Two new sorting machines presented

TOMRA Food Sorting has brought two innovative sorters onto the market, the TOMRA 5A and the TOMRA 5B. The TOMRA 5A is intended to sort whole washed or peeled potatoes that are processed into crisps for instance, whilst the TOMRA 5B is suitable for sorting vegetables and processed potato products, such as chips. Both sorters were designed to improve food quality and safety.

The TOMRA 5A can accurately remove foreign material and defects, including corn cobs, wood, stems, plastic, glass, and golf balls. The solution supplies excellent results and minimises the risk of food contamination, which leads to a better quality for the final user. The TOMRA 5A's main characteristic is a peel control module, which can be linked to the sorting machines. The module extrapolates potato data from the TOMRA 5A for reliable measurements of the grade of peel removal. Then the optimal steaming time is calculated and sent to the steam peeler. This leads to less loss of peel and food, and no supervision is needed.

This means that the TOMRA 5A makes optimal use of all incoming products. Objects that aren't good enough to be accepted but not bad enough to be thrown out, are reused. Products that aren't peeled enough are sent to re-peel lines or processed into other final products, such as potato flakes.
The TOMRA 5B, based on the TOMRA Genius, stands out in optical sorting. The sorter is foreseen of TOMRA's smart surround view technology: the high resolution cameras and high intensity LEDs offer a 360 degree product inspection, which leads to improved product quality and optimal removal of foreign material. The TOMRA 5B also ensures minimal product waste by reducing the number of false rejects.

The innovative machine also has a high sorting efficiency due to built in flaps that shoot out defective products at a high speed (three times faster than other flaps). These flaps are designed for both wet and dry conditions. Finally, the TOMRA 5B has a user friendly design and the construction of the sorter has been made as open as possible, so that there is enough space between the machine parts to be able to clean easily. The hygiene meets the most recent standards and norms of the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG).

Both sorters have an intuitive graphic interface and processor, TOMRA ACT. All possible settings are easy and clear to use on the large touch screen. Sorting made easy for all operators due to the user friendliness of both machines.

For more information:
Catherine Hechter
Tomra Sorting
Romeinse straat 20
3001 Leuven, Belgium
+32 16 396 396
www.tomra.com