Key Technology ADR X for potato strips

Key Technology (Key) has introduced the ADR X automatic defect removal system for potato strips. The system is designed to identify defects on wet potato strips and precisely trim only the affected areas so more usable product can be recovered. 

Building upon Key’s previous ADR systems, ADR X aligns, singulates, inspects and trims both peeled and peel-on wet potato strips of various cut sizes. It introduces a series of new capabilities including multi-channel sensing with advanced LED lighting and strobing for identification of challenging product defects such as green discolouration. Multiple images of each strip are captured under different wavelengths and combined to create clear separation between the product and background.

Designed to maximise hygienic operation in wet processing environments, the system architecture eliminates activity above the product stream, reduces flat surfaces and integrates clean-in-place functionality. Bearings and other key components are positioned for easy access to speed maintenance and support uptime.

Other features include recipe-driven conveying and alignment mechanics that automatically adjust based on the selected cut size. Lane profiles and strip positioning are set via the user interface, allowing the system to respond to different strip dimensions without manual tuning and supporting repeatable performance across product changeovers.

To maintain precise trimming as recipes change, the conveyor belt and cutter-wheel operate with independent drives. The cutter-wheel automatically repositions itself based on the selected cut size.

Available as a plug-and-play system, ADR X can be installed as a direct replacement for previous-generation ADR 5 systems without requiring significant layout changes.