The AirJet Blueberry Grader was designed by GP Graders in Australia to meet the growing demands of customers
The AirJet Blueberry Grader developed by Australian company, GP Graders, was designed to meet the growing demands of customers in a changing industry. Using an innovative approach to singulation, the system allows the proper placement of blueberries onto a conveyor where they are accurately sorted based on live feedback from gpVision cameras.
Open Software
The sorting system consists of a set of three Full HD cameras per lane: shrivel, colour, and near infrared (NIR) cameras. The grader captures 30 images of each fruits’ surface, which enables a very detailed inspection from all angles of each single berry. Using the available images, the software sorts berries according to: size, softness/firmness, defects, colour, together with internal and external defects. The unique feature of the system is that it enables the user to find and reject 100 per cent of dehydrated and shrivelled fruit.
The software was created by operators for operators, therefore it’s very simple and user-friendly. With the help of the new simple user interface (GUI) the operator can learn and operate the system in a couple of hours. Moreover, to be ahead of the market the software is capable to defining new defects that may occur each season due to changing weather and growing conditions. Hence the open construction of the software allows it to adjust to different fruit quality and defects as well as enabling it to sort fruits according to various client’s specifications.
Hygienic design
The design of the machine is robust, but at the same time it’s easy to be washed due to its tubular construction and lack of flat surfaces on the machine. In view of the current sanitation requirements it is crucial to have a food grade machine that is easy to clean and maintain with no risk of food contamination. The aim of engineers and designers of the AirJet Blueberry Grader was to construct a machine that is accessible for maintenance. The machine has an open construction through which all potential problems can be readily identified. Other systems are closed with solid bodies causing major maintenance issues.
Reduce the cost of sorting and packing blueberries
The AirJet Blueberry Grader was introduced as a new concept that is dedicated to the sorting category for blueberries and answers the dynamic market changes and increasing changing customer requirements. The high growth of blueberry consumption in Europe, together with increasing demands from retail chains results in producers having to continuously adapt to trends in order to remain competitive. An investment in new technology can significantly improve the efficiency of all production processes, reduce costs, and additionally eliminate some of the existing problems.
The AirJet Blueberry Grader was designed by GP Graders in Australia. They have been manufacturing graders for cherries and blueberries for many years in Europe, Chile and North America. Milbor PMC is the exclusive distributor of this machine in Europe. The company provides and implements high-end technology solutions as well as maintaining after-sales support in terms of service and responsiveness - service is available 24/7.
