Sorting potato chips
Manufacturer of potato chips/crisps Tayto recently turned to Key Technology and installed four new Optyx digital sorters to better control the removal of defects and foreign material (FM) in batch-fried and continuous-fried potato chips.
Tayto selected combination camera/laser sorters to better identify and remove the widest variety of defects and FM. The cameras recognise colour, size and shape to find defects such as green spots, bruises and overcooked black spots.
With the help of software and algorithms that Key developed specifically for this application, the sorters’ lasers detect common batch-fried defects such as clumps of chips stuck together and oil-soaked and blistered chips in addition to FM.
The company also makes use of Key’s split-sorter configuration, which takes the 48in (1,200mm) wide scan area of the Optyx 6000 series sorter and splits it into two 24in (600mm) wide lanes. This enables Tayto to sort two different products simultaneously on each sorter, with software that allows them to define different defects and different reject thresholds on each sort lane.
