of vegetables including peas, multiple varieties of beans, multiple forms of carrots, and also potatoes, turnips, and more,” noted Bret Larreau, Processed Vegetable and Fruit Industry Marketing Manager at Key Technology. “Every customer that has seen Manta in operation in our test facility has been impressed with its performance, simplicity and ease of use. We are excited that in addition to Bonduelle, we have multiple Manta sorters being installed in various plants around the world for the upcoming 2008 processing season.”