At Fruit Logistica 2023 hall 6.1 booth A-60, Key Technology unveils their upgraded Herbert Oculus optical sorter for entire potatoes.

This improved system enhances performance to locate and eliminate potatoes with flaws, making it ideal for fresh market potatoes or whole potatoes before processing. Despite variations in the quality of the entering raw materials, its exceptional sorting skills assist to maintain product quality while lowering labor costs and achieving continuous line throughput.

“The value of Herbert Oculus for the potato industry has never been greater. With extreme weather impacting the quality and quantity of harvested crops worldwide and labor availability at an all-time low, automating inspection with Oculus helps customers achieve grade specifications while maximizing yield and profitability. Driven by continuous improvement, we upgraded Oculus to offer our customers a more innovative, effective, and reliable solution for the changing market,” Antoine van Bree, President, of Key Technology – EMEA and Asia, said.

The improved Herbert Oculus has brand-new cameras with twice as much resolution as the previous generation cameras, allowing it to detect smaller, more difficult-to-find flaws. To achieve a more complex examination of each tuber, a 64-bit operating system replaces the prior 32-bit operating system. Newer, more durable air cylinders with improved seals operate at lower pressure to conserve energy, decrease maintenance requirements, and quieter operations without sacrificing performance. Lighter reject fingers move more quickly, increasing reject precision.

To give the digital infrared color cameras a full 360-degree image of each tuber, Herbert Oculus transports the potatoes over several rollers. This novel sorting technique delivers 20% more surface examination and gentler handling compared to conventional cascade sorters, which maximizes defect removal.

Herbert Oculus identifies size, form, color, and texture and is available in a variety of sizes for a range of capacities up to 40 metric tons of product per hour (36,287 kg/hr). The sorter can eliminate a variety of color defects, illnesses, and surface abnormalities thanks to its advanced detection capabilities, including skin discoloration, green and dark colors, bruising, mechanical damage, blackleg, and silver scurf.

Key supports customers worldwide through its extensive sales and SupportPro service network.

For more information about Key’s Herbert Oculus optical sorter, visit: https://www.key.net/en/products/oculus-whole-potato-optical-sorter/