Key Technology has introduced its new COMPASS® optical sorter for individually quick frozen (IQF) products such as fruits, vegetables, seafood, poultry, and meat. COMPASS identifies and removes foreign material (FM) and product defects to protect food safety and final product quality.

COMPASS is ideal for whole products, slices, dices, and crumbles, as well as product mixes. Leveraging in-air inspection, the chute-fed sorter “sees” all sides of a product with no blind spots. It detects and rejects plastic, glass, metal, stones, and other FM, including extraneous vegetable matter (EVM) like leaves and toxic weeds. Processor-specified product defects are also removed from the line with virtually no false rejects.

When inspecting product mixes, COMPASS can be programmed to ensure the ingredients are correctly proportioned. Located at the end of the processing line, immediately prior to packaging, the advanced sorter helps ensure final product quality.

Ease of use on COMPASS is unmatched thanks to the ergonomic user interface, which resembles smart devices for effortless navigation.

Additionally, COMPASS was engineered from the ground up to maximize sanitation while simplifying cleaning and maintenance requirements. COMPASS features an open, washdown-compatible design with easy access for personnel.

Recipe-driven programming also ensures consistent sort performance on every product run, which is especially valuable in high-changeover applications. Operators can create new recipes for new products or adjust existing recipes to accommodate product changes without assistance from an application engineer or Key service technician.

COMPASS features a modular design and is available in multiple sizes to satisfy a wide range of customer applications and capacity requirements. Object-based recognition facilitates sophisticated shape sorting algorithms, while intelligent ejection maximizes sort accuracy and minimizes false rejects.

Every COMPASS is equipped with Key Discovery™, a powerful suite of data analytics and reporting software that enables the sorter to collect, analyze, and share data about every object flowing through the system. Key Discovery can reveal patterns and trends that give processors valuable insights into their operations.

Key Technology: www.key.net.