Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/491350
STiR tea & coffee industry international 35 Another common claim is that ma- chines "see" more of the bean and can store some or all of that information. What gets stored may take the form of a 3D model as in the A series sorters from Bühler, a sort profile as with the Xeltron XR Series, or set of parameters including colors and defect sizes as with the Satake Evolution RGB line. Chutes and power consumption Customizing the number of channels of- fers the ability to run more than one lot at a time. Satake's Evolution includes ei- ther four or eight chutes. Three channels are standard at Xeltron but machines can be ordered with six or nine as well. Delta Technology's newest series can have up to five channels. For Bühler machines, standard configurations range from three to five modules for the SORTEX A Mul- tiVision and one to four modules for the SORTEX Z+. The flexibility of multiple "sorting lines" is helpful but some customers want to go full blast and get through the lot and go on to the next. They prefer to just keep it simple with one sort at a time. Volume varies by maker and configuration. Models with several channels going at once or with add-on components that increase precision draw more power than smaller scale, basic versions. Even though technical specifications list typical power consumption, environmental conditions will have an effect. Dust is flying everywhere in most green coffee mills, Rafael explained. Under these conditions operating a scanner "is a little like trying to drive through a snowstorm. You can do it, but it's really hard to see the road, which means a lot of overcorrection for the driver. In the case of the sorter, it means a lot of false firing." All that extra work by the pneumatic systems in these machines adds up to a lot of expensive wasted energy. Cost A number of variables contribute to operating costs such as prices for parts and service and the cost of extra training. "Operator training during the machine start-up is important, so that the customer gets the most out the technology," according to Satake's Bot. "In addition, in Houston, we offer in-depth training, in an environment away from the distractions and pressures of daily production." Alternatives for servicing a sorter vary by vendor, but most provide an array of choices. Satake USA has added a remote monitoring subscription service called Satake Everywhere to monitor and repair software. Bühler pioneered remote monitoring with its SORTEX Anyware software. Bühler's Total Care consists of a menu of servicing and maintenance options. Once selected, Bühler locks in yearly pricing. There is no set price for this equipment. Machines are made to order and allow a limited amount of design choices that will change the price. The more customization required, the more consultative the sales process must be. Representatives for Bühler SORTEX generally close a sale within months but it can take years. "Though the machines look fairly uniform from the outside, there are hundreds of variations possible inside," said Rafael. "What we'll do is work with the customer to find out what it is they want to sort, how much volume they want to run, what are their primary criteria and then we'll work with them to design the system around that — platforms, in-feed, takeaway." To learn more, all four manufacturers are exhibiting at the Specialty Coffee As- sociation of America tradeshow in Seattle from April 25-27. Johanna Bot, director of vision systems marketing in Latin America, Satake USA.