Key Technology introduces product-specific infeed and collection conveyors for its Veryx digital belt- and chute-fed sorters.
The infeed conveyors must optimize stabilization and separation of the product to the sorter.
This creates a consistent feed through the sorter’s inspection and ejection zones, which ensures ultimate accuracy in detecting and sorting out every piece of foreign material and defective product while avoiding inadvertent removal of good product in the process.
The sorter’s collection conveyors must create a soft landing and ease product deceleration to offer gentle handling and prevent damage to the product.
Exactly how these objectives are best achieved depends on the conveyance properties of each product.
Key’s Application Matrix defines the ideal stroke, frequency, shape, slope, surface texture and other conveyor variables to match each product.
For food processors that run multiple products on the same line, Key designs conveying solutions that offer the best performance across all the products with minimal adjustments needed at each changeover.
“The optimum infeed conveyor can improve a sorter’s performance significantly,” said Jim Ruff, GM of the integrated solutions group.
“We have improved digital sorting with our new Veryx sorters, and we are getting the most from these sophisticated systems by designing infeed and collection conveyors that best complement each application.”
“With sorting and conveying under one roof, Key is able to deliver the ideal combined solution.”
The Application Matrix considers the many characteristics of each product to help determine the conveying systems that will produce the best results.
From leafy greens that tend to stick to a conveyor or fly like a sail, peas that roll and ‘windrow’, wet potato strips that stick and frozen potato strips that slide, a deep understanding of sorting and product handling enables Key to design the ideal infeed and collection conveyors that maximize the sorter’s success.
