Compac releases stonefruit defect sorting with new InVision System
A new stonefruit sorting system from Compac is providing packers with options never before seen in t…A new stonefruit sorting system from Compac is providing packers with options never before seen in the market when it comes to sorting for defects. The system, an improvement on Compac’s earlier InVision 9000 defect sorting system uses new LED lighting, hi-definition cameras which are operating in spectrums the human eye cannot see, allowing the system to pick up defects such as soft spots, bruising, split pip/stone and general surface damage.
With successful commercial trials in both California and Spain the company is poised to release the system to customers worldwide. “We’re very pleased with the progress we’ve made on this system” says David Buys, Compac Director of Sales “ Defects such as soft spot and split pip are very time consuming and labor intensive to sort, sorting these accurately with InVision is a major saving for our customers.”
With its new advanced cameras and LED lighting system even the smallest differences in defects such as split pip can be detected in and around the stem. This gives a significant improvement in grading abilities where the difference between first and second grades required every fruit to be manually inspected one at a time. Likewise with soft spots which were invisible to the human eye, every fruit would have to be handled which is not only inefficient but can cause further damage due to excessive handling. With the new Compac system stonefruit packers can expect to save significant amounts of their sorting labor for grading out these hard to find defects.
On top of the commercial trials a launch customer will be installing this technology with their new 6 lane installation in Australia. The customer, one of Australia’s largest stonefruit growers and packers is installing two Compac sorters as part of their new packing facility installation.
“There is a lot of interest in this new technology” Buys says “The industry has been looking for a long time for a solution to their labor intensive sorting when it comes to stonefruit. As we’ve done with other segments we’re proud to be introducing a product which is a technology leader.”
