Somebody buy this guy a 3d printer.
Hobby 3D printers are basically only good enough to print their own replacement parts before they break again.
High speed M&M sorting machine
41–47 of 47 posts
Re: High speed M&M sorting machine
#42That's low-speed sorting. This is high-speed sorting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DogZJmThRSE That's a high-speed computer-vision optical pea sorter. Yes, each and every pea in that huge flow of peas is examined by a computer vision system. Tiny high-speed air jets are kicking out the rejects during the brief period the peas are in free flight. Here's a blueberry sorting machine, throwing out anything that doesn'…
Now I understand why the produce I get from the grocery store is always so bruised compared to the stuff I get out of my garden. Even the good product moves at quite a clip and is dropped quite harshly, too.
Re: High speed M&M sorting machine
#43Very nice. If you want to reduce the shadows for sorting browns, try backlighting the chute so that shadows can't appear on it. Basically, turn the chute into a photography light box.
Thanks for the idea. I had thought about lighting the chute - But I hadn't though about backlighting it. That sounds like it could work :)
Re: High speed M&M sorting machine
#44Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't get a sense how the first machine actually does the physical separation, but the second one seems to be an air jet or something? That second machine seems to have quite a lot of false positives, but I guess better waste some blueberries than have to deal with customers finding beetles in their berries.
The pea-sorting machine, like all the small-item sorters, uses a row of small air jets controlled by the computers. Here's a more advertising-like video with slow-motion imagery of the action at the air jet station. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbSxlZ6J1h4 It's amazing that individual sorting of rice grains is affordable, but it is. Larger fruit and vegetable items used to be graded by people, but there are machin…
It's also led to a class of consumers that will not accept a slightly wonky carrot.
Re: High speed M&M sorting machine
#45Somebody buy this guy a 3d printer.
Hobby 3D printers are basically only good enough to print their own replacement parts before they break again.
Here is a Skittles sorter built from 3D printed parts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSEHDBSynVo
It looks like a hobby 3D printer was more than good enough.
Re: High speed M&M sorting machine
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
The pea-sorting machine, like all the small-item sorters, uses a row of small air jets controlled by the computers. Here's a more advertising-like video with slow-motion imagery of the action at the air jet station. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbSxlZ6J1h4 It's amazing that individual sorting of rice grains is affordable, but it is. Larger fruit and vegetable items used to be graded by people, but there are machin…
It's also led to a class of consumers that will not accept a slightly wonky carrot.
Sigh... They'll still buy it if it looks perfect but tastes like unripened cardboard. :/ (Homegrown, imperfect tomatoes rock.). "Imperfect" but edible food goes on to canning, pies and other manufactured items.
Re: High speed M&M sorting machine
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
The pea-sorting machine, like all the small-item sorters, uses a row of small air jets controlled by the computers. Here's a more advertising-like video with slow-motion imagery of the action at the air jet station. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbSxlZ6J1h4 It's amazing that individual sorting of rice grains is affordable, but it is. Larger fruit and vegetable items used to be graded by people, but there are machin…
It's also led to a class of consumers that will not accept a slightly wonky carrot.
which led to the wonky carrots being sold cheaper to me, which I'm fine with.