AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - Produce packinghouse technology company Compac has announced a new addition to its line of tech solutions—Spectrim. First debuted at this year’s PMA Fresh Summit, Spectrim is the company's new, completely automated, optical sorting platform.

“Spectrim is the most powerful industrial imaging platform introduced into the produce industry,” says Ken Moynihan, Chief Technology Officer at Compac on the company’s website. “It leverages all our learning from previous systems as well as developments in machine vision technologies from other industries.” 

According to the company, Spectrim’s sensors and cameras generate up to 500 images of every piece of produce at the highest clarity through a combination of superior lighting and high-quality optics. Spectrim uses multiple wavelengths when processing images, and each wavelength can be configured to target specific defects.

According to the company’s website, fundamental attributes of the new Spectrim system include: 

• Powerful Imaging
• Leveraging all Compac’s learnings from previous systems and developments in machine-vision systems, as well as research findings from other industries.
• Uniform Lighting
• Effective imaging of fruit comes from uniformity of lighting. Spectrim allows produce to be lit in a way that minimizes shadows and reflections across lanes.
• Robust Design
• Designed with future upgrades in mind, Spectrim can receive hardware upgrades as new technology becomes available and is also designed for installation on existing Compac sorters.
• Easy-To-Use Software
• Utilizing proprietary SmartSkin™ and SmartBlobs™ technology to teach the system which parts of the surface are good and bad skin areas with a simple click and drag interface. Spectrim is able to learn and classify different defect types, enabling the operator to tune the system and create sophisticated pack grades with ease.
• Training & Support
• With easy access for servicing and components mounted to allow for quick replacement, the Spectrim platform enables packers to achieve high levels of up-time. 
• Hygienic Design 
• Using appropriate materials and designs which facilitates easy cleaning, the Spectrim platform promotes food trust with your customers and supply chain.

Spectrim has already launched tests to customers in California, Washington and New Zealand—providing solutions for items from apples to citrus and stonefruit to kiwifruit. The company says that production spots are filling up fast, so for more information check out http://www.compacsort.com/en/spectrim.

Compac