The first units of the VENTUS 1800 ready for commissioning and demonstrations

The launch of the VENTUS at the end of last year has not gone unnoticed: it was immediately awarded with a gold medal at the premiere of Alina, the trade fair for the food industry held in Bordeaux, France. After the commissioning of the VENTUS 900 and VENTUS 1200, today we launch the widest free-fall laser sorter the VENTUS 1800!

Widest free-fall laser sorter, highest optical resolution

With a maximum scanning width of 1800 mm, the VENTUS is the widest free-fall laser sorter on the market. It’s also the laser sorter with the highest optical resolution. The VENTUS 1800 is the first machine to be equipped with our latest generation laser scanner that has a detection sensitivity that’s no less than four times greater than the previous one. Its laser scanning speed of up to 4000 scans per second results in an optical resolution of 0.3 mm, the highest resolution of all laser sorters on the market. The new laser scanner was initially developed for scanning widths of 1200 mm and 900 mm, but thanks to our patented technology, we can achieve the same high resolution also at a scanning width of 1800 mm without sacrificing other performance.

Postponement is not cancellation

The first commissioning of an Optimum sorting machine with this latest generation laser scanner was planned for the summer, but the COVID-19 pandemic has thwarted those plans. However, postponement does not mean cancellation, and the first copies of the VENTUS 1800 are being sent on transport, ready for installation at our customers. A copy is also available for demonstrations.

AflaSort™ detects invisible aflatoxins

The VENTUS 1800 may be equipped with up to 16 lasers (and 32 laser detectors). Thanks to the combination of different lasers with specific wavelengths, the VENTUS is able to sort extremely accurately on the basis of color, shape, structure and biological characteristics. Not only foreign objects are detected, but also invisible but toxic substances. For example, the AflaSort™ option detects aflatoxins in nuts and dried fruits. To do this, it uses UV laser light and the fluorescent properties of certain aflatoxin residues. This is because different types of residue fluoresce a different color under UV light. Products without aflatoxin contamination remain invisible to AflaSort™. This option was already available on the smaller models of the VENTUS, so now also for a scanning width of 1800 mm.

Artificial intelligence makes optimal sorting child's play

What’s new is that the advanced sorting software of the VENTUS 1800 uses artificial intelligence: it learns to identify defects on the basis of images of the products passing through the machine. During the sorting process, the algorithm autonomously decides which products are removed. If your operators still detect errors, they can easily adjust the algorithm.

Separate control cabinet for additional flexibility

Attention to hygiene and user-friendliness was one of the reasons the VENTUS was awarded a gold medal. The base frame of the VENTUS 1800 is a larger version of that for the smaller models, with one key difference: to facilitate its integration into existing production lines, the VENTUS 1800 has a separate control cabinet. This allowed the machine itself to remain more compact. Moreover, a separate cabinet is more efficient and flexible in terms of use of space.