WECO Introduces 360Tek Optical Sorter for Blueberries

WECO, a member of the Duravant’s Food Sorting and Handling Solutions group, will introduce its new 360Tek optical sorter for blueberries at Global Produce and Floral Show booth C-3129 and Pack Expo booth S-2860.

Separating product with fine defects, extraneous vegetable matter (EVM) and jumbo berries, this small, high-capacity sorter can inspect up to 8,000 pounds (3,600 kg) of berries per hour, according to the manufacturer. Located at the end of WECO’s modular Sortivator fresh-pack line for blueberry cleaning and sorting, the 360Tek maximizes product quality while reducing labor requirements, said WECO.

“Consumer expectations for blueberry quality are rising — shoppers now want flawless fruit in every clamshell,” said Eric Horner, Vice President of WECO. “Our new 360Tek sorter is the perfect addition to our Sortivator portfolio of solutions, helping packers achieve the most accurate final sort possible in the smallest footprint. With its unique roller design, the 360Tek is half the size of similar fine defect sorters on the market while achieving twice the throughput, maintaining consistently high performance and offering a superior ROI. It’s a gamechanger for the blueberry industry.”

WECO’s 360Tek removes products with a wide range of defects, including scars, splits and rubs, as well as EVM like stems and flowers. It can also separate large, jumbo berries into a separate stream. To present a complete 360-degree view of each piece of fruit for inspection, the 360Tek conveys berries over a series of hourglass-shaped rollers. Digital color cameras take up to 16 photos of each berry as it rotates, and advanced machine-learning algorithms analyze the color, size and shape of every object to make sophisticated sort decisions. Air nozzles positioned between the rollers gently deflect objects identified for separation.

The 360Tek sorter separates incoming product into three customizable streams. The “accept” stream sends good berries on to packaging. The second sort stream is dedicated to collecting blueberries with defects and EVM, while the third sort stream collects jumbo berries. However, if the packer has no need to separate jumbo berries, the second and third streams can each be programmed to collect berries with specific types of defects or EVM.

Each of WECO’s Sortivator fresh-pack lines is tailored for the customer’s application, incorporating systems for eliminating debris, removing soft fruit and sorting by color and size. The 360Tek can be installed at the end of new or existing Sortivator lines. Controlled from a single touchscreen control panel, Sortivator provides fast, gentle and effective blueberry sorting for big and small operations, whether the fruit is harvested mechanically or by hand, said WECO.

The 360Tek sorter, other Sortivator equipment modules and WECO’s other sorting and moisture monitoring solutions are available for sale or lease. WECO’s customer service organization provides installation and start-up services, preventive maintenance, technology upgrades and 24/7 emergency assistance.