The modular system comprises a conveyor, an ejector unit, machine vision hardware and software. The system is designed to meet the IP-grades and wash down requirements of the food industry. The following core functions describe the system: Locate the pizza, measure the diameter, thickness profile and edge defects. Based on the measurements the user can set up the sorting criteria in a user friendly graphical user interface. The capacity of an installed system is 7,200 pizzas per hour at a conveyor speed of 0.5 - 1.0 m/s. The system handles multiple and different sizes through a flexible recipe system. The diameter resolution is 0.5 mm and the height resolution is 0.2 mm.

The machine is based on the same powerful Scorpion Vision Software that has been at the heart of many automatic inspection systems used in manufacturing industries. Intended to reduce wastage and improve quality, the system uses a series of cameras to build a 3D profile of each product.

Thor Vollset, Managing Director of Tordivel AS, says, "This new system uses reliable, innovative techniques to build a mathematical model of the baked product in real time. A product can be diverted off the production line if it does not meet certain criteria such as colour, height, width or shape. The extensive statistics, logging functions, and graphs improve the production continuously'

The system targeted for the pizza factory, can easily be modified to any bakery line requirement and can cater for most baked products, no matter how big or small. It can be installed in new lines or retrofitted into existing lines. The automatic system improves quality and reduces cost with its competitive price.

Thor Vollset: "We started the development in 1Q 2008 and have now successfully developed and installed the system in a number of food manufacturing plants in Scandinavia."