A new chapter in the revolution
A new chapter in the revolution
A new chapter in the revolution
A new chapter in the revolution
Three years ago, Flikweert Vision launched the QualityGrader, developed from passion. This QualityGrader started a true revolution in the field of optical sorting. At lightning speed, the Dutch seed potato sector opted for Flikweert Vision's optical sorting machines. While the sorting of seed potatoes became automated, developments at Flikweert Vision continued apace to be able to also sort onions with this technology. That too became a success, with a large proportion of Dutch onion processors now using the QualityGrader.
Striving for the full 100%
Striving for the best result is encrypted in the DNA of the Zeeland-based company. Add to this the fast-growing team that wants to accelerate and the passion of the three owners, and you have the ingredients of an upscaling company that raises the bar every time. The latest result of this is an upgrade option for the number of cameras and computer power, which has greatly increased accuracy while increasing capacity.
Camera upgrade
“Our ambition with the QualityGrader is to take over the manual grading work in potatoes and onions for 100%. With this upgrade, that ambition gets concrete hands and feet,” says Martijn Flikweert, co-owner of Flikweert Vision. He continues: “The camera upgrade which means doubling the number of cameras is indispensable in this. The extra cameras mean that all products are captured by at least two cameras. This has the advantage that defects are always clearly visible, which is not always the case when the product is only captured from one view. Another advantage is that with the upgrade, the potatoes or onions are not assessed five but at least ten times. Doubling the number of cameras thus provides a significant improvement in quality assessment.”
Computing power upgrade doubles capacity
To process the increased data, additional processing power is needed. As a separate module, we offer a computing power upgrade for this purpose. Through this computing power upgrade, the QualityGrader gets six times more computing power. This more than doubles the capacity and makes the QualityGrader ready for subsequent developments in software.
Further development
These upgrades pave the way for further software development. The next step towards fully autonomous quality grading should then be sought in that corner, says Flikweert. “We have recently been able to significantly expand our R&D team and therefore expect to really start making metres. Our ambition is no secret: We want to fully automate the quality grading of potatoes and onions worldwide and will not stop until that goal is achieved.”
First customer experiences
The upgrades have been extensively tested and several customers are already working with the upgrades. One of these customers is Klaver Koeling in Kraggenburg. Jan Mussche of Klaver Koeling talks about his experience with the updated QualityGraders:
“Because of the clearly noticeable improvement in accuracy, we are convinced that this is the step in sorting potatoes without human labour. We would never want to go back to conventional sorting. This is the future!”
Contact
The upgrades are available for both existing and new QualityGraders. Upgrades on existing machines are available now before the new sorting season. On new machines, it is optionally available and machines are also available by the new grading season. If interested, please contact Ben van Driel (+31 6 39112415).