Sorting
Using the latest global technology, Elm and Fan Arad Engineering Company offers its sorting machines. Arad Sorting provides various sorting solutions and machines with cameras and vision technology in different agricultural and industrial sectors. The company’s engineering expertise in manufacturing sorting machines, 24/7 support, and the updating of your machines are guaranteed. Quality and customer satisfaction are fundamental goals of Arad Sorting.
Elm and Fan Arad, a knowledge-based company, is the manufacturer of various sorting machines under the Arad Sorting brand. The company offers a range of color sorting machines (laser sorting machines) such as raisin sorting machines, rice sorting machines, legume sorting machines, pistachio sorting machines, dried fruit sorting machines, seed sorting machines, sesame sorting machines, mining and stone sorting machines, plastic sorting machines, PET sorting machines, and more. The sorting machines come in different sizes and capacities, including the standard series with 3 to 7-channel sorting machines and smaller, workshop-type machines like single-channel, dual-channel, and mini-sorters.
What is Sorting?
Sorting refers to the systematic arrangement and classification of products. In the sorting process, classification is done based on a set of criteria such as size, weight, and other factors. Categorization in sorting is based on similar product characteristics like appearance, color, etc., and also involves separating impurities and spoiled products. Specialized sorting machines, using technologies such as sensors, cameras, lasers, and others, carry out the sorting operation. Sorting occurs one step before packaging. Products that undergo this process have added value.
Sorted Products or Bulk?
What are the characteristics of sorted products?
What is the importance of sorting products?
Sorting operations not only impact domestic markets but also play a significant role in foreign markets, especially in the export sector. As mentioned, nowadays, most people prefer products that have been processed through sorting operations because they are healthier and more hygienic, as well as more attractive to customers. The greatest importance and application of the sorting process is seen in the agricultural industry. Agricultural products are graded based on quality, size, shape, etc., using the sorting process. In this process, damaged and spoiled products are separated from the healthy ones, and each is labeled accordingly.
Sorting is mainly an introduction to the packaging of agricultural products. In advanced societies’ fruit markets, almost all fruits and vegetables are classified and labeled, making it easier for customers to recognize the quality of the product and leading to more organized distribution and delivery. Other reasons for the importance of the sorting process include: Time-saving – As most people are busy, they have less time for shopping. This has led to a greater tendency for people to purchase products online.
Most products in online stores are sorted. Increased sales and customer attraction – Sorting and categorizing products, thanks to increased quality and visual appeal, significantly impact attracting customers and investment. Higher profits for farmers – Sorting not only makes transportation easier but also leads to more profit for farmers. Eliminating unnecessary intercity travel – With the development of e-commerce, people have started purchasing through phones or the internet. Most of these transactions are sorted, which reduces some unnecessary intra-city and inter-city travel.
Export growth and currency inflow – Sorted products, due to their uniformity and neatness, have many supporters abroad. Therefore, by exporting these products to other countries, high profits can be achieved.
Advantages of Using Sorting
Products with Longer Shelf Life
In our country, some people, especially the traditional segment of society, believe that packaged goods are luxury items and are sold at a price higher than the actual value of the product. Therefore, they prefer to buy unclassified and bulk products. However, this process plays a significant role in maintaining the standardization and preservation of products.
Waste Reduction
The sorting process also has the advantage of reducing transport waste. For example, some citrus fruits and other produce, when transported in bulk, get squashed and spoil. However, initial sorting into fruit boxes allows for controlling the pressure caused by the weight of the fruits, keeping them intact and fresh.
Quality Products
Another benefit of this process is the separation of harmful, spoiled, and low-quality products from healthy ones. In this process, products are fully packaged, ensuring that better-quality items reach customers.
Some additional benefits of sorted products include:
Reducing the cost of hiring labor
Increasing profits for producers and distributors
Easier order processing from customers
Eliminating the need for rechecking products
Increasing production volume
Reducing product damage during transportation
Importance of Using Sorting in Businesses
What is a Sorting Machine?
