October 17, 2024 – Key Technology (“Key”), a member of Duravant’s Food Sorting and Handling Solutions group, introduces their COMPASS® optical sorter for nuts at Pack Expo booth S-2858. Offering a high ROI and quick payback, this easy to operate high-performance, high-capacity system identifies and removes undesirable product defects and foreign material (FM) such as shells, shell fragments, rocks and wood sticks. COMPASS helps nut processors protect food safety and achieve exact final product quality specifications, including color grading, while maximizing ease of operation and increasing profitability.
“The message from nut processors is that other optical sorters on the market are overly complex and difficult to use. That’s why we designed COMPASS – to simplify operation, sanitation and maintenance while delivering consistent sort performance day in and day out across different product batches and operators. Its ergonomic user interface was developed in collaboration with UI experts to mimic the intuitive navigation of smartphone apps,” said Jack Lee, Duravant Group President - Food Sorting and Handling Solutions. “With nut prices continually under pressure, processors are looking for an accurate, high-throughput sorting system that delivers a great return on investment. COMPASS fits all their needs.”
Ideal for sorting walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts, pecans, cashews and more, COMPASS finds and rejects a wide variety of FM and products defects such as small, loose and embedded shell fragments, membrane material, insect damage, surface scratches, color-based defects, rocks, sticks, plastics, paper and glass. Accurate color and shape grading enables processors to meet the most stringent product quality specifications.
Recipe-driven operation ensures consistent sort performance on every product run. Operators can easily create and adjust sort recipes, including adding new products to sort, new grades or different varieties of an existing product. A new operator without any technical skills can learn how to operate the system in production in under 30 minutes.
Key tailors each COMPASS to satisfy the customer’s unique quality selection requirements. COMPASS can be equipped with next-generation shortwave infrared (SWIR) InGaAs sensors and/or visible-infrared (RGB and IR) sensors to detect the color, size, shape and/or structural properties of every object, depending on the application. COMPASS is available with Key’s proprietary Pixel Fusion™ technology, a unique solution that combines pixel-level input from multiple sensor types to produce optimal contrasts for finding even the most difficult-to-detect FM and product defects.
Featuring a new, open-design mechanical architecture, COMPASS has no moving parts, significantly reducing overall total cost of ownership. Sensor and light windows are positioned away from product splatter, so accurate inspection is sustained throughout long production cycles without operator intervention. The COMPASS architecture facilitates easy access for workers and minimizes cleaning and maintenance requirements.
COMPASS also features Key Discovery™, a powerful data analytics and reporting software that turns the sorter into an IIoT-connected device and information center for the customer’s operation. By delivering a wealth of product quality and sort process information, Key Discovery gives nut processors important insights into the operation of their line and product quality trends.
Key supports its customers worldwide through an extensive sales network and its global service team. For more information on Key’s optical sorters, visit www.key.net/en/our-products/sorting/.
About Key Technology, Inc.
Key Technology is a global leader in the design and manufacture of automation systems including optical sorters, conveyors and other processing equipment. Applying processing knowledge and application expertise, Key helps customers in the food processing and other industries improve quality, increase yield and reduce cost. Key manufactures its products in Walla Walla, Washington, USA; Redmond, Oregon, USA; and in Beusichem, the Netherlands. Key offers customer demonstration and testing services at five locations including Walla Walla and Beusichem as well as Hasselt, Belgium and Sacramento, California, USA; and maintains a sales and service office in Santiago de Queretaro, Mexico. Key is a Duravant Company. For more information, visit www.key.net.
About Duravant
Headquartered in Downers Grove, IL, Duravant is a global engineered equipment company with manufacturing, sales and service facilities throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Through their portfolio of operating companies, Duravant delivers trusted end-to-end process solutions for customers and partners through engineering and integration expertise, project management and operational excellence. With worldwide sales distribution and service networks, they provide immediate and lifetime aftermarket support to all the markets they serve in the food processing, packaging and material handling sectors. Duravant’s market-leading brands are synonymous with innovation, durability and reliability. For more information, visit www.duravant.com.
Buffy Hagerman
Key Technology
150 Avery Street
Walla Walla, WA 99362 USA
Tel: +1 509 540 7415
bhagerman@key.net
www.key.net
Lene Boes
Key Technology
Bedrijfsstraat 6b
B-3500 Hasselt, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 11 26 70 38
lboes@key.net
www.key.net
Cat McBride
McBride Public Relations
527 27th Street
Richmond, CA 94804 USA
Tel: +1 650 384 5727
connect@mcbridepr.com
www.mcbridepr.com