Sorter for the food industry TOMRA 5A

for agricultural applicationsindustrialdiverter

Product overview
The TOMRA 5A is an optical sorter and grader engineered for potato processors and other bulk produce lines. Designed as an infeed-belt, high-capacity sorter, it combines precise defect detection and foreign-material removal with lane grading and separate ejection streams for processing versus waste.

Applications

• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Onions
• Stonefruit (apricots, peaches)

Key benefits
Superior foreign material removal (up to 98% detection)
The TOMRA 5A identifies and ejects a wide range of foreign material with typical removal rates above 98%.

• Detected foreign material examples: stones, corn cobs, roots, wood, glass, plastics, golf balls, metal.

Maximum food safety
The sorter detects and rejects misshapen, rotten, moldy or discolored produce to reduce contamination risk and support recall prevention.

Consistent quality output and low product loss
Achieve less than 1% good-product loss at throughputs up to 50 tons per hour. Multi-parameter sorting (size, shape, color, defects) and separate ejection streams reduce collateral loss of usable product.

Enhanced digital services
Integrate the sorter with data-management platforms for analytics and remote monitoring, enabling performance tracking and process improvements.

Peel integration and efficiencies
When connected to the Peel to Spec Module (PCM), the TOMRA 5A provides automated steam-time recommendations to optimise peeling, reducing peel loss and food waste.

Technologies featured on TOMRA 5A

• Air handling — Air handling separates product in flight for accurate individual inspection and supports foreign-material detection.
• Artificial Intelligence — Advanced AI and deep‑learning models improve defect classification across product variations.
• Camera-based imaging — High-resolution camera systems with pulsed LED and NIR detect color, size, shape and defects for reliable bulk sorting and lane grading.

Technical specifications

• Model name: TOMRA 5A
• Brand: TOMRA
• Target products: potatoes, carrots, onions, stonefruit
• Foreign material detection/removal: typically >98% for listed FM types
• Good product loss: <1% achievable
• Maximum throughput: up to 50 tons per hour (model dependent)
• Sorting configuration: 2- or 3-way with separate ejection streams
• Connectivity: supports data analytics and remote monitoring integration
• Peel integration: compatible with Peel to Spec Module (PCM) for automated steam-time optimisation