High Capacity Grading

European experts in electronic grading, Herbert Engineering recently launched their
largest machine to date. The new DDS2000ML Auto-sort has a proven capacity of
grading up to 33 tonnes per hour.

The first machine was sold at its launch appearance and was installed to a preprocess company whom supply product to a major international player. Potatoes out of specification because of excessive defects can be re-graded to use at the process company. The system enables usable product to be recovered, which would otherwise be waste. This gives significant added value and they are getting excellent returns. It would seem the electronic grading range offered by Herbert’s has multiple applications for a range of customers depending on the type of sorting and / grading they are wishing to achieve.

Dr Lawrence Defty, Research & Development Manager at Herbert’s comments “The 5th generation user friendly software allows for easy programming and offers flexibility of grading for large growers, packers and pre process suppliers. We continue to look for ways to offer higher capacity machines while retaining the robustness of our design and the 2000ML is a good example of this.

According to Herbert’s, the machine offers unsurpassed defect detection whilst providing high throughput (standard 30TPH) for the customer. A number of features have been enhanced on this model including software, easy maintenance and a simple to operate user interface for settings.. Herbert go onto state that one of the unique feature of this machine is that it can sort potatoes with high wastage not normally suitable for high-speed inspection.

The DDS 2000ML Autosort can typically handle potatoes from 35mm to 85mm

- 35mm+ potatoes > 11.5 tonnes/hour
- 45mm+ potatoes > 16.5 tonnes/hour
- 50mm+ potatoes > 21 tonnes/hour
- 55mm+ potatoes > 24 tonnes/hour
- 60mm+ potatoes > 30 tonnes/hour

Despite an increased width of 2metres, the machines easily integrates within existing plants and remains the same length as other electronic graders within the Herbert range.

With more than 30 machines now sold across Europe. Herbert’s family of electronic graders now includes a new market entry model available as 1300MLX and 2000MLX. This new range with a low starting price gives opportunities to customers who would not normally consider electronic grading as a viable option.

The latest family member emerging from development is the 1300S that has evolved from the previous 1200S model for small potatoes sized between 20 and 40 mm. The 1300S enables 3 classes to be selected from the potatoes and incorporates the new style finger bank originally developed for the MLX models.

To see footage of the new high capacity 2000ML machine or the market entry models in operation please click here

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