Insort Unveils Sherlock Safeguard Optical Sorter

Insort announced a major development for increased safety in food production with the introduction of Sherlock Safeguard. The heart of the machine is the latest generation of the tried and tested Chemical Imaging Technology. This hyperspectral imaging technology, which is now being used for the first time in the further improved 3rd generation, can record the chemical composition of food in real time. This means that not only dangerous foreign bodies such as stones, metals and glass but also all organic and unappetizing foreign bodies such as wood, plastics, insects, maggots, rodents and much more are detected with a previously unattained scope and security.

The new software platform has Realtime Artificial Intelligence on board, which enables food in all of its natural occurring variability of chemical composition, color, shape, surface (pattern) and much more to be recorded by several sensors and to be classified with the highest accuracy. The Realtime Artificial Intelligence Tool is able to use multidimensional parameters to create algorithms that clearly exceed human capabilities. This allows customer-specific solutions to be generated that were previously unimaginable.

Sherlock Safeguard creates a new dimension in the distinction between good product and foreign bodies. Due to this capability, there are hardly any incorrect classifications on the good product and thus the least possible false rejects in the industry. This enabled Insort to optimize the discharge mechanism with “Zero Touch Reject Technology”, which is unique for optical systems.

Most digital sorting systems work with air ejection, where every foreign body from the good product flow has to be actively deflected with the help of a blast of air or hit by a paddle. With the Zero Touch Reject Technology, all foreign bodies, large or small, light or heavy, fragile or rubbery, are passively removed from the product flow using the natural product flow gravity with the greatest possible safety by opening a trapdoor and making it disappear.

“Our development team has specifically created an affordable overall solution that closes the sensory gaps in X-Ray, RGB / RGBI cameras or laser systems and corrects the mechanical uncertainties of systems with air discharge. This makes the Sherlock Safeguard® the best food safety guarantee for all food producers no matter what sorting technology your line consists of today,” Says Matthias Jeindl, founder and CEO of Insort GmbH.

The Sherlock Safeguard® is available in working widths of 600mm and 1200mm and is made of stainless steel in accordance with the latest hygienic design standards.