Photoelectric Sensors Help To Sort Fresh Produce
Het Kraaiennestin, from Holland, is using Leuze Electronic's discrete optical sensors and light scanners on a produce-sorting system with eight palletisers. The sorting system was manufactured by Taks Tuinbouwtechniek, a Dutch company specialising in internal transport systems, especially for produce growers. The system ensures the internal transportation is smooth and fast and that ergonomics for the employees are improved to raise efficiency. The design scope of the system is to handle twice the predicted quantity of tomatoes to allow for further expansion.
Therefore, Taks installed eight palletisers, a pallet-transport system, a pallet magazine, a traversing unit and a strapping machine. The tomatoes are first sorted by size and colour, before being placed in 6kg cartons. These cartons are transported by roller conveyors to the individual palletisers, where they are stacked onto pallets up to 2.7m high. The palletisers use Leuze Electronic's 25B series photoelectric sensors and light scanners to reliably detect the load carriers, namely the cartons and pallets.
These sensors are designed for challenging applications and therefore their performance reserve enables them to function properly, even in this environment, guaranteeing an efficient process. As soon as the pallet is fully loaded, it is discharged via chain conveyors, picked up by the traversing system and moved to the strapping machine. Edge protection is fitted to the pallet load of tomatoes and it is ready for transport. The entire system is controlled from a console, where all the parameters, such as weight or the number of cartons, can be defined. This investment has allowed all the logistical processes to be handled by just four employees.
Therefore, Taks installed eight palletisers, a pallet-transport system, a pallet magazine, a traversing unit and a strapping machine. The tomatoes are first sorted by size and colour, before being placed in 6kg cartons. These cartons are transported by roller conveyors to the individual palletisers, where they are stacked onto pallets up to 2.7m high. The palletisers use Leuze Electronic's 25B series photoelectric sensors and light scanners to reliably detect the load carriers, namely the cartons and pallets.
These sensors are designed for challenging applications and therefore their performance reserve enables them to function properly, even in this environment, guaranteeing an efficient process. As soon as the pallet is fully loaded, it is discharged via chain conveyors, picked up by the traversing system and moved to the strapping machine. Edge protection is fitted to the pallet load of tomatoes and it is ready for transport. The entire system is controlled from a console, where all the parameters, such as weight or the number of cartons, can be defined. This investment has allowed all the logistical processes to be handled by just four employees.
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