Automatic Potato Taring Line

An automated taring line for taring and inspecting potatoes.

Supply buffer system

The supply buffer system will act as part of a tare line. The taring line is designed for taring samples of potatoes of +/- 25 kg. The supply buffer system ensures that the potatoes end up in the line in a dosed manner. The purpose of this is to tare and inspect the potatoes that can be processed.

The potato samples are supplied manually in crates. The crates are transported up the crates by lift and buffered over a roller conveyor. The buffering effect will arise from accumulating rollers and clamping with a pneumatic cylinder and fixed stop. The clamping cylinder will also ensure the positioning of the crate in front of the rotator. When the potato taring line needs a new potato sample, a crate will be transported to the tipper. The turner will clamp and tilt the crate.

When filling the crates, the data is linked to an RFID tag that is located on the crate. The RFID tag ensures the traceability of the potato samples. By reading the RFID tag for the turner, it is determined which supplier/grower the potatoes belong to that will be tared. The empty crate is tilted back by the tipper complaints the crate or the empty crate is returned. The crate can be manually removed from the roller conveyor before the crate can be refilled.

Weigh-in bunker

The turner tilts the crate in the weighing bunker. This weighing bunker will weigh the sample and unload the product on the underlying conveyor belt according to the set parameters. The weight of each sample is registered and linked to the RFID tag of the relevant sample.

Washer

The conveyor belt under the weighing bunker turns the potatoes on a conveyor belt that throws the potatoes into the washer. As soon as the potatoes are in the washer, the machine starts and the bottom, which consists of a washing disc, starts to rotate. The potatoes will be thrown around in the drum and grinding and rinsing with water will remove the dirt from the potatoes. After a set time, the peeler will eject the potatoes onto a conveyor belt by means of the ejection flap.

Roller reading belt

The washed potatoes end up on the roller conveyor by means of an elevator belt. This machine ensures that the potatoes are transported at a low speed and are given a rotating movement during transport. In this way, each potato can be visually inspected. If defective or foreign parts pass by, it is possible to throw them into the weighing buckets behind the roller conveyor. These weights are also recorded. The first weigh bucket also has a counting system that keeps track of the number of parts thrown into the weigh bucket.

The waste (also called defects) that ends up in the weighing buckets can, depending on the type of sample, follow 2 follow-up routes in the taring line. It is possible to immediately discharge to the box behind the taring line. The second possibility is that the defect ends up back on the dosing belt with a photo unit by means of an elevator belt.

Dosing belt with photo unit

The roller conveyor belt throws the potatoes onto a conveyor belt, the first part of which is equipped with a photo unit. This photo unit is a screened-off room with bright lighting and a camera. Here, a photo is taken of each sample and linked to the RFID tag. After the photo has been taken, the conveyor belt turns the potatoes on the vibrator.

Length meter with distribution vibrator

The shaker stands for the length meter to properly separate the potatoes. This is necessary to prevent the potatoes from lying against each other during the length measurement. The potatoes reach the length meter from the dosing vibrator. The length meter will determine the dimensions of each passing potato with the help of a 3D sensor. This information is collected per sample and made available online. The capacity of this machine is 120 tubers per minute.

The length meter consists of a conveyor belt that runs under a sealed space. In this room, the 3D sensor can determine the dimensions of the potato using a laser beam. The data of each potato will be stored.

Roller sorter

The potatoes are transported over the roller sorter from the length meter. This machine consists of a number of driven rollers which are a certain distance (standard 38mm) apart. As a result, the potatoes, which fit through the opening, will fall down onto the underlying conveyor belt. This conveyor belt transports the small potatoes to the discharge belt of the taring line or turns them again with the sample on the conveyor belt which is positioned behind the roller sorter.

Salt bath and Underwater weigher

The conveyor belt throws the potatoes into the salt bath, the salt bath is a bath filled with water containing a certain level of salt. The potatoes will fall into the salt bath and be transported out of the salt bath by means of the conveyor belt which rotates at the bottom of the salt bath.

The potatoes that will float will end up in a receptacle by means of a flow caused by a pump. After the good potatoes are out, the tilt flap will switch. The receptacle will throw the floats into the salt bath and these are transported out of the bath by a flow and the conveyor belt and thrown into the weigh bin after the salt bath. This weighing bin will unload the potatoes on the adjacent discharge belt of the taring line.

Inspection table with photo unit

The underwater weigher deposits the potatoes on the inspection table, the first part of which is equipped with a photo unit. Here, just like on the dosing belt after the roller inspection table, a photo is taken of the sample. After this, the sample is further transported to the reading area of the inspection table.

The reading area of the inspection table is intended to visually inspect the potatoes for defects and the like. These can be thrown through the counting boxes. Here, the number of defects is counted by means of a counting sensor and displayed on the touchscreen.

In addition, 1 counting compartment is provided with a small weighing bin, which registers the weight of the defects. All this data is stored and linked to the respective sample.

The total installation consists of: