Key Technology Sort-to-Grade potato strip sorting software

Key Technology has announced the availability of its potato strip Sort-to-Grade feature for all belt-driven G6 optical sorters - Manta, Optyx and Tegra. The patented, software-driven intelligence enables sorters to grade by count, accepting or rejecting each defective piece to control the quality of output to a defined grade, as defined by the processor.

According to the company, Sort-to-Grade assures product quality while increasing yield by 1 to 3%.

Historically, operators have had to adjust the sorter’s accept/reject thresholds subjectively in an effort to make the grade, given inevitable fluctuations in the quality of incoming product. With Sort-to-Grade capability, accept/reject decisions consider how potentially passing a particular defect, based on its size and colour, will affect the overall final product quality in comparison to the processor’s specifications.

Sort-to-Grade allows the sorter to control the quality of its output to a defined grade, objectively sorting by count in real time with 100% inspection. It increases yield by reducing unnecessary rejects while improving the consistency of final product quality and simplifying the operator’s experience.

With the Sort-to-Grade software installed and running, the user sets the sorter to achieve the desired target grade and sets the desired sample size. The software then controls the mass flow of product by making piece-by-piece decisions to determine which are passed and which are rejected. If a product piece contains an allowable defect, the sorter adds it to the product flow by allowing it to pass. If a piece would result in product out of grade, the piece is rejected.

Target grade can be defined by the user as a percentage of tolerable defects in the bag or a percentage removal of incoming defects. The sample size is also user-defined, according to the grading practice used in the processing plant.