Whole Potato Sorting with the TOMRA 3A

The TOMRA 5B has a user-friendly design, excellent performance, and state-of-the-art hygiene features that comply with the latest standards and regulations.

The off-belt laser detects up to 99% of foreign material and can see whether chips contain excessive oil or water content. The TOMRA 5B was further enhanced in early 2021 by a software update that added new features. One of these, Health Check, reduces the risk of line disruptions caused by dirt sticking on the machine’s window between the camera/laser and the product stream. Health Check automatically checks the machine’s cleanliness before sorting and informs the operator which surfaces need cleaning. And because it works remotely, the operator or line manager doesn’t even have to go to the line to make the Health Check. Another feature, Smart Ejection, uses new de-clustering algorithms that improve efficiency in French Fries production. Smart Ejection improves good-in-bad performance by anything from 25% to 100%; improves accept-stream quality by making even more accurate decisions on defect types and clusters; and reduces false detection, especially of shorts in clusters, to minimize product waste and increase yield - another good example ROI. Clever controls and a data platform TOMRA Insight’s Health Check and Smart Ejection features are good examples of how today’s sorting machines are so effective not only because of their all-seeing 'eyes' - their cameras, lasers, and NIR spectroscopy - but also because of developments in software and controls. These have brought easy-to-program features that only a few years ago would have been the stuff of dreams. Many control features are now available to enhance sorting efficiencies in potato processing. Sort-to-Length, for example, ensures that French Fries meet a pre-determined grade. Reverse Sorting recuperates good product from recovery streams. SmartSort helps operators easily define color specifications and detection settings. Dynamic Cloud gives a real-time view of all the materials the machine assesses as defects so that detection settings can be fine-tuned. And Sort-to-Spec makes it easy to sort batches into different qualities, for example, AAA-grade and B-grade fries. Another recent development in sorting technologies, and one of profound significance, is data acquisition. By gathering data from sorting machines in near real-time and storing this securely in the cloud, the TOMRA Insight subscription-based service turns sorting machines into connected devices with information that can unlock machine performance improvements. Acting on this data - which can be accessed from anywhere and across plants via web-based desktop and mobile devices - pays off in many ways. Downtime is reduced by monitoring machine health near real-time, supporting the management of predictive and condition-based maintenance, and preventing unscheduled machine shutdowns. Throughput is maximized by evaluating throughput variations in order to optimize sorting equipment. Operating costs are reduced by identifying gaps in production and analyzing potential root causes. Also, sorting to target quality is enhanced by having accurate material-composition data that enables decisions to be based on more detailed information. Sorters are now profitable management tools TOMRA Insight is transforming sorting from an operational process into a strategic management tool. What’s more, this tool is constantly becoming more powerful because the platform’s functionality and features are reviewed and updated every three weeks in response to customers’ needs and priorities. This is just one of the ways in which TOMRA Food works closely with growers and processors and collaborates with their other line suppliers - making it easier to meet daily operational challenges while enhancing profitability.  

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