Home›Optical Color Sorter

Optical Sorting

Optical Color Sorter

Designed for optical sorting in seed, grain and food-ingredient processing lines. The final configuration is selected around the incoming crop, target product quality, required throughput and connection to upstream and downstream equipment. Request a technical quotation based on your actual product and operating conditions.

Indicative capacity rangeApprox. 1–20 t/h

Line integrationOptical Sorting

Contact

For a useful quotation, provide the crop and variety, moisture range, incoming condition, target quality, required capacity, hours per day, site power and air supply, available footprint, dust-control requirements and the machines before and after this unit.

Overview

This equipment performs optical sorting. Selection should be based on the crop and its physical characteristics, impurity or defect profile, required output, operating hours and available plant utilities. A suitable configuration is confirmed after the application and process flow are defined.

Technical specifications

Parameter	Planning information
Required throughput	Required throughput (t/h) — to be defined for the selected application for the specified crop, moisture, impurity profile and quality target.
Installed power / utilities	Installed power and utility demand — selected configuration to specify for the proposed configuration.
Dimensions and clearances	Overall dimensions, operating height and service clearances — provide in the final layout drawing.
Product-contact materials	Product-contact materials and wear parts — specify according to crop, hygiene and abrasion requirements.
Controls and safety	Control panel, sensors, automation and safety interlocks — list included and optional items separately.
Options and accessories	Crop-specific screens, rollers, sensors, aspiration, feeders or accessories — only where applicable to this machine type.
Line interfaces	Inlet/outlet sizes, conveying interfaces, aspiration connections and signal protocols — confirm against the line layout.
Cleaning and maintenance	Access doors, cleaning method, routine service points and recommended spare parts — include in the offer.

Planning information only: capacity and configuration vary by crop, impurity profile and selected configuration. Confirm all specifications in the final supplier quotation.

Key considerations

Configure to the actual crop and impurity profile
Define access, cleaning and routine maintenance needs
Agree controls, guarding and interfaces with the selected supplier

Typical applications

Use cases depend on the exact machine configuration. The supplier should confirm suitable crops, product condition and achievable output quality for the intended application.

Sunflower SeedsRiceSoybeanChickpeasLentilsBeansHazelnutsPistachios

GUIDE · TECHNICAL SELECTION

What is this machine used for?

The role in the process

Define the equipment by the job it must perform in the line, not by its name alone. Confirm the incoming material, target result, acceptable losses, operating conditions and interfaces with adjacent equipment before specifying a model.

Set acceptance and rejection criteria using representative good product and defect samples, and agree how false rejects and missed defects will be measured.

Material and application suitability

When preparing an enquiry for Optical Color Sorter, document the crop or variety, incoming condition, required output quality, operating schedule and upstream/downstream equipment. Moisture, impurity profile, product fragility or packaging may be important depending on the application. Suitability should be checked using a representative sample and measurable acceptance criteria.

Selection checklist

Crop or variety and incoming condition
Target quality and acceptance criteria
Target throughput and operating schedule
Layout, transfer elevations and utilities
Cleaning, maintenance, safety and changeover

Integration into a processing line

Plant layout and interface planning

Plan Optical Color Sorter as part of the complete process rather than as an isolated item. Review infeed and discharge points, elevations, floor space, service clearances, cleaning access, guarding and control interfaces. Define dust extraction, air, water, heat or other utility connections before ordering where they apply.

Optical sorting may use colour or other visible characteristics detected by a sensor to separate acceptable product from defined defects. Results depend on product presentation, sensor arrangement, the sorting recipe and defect definitions. Set acceptance and rejection criteria using representative good product and defect samples, and agree how false rejects and missed defects will be measured.

Factors that affect operating performance

Optical sorting depends on colour, surface defects, kernel size, feed-layer consistency and camera/sensor settings. Dust and overlapping kernels can reduce detection accuracy.

Process quality and line integration

Set colour thresholds and defect criteria for each crop. During trials, inspect both rejected defects and good kernels discarded by mistake.

Frequently asked questions

Which defects can Optical Color Sorter detect?

Detection depends on the optical system, crop, defect contrast and sorting settings. Product samples should be tested against the required acceptance criteria.

How is the sorting accuracy of Optical Color Sorter adjusted?

Camera settings, ejector timing, feed uniformity and product presentation all affect the result. Settings should be validated using representative material.

Does Optical Color Sorter require pre-cleaning?

A consistent feed with excessive dust and foreign material removed generally helps optical detection and reduces unnecessary rejects. The exact upstream preparation depends on the crop.

REQUEST A TECHNICAL REVIEW