Back in early April produce veteran Mike McKnight announced the formation of his new company, Automated Produce Equipment, in Marietta, GA, which provides an assortment of produce machinery and packaging solutions well-suited to the onion, potato and carrot industries.
Among the manufacturers Mike has partnered with is Raytec, an Italian company founded in 2001 that today has more than 1,300 sorters installed worldwide.
This week Mike let us know he can provide Fototrainer Technology, with a combination of four analyses that make the system “very efficient on contaminant detection.” The system can be equipped with three different light combinations.
Also, the Raytec Raynbow STD Sensor Sorter, with electro-pneumatic ejection, provides high-resolution sensor/sorting that is with Visible Color and NIR technology, and the High-Speed Raynbow has 60 percent more capacity than the standard Raynbow.
The sorters are based on optical sensor, high-resolution cameras and x-ray, and the technology can be used on fresh, frozen and dry products.
Available in the United States for more than a decade, Raytec equipment works especially well with onions, which Mike said comprise a good percentage of sales.
In April he told us the company also has a new Master Bagger/ Baler from Upmann, which reduces labor at the end of the line. Coupled with a robotic palletizer, the equipment provides a good labor-saving combo.
For more information on this new operation, go to the company’s website, http://automatedproduceequip.com, or view the APE directory listing, https://onionbusiness.com/industry-directories/automated-produce-equipment-llc/. For info on Raytec, visit http://www.raytecvision.com/en/index4.asp. And to see the equipment in use, go to YouTube videos at https://youtu.be/JQTD1c14GNo and
https://youtu.be/BQRRr8EJIsQ