Today, with the advancement of science and technology, the sorting process of various food products has taken on a new form. Therefore, sorting and packaging machines are being produced with the latest innovations, and the price of sorting machines is increasing accordingly. The production of sorting machines worldwide is also highly competitive and cost-effective. Sorting machines are part of the new generation of classification equipment, capable of sorting various fruits based on weight, color, shape, volume, size, and appearance, thereby improving business performance.
In recent years, the classification and sorting of agricultural and food products have gained significant importance due to the availability of sorting and packaging machines. As a result, packaging has become one of the top priorities for most farmers and growers. The use of sorting machines is on the rise in our country due to the increased profits and the separation of ordinary products from premium ones.
The sorting machine is considered an advanced technology that has revolutionized the classification of various products or goods. Using a sorting or organizing system in any business makes the classification process easier. The great advantage of a sorting machine is that it automates the packaging and categorization of products without the need for full-time manual labor.
Thanks to sorting machines, tasks are completed more accurately and quickly, ensuring that the sorted and separated products are of high quality and free from foreign contaminants. The importance of sorting machines in a factory is that they can influence customer satisfaction with a product or food. If fruits and vegetables are being packaged for export, they must pass through a sorting machine, as fully automatic or semi-automatic sorting technology is the best for processing and organizing products.
The working principle of sorting machines involves screening and separating products or materials entering the machine. The filtration and separation process is based on factors such as shape, size, weight, color, and moisture content in the product. The sorting machine can separate unwanted materials like leaves, stones, wood, or unripe fruits from the main production line. For example, in a fruit sorting system, the machine may separate unripe, spoiled, or misshapen fruits from the sorting line.
Advantages of Using a Sorting Machine
Since the trade of raw materials and food products is an integral part of modern life, packaging machines should be used to improve their quality and offer high-quality products with excellent and attractive packaging to national and regional markets. The use of sorting machines significantly improves the product quality and also prevents physical damage during transportation.
In addition, packaging machines play an important role in establishing business relationships between customers, and many large manufacturing and export companies owe their sales and commercial success to packaging machines. They are not only beautiful but also beneficial for health. The use of sorted and packaged agricultural products also contributes to the development of modern retail chains and the gradual elimination of traditional stores for industrial products, leading to the growth of small and traditional businesses and uniform product pricing in the future.
Currently, no production line can develop without the use of sorting machines, as product quality is the most important demand of consumers today. Therefore, companies choose the best packaging machines to gain an advantage over their competitors.
The use of sorting machines has many advantages, some of which are discussed below:
- Sorting machines are always ready to work.
Farmers, growers, and food factories must weigh the costs of hiring, training, and maintaining personnel against the costs of purchasing and maintaining smart sorting equipment and choose the most suitable option. Finding suitable personnel is generally a difficult task, while the use of sorting machines usually saves 80% in costs. With a sorter, there is no need to hire, train, handle administrative work, control entry and exit permits, or manage legal matters.
Sorting machines are always ready to work, and the process is performed with the same accuracy and speed every time. For example, classic sorters require four or five people to operate, while smart sorters require a maximum of one or two people, and these individuals do not need to be present at all times. Therefore, using this machine can significantly reduce costs.
- Weather conditions do not affect sorting machines.
Adverse weather conditions sometimes increase the amount of residual materials, such as stones and pieces of produce during harvest. This problem makes many traditional classification methods difficult or entirely impossible. Therefore, in such conditions, people are usually forced to delay the classification process. However, a sorting machine, with its specific mechanism and smart sorting and identification system, can operate correctly in all conditions.
- Time-saving.
The time-saving benefit of sorting machines will vary in different conditions. However, it is generally considered to be around 30%. If a farmer or grower spends 10 hours daily harvesting and packaging the product, this time will be reduced to 8 hours with a sorting machine. This machine can be used during the product’s entry or exit in the warehouse.
- No need for continuous adjustments.
Most sorting machines require readjustments when conditions change. Often, these adjustments are mechanical. In such cases, achieving similar results can be very difficult. In contrast, in a smart sorting unit, all adjustments are made in the user interface, and there is no need for hardware or mechanical changes.
