COMPASS Belt-Fed Optical Sorters

Key Technology is a food processing equipment maker headquartered in Walla Walla, Washington, USA, with manufacturing also in Redmond, Oregon and Beusichem, the Netherlands. It is part of the Duravant group and states over 75 years of experience, 3,100 customers in 81 countries and more than 3,500 digital sorters delivered.

COMPASS is a belt-fed optical sorter that inspects product on a belt and ejects defects and foreign material. The October 2026 update adds pulsed LED backlighting in visible or near-infrared wavelengths, an optional second ejection manifold for three-way sorting and a B200 model with a 2-meter belt. It targets snacks, vegetables and other foods.

• Pulsed LED backlight: visible or near-infrared light passes through the belt to improve segmentation.
• Three-way sorting: optional second ejection manifold creates three independent product streams.
• B200 model: 2-meter-wide belt for high-throughput lines.
• Recipe-driven operation: stored product recipes for quick changeover.
• Hygienic open design: built for food plant cleaning routines.
• Key Discovery analytics: reporting software included on all units.

Potato and cassava chip factories can remove burnt or discolored slices and foreign matter. Frozen vegetable and fruit processors can sort IQF corn, peas or green beans. Dried fruit and nut processors can split product into grades and a rework stream.

Backlighting reduces shadow effects and interference from belt staining, which improves defect detection on products like kettle chips. Three-way sorting lets a single pass recover product for rework or create several grades. The 2-meter B200 can replace several smaller sorters on high-throughput lines. Analytics software is included with every unit.

Processors of snacks, vegetables and frozen foods face rising quality expectations and labor costs, which supports adoption of optical sorting. Key Technology announced participation in Anuga FoodTec India in Mumbai in 2026, a sign of growing attention to South Asian processors; Vietnamese snack and vegetable makers can follow similar practices.

Key Technology is a Duravant company; Duravant is headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois. Key operates demonstration and testing services at five locations. The COMPASS enhancements were announced on 1 October 2026, and Key planned to exhibit at Anuga FoodTec India (29 September to 3 October 2026).