ADR EXOS French Fry Vision System

An automatic defect removal system for potato strips, the ADR EXOS recovers french fries with defects and turns them into a ‘good’ product, directly increasing yield. Featuring a cutter-wheel design and intelligent software, the next-generation ADR EXOS better manages strip quality and length while improving product recovery to maximize process profitability.  

EXOS aligns, singulates, inspects, and trims both peeled and peel-on wet potato strips of various cut sizes. The cutter-wheel features even closer spacing between the air-actuated knives to more accurately place cuts closer to defects, which increases the average length of recovered strips.

ADR EXOS features a knife retention system that eliminates the chance of unintended knife deployments, further improving product recovery and reducing maintenance. Intelligent software supports enhanced cut strategies, enabling more options for placing cut locations relative to each defect, including making multiple cuts on a single strip. Finally, a comprehensive smart diagnostics system continuously monitors knife-cutting operations to detect any possible issues and ensure system performance remains consistent over time.

At production rates of up to 7.7 metric tons (17,000 lb.) per hour for shoestring cuts and proportionally higher capacity rates for larger product cuts, ADR EXOS inspects defective potato strips that are rejected from an upstream digital sorter or all strips coming to it directly from the cutting equipment, depending on its location on the line.

For inspection accuracy, ADR EXOS relies on LED lights and high-resolution Vis/IR cameras to identify green and brown defects such as bruises and rot. The patented ADR belt conveyor and Iso-Flo high-speed vibratory infeed conveyor accurately convey each potato strip for optimal inspection and trimming. To effectively handle a variety of strip types from shoestring to steak cut, ADR EXOS offers a “bed shift” capability so lane widths can be easily adjusted. The CleanBelt clean-in-place (CIP) system continuously removes starch from the ADR belt to prevent build-up, which improves sanitation, reduces labor, minimizes the cost of replacement parts, and helps maintain optimal performance throughout the production cycle.