Thus, when conditions change or even when the product type changes, the device settings can be quickly and easily adjusted. Since the smart sorting machine requires minimal monitoring and adjustment, the farmer or user only needs to spend a few minutes to set up the machine.
- Increased product quality and efficiency.
Foreign objects, residues, and low-quality products can cause product spoilage and quality degradation. Sorting machines increase product quality by separating these elements over time. On the other hand, the presence of excess elements also increases product maintenance costs.
Price of different sorting machines
Product classification, which until recent years was considered unusual among the general public, has not only led to the economic advancement of many companies but also contributed to the growth of industries. There are several factors that determine the price of each machine, such as its features, options, and brand, each of which directly affects the cost of purchasing a sorting machine. Below, we introduce each of these factors.
- Purchase method and brand type
In essential purchases, attention to the product’s brand is quite noticeable, and you have certainly realized that the brand is one of the key factors in determining its price. Therefore, when purchasing a sorting machine, you should consider that the brand you choose can meet your expectations to a high degree.
- Type of sorting machine
Another factor that plays a decisive role in the price of a sorting machine is its type. For example, laser sorters are more expensive than conveyor and rotary machines due to their advanced technology and use of various sensors for separating and classifying fruits and other food products. However, they also have a longer lifespan.
The importance of sorting machines
Sorting machines are one of the essential machines in factories, particularly in the food industry. One of the main functions of this machine is to classify and sort food products based on specific parameters. In fact, grading agricultural products based on size, color, appearance, and other factors, as well as separating impurities and spoiled products, is thoroughly done during the sorting process.
One of the primary advantages of this machine is its lack of reliance on manual labor, increased work efficiency, and cost and time savings. Manual sorting is widely used in developing countries. However, this method can never replace sorting machines because of its slow speed and high error rate.
Sorting agricultural products using a sorting machine is one of the most effective ways to increase customer satisfaction, improve product quality, and generate more profit. Therefore, most production factories currently use sorting machines in their processes. Sorting, derived from the word “sort,” refers to classifying products, and a sorting machine is a device that categorizes products based on various parameters such as size, color, and weight. The goal of this classification is to equalize the quality and quantity of the produced product. Sorting machines are generally used in various food industries, with the most common types being sorting machines for legumes, citrus fruits, poultry, fish, pistachios, and eggs.
Each sorting machine must be suitable for the characteristics of the product. Additionally, product price, time required for sorting, size of each item, and the number of variations between items are factors that determine the type of sorting machine selected. For each type of product, the methods used may differ in two main ways:
- Diagnostic Method
This refers to how the machine distinguishes a bad product from a good one. Diagnostic methods can be used with guiding paths and sizing mechanisms to detect different sizes or with specific sensors to carry out this task.
- Separation Method
In this method, a decision is made about how the products to be removed from the cycle will exit. This can be done using air ejectors, impact ejectors, or manually.
How are sorting machines classified?
Sorting machines are generally divided into various categories, which we will discuss below.
Color or Laser Sorting Machine
This type of machine scans and measures products based on color and size. For example, when sorting tomatoes, they move in a specific direction, and optical sensors emit waves that separate them based on their color. This means that tomatoes that are not red are separated from the others and removed from the process. This type of sorting machine is usually imported and is used in factories for pickles, vegetables, fruits, jams, tomato paste, tea, and more.
Conveyor Sorting Machine
In the conveyor sorting machine, belts are placed at specific intervals, and the product is placed on the belt, where it is divided into different sizes as it moves along the path. These machines typically have 4 to 6 outputs. The body is entirely made of stainless steel, and the unique feature of this machine is that the spacing of the belts is adjustable and can be modified depending on the type of product. This type of sorting machine is commonly used to determine the size of dates, olives, jujube, apples, oranges, tangerines, peaches, etc.
Rotary or Rotational Sorting Machine
This machine consists of a horizontal cylinder with narrow horizontal bars. After entering the cylinder, the product passes through these bars based on its volume during the rotation and is classified. This type of sorting usually has 4 or 5 outputs. Another type of rotary sorting machine is used for round fruits, where, after each rotation, the product passes through these circular sections and is classified based on volume.
