Key Technology Presents VERYX® Digital Sorters to Australian Food Processors at FoodPro 2017

Key Technology introduces its VERYX® family of digital sorters to the Australian food processing industry with the VERYX C140 on exhibit at the FoodPro trade show in Sydney 16-19 July, 2017.

Featuring an innovative system architecture and advanced inspection technology, VERYX sorters maximize the detection and removal of foreign material (FM) and product defects based on objects’ color, size, shape and/or structural properties while minimizing false rejects to enhance product quality and increase yields.

With belt-fed and chute-fed configurations available in various widths, VERYX handles a wide range of products and production throughputs. Belt-fed systems sort frozen and fresh cut fruits and vegetables, leafy greens, potato chips and other snacks, confections, seafood, wet and frozen potato strips and more. Chute-fed systems sort nuts, dried fruits, IQF products and other free-flowing foods. The inspection width of every VERYX sorter is 10-15 percent wider than comparatively sized sorters, which enables higher throughputs within a similar footprint and better singulation of product to improve sorting accuracy.
 Featuring a highly customizable modular design, Key tailors each system around the product characteristics and production objectives of each processor with the ideal sensor types, sensor positions, lighting, ejection system, product handling, software and more. The system includes specialized infeed and collection shakers designed specifically for each application to maximize sorting performance. VERYX can be easily upgraded in the field with additional or different sensors, as customer requirements evolve over time.

For food processors that require all-sided surface inspection, Key can configure belt-fed VERYX with top-and-bottom mounted sensors and chute-fed VERYX with front-and-back mounted sensors to achieve a full view of each object in the product stream with no blind spots. Belt-fed VERYX is the only sorter on the market that positions bottom sensors away from product splatter, which ensures lower sensor windows are not obstructed by contamination buildup over time to sustain 100 percent surface inspection throughout the production cycle.

VERYX is also the only sorter with multi-sensor Pixel Fusion™. This advanced feature combines pixel-level input from multiple cameras and laser sensors sharing the same line of sight to more clearly differentiate good product, defects and FM. With Pixel Fusion, VERYX consistently removes the most difficult-to-detect FM and defects without false rejects.

The next-generation cameras and laser sensors on VERYX offer twice the resolution of previous generation sorters to detect smaller FM and product defects. With up to 4 channels of information from cameras and up to 8 channels of information from the laser scanner, combined with advanced LED lighting that operates at optimal frequencies in relation to each sensor, every VERYX sorter is designed to perfectly match the customer’s sort requirements, from basic to the most complex.

VERYX’s separation/ejection system is also tailored to each product application, with configurable distances between air nozzles and intelligent software managing the actuation of each valve for optimal management of the sort streams. The air nozzles’ actuation is controlled strategically to suit the size, shape and weight of each object targeted for separation.

Designed for extreme ease-of-use, VERYX includes smartfeatures that enable it to adapt to normal changes in the product and environment without operator intervention. With auto-learning, self-adjustment algorithms, predictive system diagnostics, smart alarms and FMAlert™, VERYX can operate unattended during normal production.

The highly intuitive VERYX UI provides different views to users of various levels, depending on their needs. Recipe-driven operation and repeatable system calibration ensure customers can count on consistent performance from their VERYX sorter day in, day out, including running the same product across multiple sorters using the same sort recipe for repeatable results. For customers running multiple product types on the same system with frequent changeovers, VERYX is easily setup to run a new product or product grade at the touch of a button. Operator qualification requirements are dramatically reduced, allowing a minimally skilled operator to become a proficient user of the sorter in less than one hour.

VERYX features Key’s Information Analytics, a set of data acquisition and connectivity capabilities that allow users to gather a broad range of product and operational data from the sorter. Data can be shared for off-line analysis, integrated with other equipment on the line or exchanged directly with a customer’s SCADA, Manufacturing Execution System or PLC network.

For more information on Key’s VERYX, visit www.key.net/products/veryx.