The physics of the chute: why it moves your product faster

The value of slide of a product down the chute isn’t just about semantics – it’s about gravitational acceleration. A chute allows products to move faster with at a higher density, which leads to greater throughput than belt sorting. Because the product moves in bulk and speeds up as it falls, chute sorting allows for a greater volume of product per unit of time thereby increasing throughput.

Often, the issue with chute sorting is capturing accurate images. Other chute sorters create turbulence that cause a product to jump and dance, which means it tumbles down the inspection area.  Tumbling creates instability, which results in unpredictable positioning and defect obstruction while reducing ejection accuracy.

The TOMRA 5C solved the problem with its optimized infeed shaker and chute. In the 5C, the product slides rather than tumbles – meaning its motion is easy to predict and thereby unlocking a 50% greater capacity. When combined with BSI+ and high-resolution lasers, the 5C chute results in an unrivalled sensor that illuminates even invisible defects at the highest possible capacity of 18 tons per hour.

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