Vibrating Sorting Machine
This type of sorting machine is equipped with a vibrating plate. The machine includes a vibrating plate that is used to separate large quantities of products. These machines are very durable, and the accuracy of the sorting process is very high. The rectangular plate of the machine, with different vibration levels, separates seeds with different properties from one another.
The vibration intensity of this machine and the tilt of the plate are adjustable, which is one of its advantages. Moreover, cleaning and replacing the plates are simple. Another reason for the popularity of this machine is its low wear despite high efficiency. Therefore, maintaining and repairing the vibrating plates is not costly.
Types of sorting machines
Sorting machines are commonly used for various products based on volume, type, and more. Below are some examples of their applications:
- Rice Sorting Machine
Another type of sorting machine is the rice classification machine. This machine comes in various models and typically sorts rice based on size and color. The use of rice that undergoes this process can have much higher quality, with no visible impurities. Additionally, sorting rice by size and appearance allows for the separation of broken rice, half-grains, brown rice, and semi-brown rice, which can then be packaged and used for different purposes. Sorted half-grain rice is commonly used in pastry making and cooking yellow rice.
- Egg Sorting Machine
Eggs are a product that spoil quickly. The egg sorting machine can categorize eggs based on color and weight and sort out cracked or damaged eggs. Additionally, grading and packaging eggs prevent them from absorbing odors from other products in the refrigerator, as eggs quickly absorb the smell of nearby items.
- Legume Sorting Machine
Legumes are another type of product where the sorting process has a significant impact on sales. Nowadays, most people prefer to buy cleaned legumes. During the sorting process, non-standard legumes, stones, dust, and debris are separated, and only high-quality legumes are offered to customers.
One of the machines used in the cleaning and packaging of legumes is the legume sorting machine. Like rice and grains, legumes need to be sorted before being offered in the market. These machines can clean large amounts of legumes and maintain high quality.
- Wheat Sorting Machine
One of the useful machines for screening wheat grains is the wheat sorting machine. Wheat is a high-consumption product and one of the most widely cultivated agricultural products in the country. Therefore, the need for wheat sorting is greater compared to other products.
Wheat sorting machines are designed and produced for various uses, including home, industrial, automatic, and semi-automatic applications. Each of these models has its own functionality and durability. For example, different models of commercial grading machines are available in the market, varying in size and the number of rows.
- Citrus Sorting Machine
The citrus sorting machine can be considered one of the most important and widely used sorting machines. This fruit and citrus sorting machine categorizes fruits based on various parameters such as appearance, color, weight, size, etc., and groups them accordingly.
- Fish and Poultry Sorting Machine
The fish and poultry sorting machine ensures the hygienic packaging of poultry and fish based on parameters such as weight and size. Nowadays, buying packaged products like chicken, meat, and fish is common. These packaged products, due to their classification, are of high quality and fully guaranteed. As a result, they contribute to increased sales and profits for businesses.
What are the features of a suitable sorting machine?
In most cases, the classification of agricultural products is done manually by human labor. In some instances, this work is done using traditional mechanical equipment, which is generally expensive, inefficient, and requires significant maintenance. Many of these machines require the presence of several people to operate. Additionally, some of these machines do not work consistently or correctly under different conditions. Furthermore, traditional machines lack the ability to separate foreign objects from the products. The sorting machine has solved all these problems.
Classifying agricultural products is an essential stage in the food industry, as the quality of the final product largely depends on the accuracy of the sorting process. Today, only a few farmers and packaging companies mainly use traditional methods to separate their products, which, in addition to lower accuracy, require constant adjustments to the machine.
A suitable sorting machine should have the following features:
- The ability to separate high-quality products from low-quality ones under different environmental conditions.
- It should not require constant adjustments.
- It should be able to classify large quantities of products.
- It should have a design that prevents damage to the products.
- It should consume as little energy as possible.
For purchasing a sorting machine you can visit the Arad Sorting website.
Engineer Elm and Fan Arad Company, the first and only manufacturer of color sorting machines in Iran, is proud to produce and offer color sorting machines in various types with years of experience in this field.
