Safe Food, Clean Food

Buhler unveil their latest, most versatile and efficient sorter yet - the SORTEX Z+ optical sorter.

12/05/06 Since 1947, Buhler’s optical sorting division, Sortex have been at the forefront of sorting technology, continuously pioneering new technologies and increasing effectiveness and efficiency for food producers across the planet.

Today, Buhler launch their very latest generation sorter, the SORTEX Z+, an inspired combination of advanced camera technology, intuitive operating features and user inspired design that takes sorting to a completely new level of sophistication and efficiency.

Since the Z series was introduced only four years ago, it has become established in more than 60 countries as the food producer's optical sorter of choice, sorting a wide variety of grains, coffee, tea, beans, pulses and nuts as well as non-food products such as plastics. In short, it has become the premium sorter within the food industry because of its versatility, reliability, speed and capacity - features that have helped hundreds of grain, pulse and rice producers to maximise their profits and increase their levels of high quality finished product, even when the input stream is highly contaminated.

Sortex Managing Director Bruno Kilshaw comments: "In a world where consumers demand higher and higher food quality and greater than ever levels of food safety, Z series sorters have helped producers stay on top, even when faced with the most demanding consumer requirements."

He goes on to say that the new SORTEX Z+ offers even better efficiency and lower running costs than ever before and with a greater range of customisation for specific needs.

"With the SORTEX Z+," Kilshaw explains, "We have pushed the technology still further, to levels of efficiency only previously dreamed of and where the highest quality can be achieved time after time, as a matter of course."

The exciting and innovative features of the new SORTEX Z+ sorter include:

Highly developed camera technology

At the heart of every optical sorter is its camera power, monochromatic and bi-chromatic cameras that can detect colour defects in visible or infrared wavelengths. With the highest possible resolution and signal to noise ratio available, the SORTEX Z+ cameras can detect and reject the smallest defects.

PROfile shape recognition

A combination of these most advanced cameras and PROfile shape recognition technology identifies the widest range of foreign material, extraneous vegetable matter, small spot defects, fine product damage and subtle colours.

Ease of Use

Operators require minimum training to get the best possible performance from the SORTEX Z+ and the large, colour user interface with big icons, is totally intuitive, available in a range of languages and makes machine control easy.

The SORTEX Z+ offers many benefits including:

Highest Possible Product Quality

The SORTEX Z+ offers the cleanest possible product and can be easily tailored to a producer's individual requirements. The SORTEX Z+ features automatic calibration and product tracking to maintain constant quality, without the need for operator adjustment.

Maximum profitability

Every good grain that's rejected in error, down-time for maintenance and regular machine servicing all impinge on the producer's profit margin; so the new SORTEX Z+ features maximum ejection accuracy for minimal wastage and a highly developed ejector mechanism that requires less maintenance therefore less downtime. Sophisticated dust extractors ensure more reliable recognition and less time lost for cleaning cycles and the new innovative 'product tracking technology' maintains constant quality control. The SORTEX Z+ also incorporates power management and reduced ejector air consumption to help slash running costs.

Remote Maintenance

'Z-Anyware' and 'Total Care' ensure that the SORTEX Z+ is maintained to the highest standard and can be regularly monitored by our engineers to ensure 'preventative' maintenance is scheduled well in advance. The SORTEX Z+ can be monitored from anywhere in the world via a modem and the internet.

The launch of the SORTEX Z+ colour sorter by Buhler, marks a major breakthrough in sorting technology and makes for the safest, cleanest food production available to the market today. With the added benefits of improved product throughput, higher tonnage sorting per hour and lower running costs than ever before it is certainly true to say that the SORTEX Z+ means, as Buhler promise, 'safe food, clean food!' The SORTEX Z+ really does achieve this and it has the additional merit of adding value, as never before, to a whole range of commodities from rice to spice, from lentils to plastics.

Four years on the Z series sorters have set standards in sorting that other manufacturers can only hope to emulate and the introduction of the SORTEX Z+ sets that standard still higher.