Optical Sorters for Peach and Apricot by Protec

Protec’s optical sorters are used in peach and apricot processing. Our machines operate on sorting lines for whole fruits, halved, sliced or diced: off-color are detected and rotten, unripe or spoiled fruits are removed, along with harvest or processing residues.

By detecting and removing the smallest defects and impurities Protect’s technology allows also a thorough sorting of peach and apricot compotes, jams and extrusions.

For whole sliced or diced stone fruit use: Extrasorter, DixairWT or Extrasorter3W; for puree, jams and comptes use: AspirX

The Extrasorter separates unrip or rotten fruit from the production line. It also identifies foreign bodies such as leaves, wood and plastic. The output flow therefore only contains fruit suitable to be processed. The sorter features an effective colour-based selection system to identify fruit of the incorrect colours and an infrared lighting system to detect foreign matter, which would be overlooked by conventional vision systems which use visible light. The electro-pneumatic ejector blade system effectively targets small fruit such as lemons, limes and clementines and large sized fruit such as oranges and grapefruits. ExtraSorter models: 20C production of 23 T/hr and 500mm belt width; 30C production of 34 T/hr and 750mm belt width; 40C production of 45 T/hr and 1000mm belt width and 60C production of 60Ton/hr and 1500mm belt width.

For vegetables and diced fruit sorting the new DixAirWT has proved to be the most efficient in detecting defects such as off-color, rot, and discoloration in black, green and white colors. The sorter uses a high-speed and high-resolution system of linear cameras, that examines the product moving on the conveyor belt. The images are analysed on an electronic card designed by Protec, that uses the latest integration and speed technology to ensure maximum performance. Defects as small as 0.5 x 0.25mm in size are analysed in conjunction with a powerful image processing software. The sorter is also provided with a unique back-lighting device installed below the belt to illuminate the product and better show the defects. DixAirWT models: WT50-WT50 production of 30 T/hr and 500mm belt width; WT100-WT100 production of 60 T/hr and 1000mm belt width; WT150-WT150 production of 90 Ton/hr and 1500mm belt width.

In its 3-way sorting configuration the Extrasorter3W separates the product in three different classes by color, defects or foreign bodies. It can be applied to various product categories, such as potatoes, olives, tomatoes, walnuts, mussels. It operates with double vision and double rejection systems: by inspecting the product completely and accurately, also on large quantities. Models as per above standard Extrasorter.

The Aspirx sorter is for compote, pulp and puree. Compote is made of cooked apple pulp and is used in many recipes and has an excellent appearance and is usually sold in glass jars; its quality is enhanced if the impurities are separated from it. Puree is usually sold for home use and must be free from impurities, especially when used for baby food. AspirX eliminates impurities with a high level of accuracy, making the product pleasant even for the most sensitive palates. The AspirX F sorter has an accurate vision system that identifies even the smallest defects. Thanks to the exclusive defect removing suction system, the sorter supplies an output product with excellent organoleptic properties and high commercial value. Aspirx models: 50-50 production of 1-7 T/hr and 500mm belt width; 100-100 production of 6-13 T/hr and 1000mm belt width; 150-150 production of 9-22 Ton/hr and 1500mm belt width.