From 17–19 November at Interpoma expo in Bolzano, Italy, Sorma Group will present its new line for filling and labelling cardboard trays, as well as its updated version of the Aporo packing machine.  

 

Interpoma – the only vertical exhibition specifically dedicated to the apple trade – is a major event for leading fruit and veg sorting, grading and packing solutions expert Sorma Group, which will present all of its main innovations for the industry. 

The company’s stand at Interpoma (Stand C18/58, Hall CD) will display – assembled and operating – the Cardboard tray filling and closing line. The Group will also showcase the updated version of its Aporo Pick & Place machine – the first model of which actually received its European preview at Interpoma back in 2018.

Innovations in apple grading

 

For Sorma, participation at the Bolzano show is the opportunity for in-person meetings with the apple sector trade – after a break of no less than four years for the premier event – and for updating visitors on how the innovations of its R&D division have evolved in the interim, with a specific focus on the particularly delicate product of apples. 

“The apple trade is one of the leading examples of the application of automation in after-harvest fruit grading and packaging processes,” advises Mario Mercadini, Sorma Group’s Marketing Manager. “Sorma’s integrated offer of machinery for every phase of the process, together with its packaging solutions, is designed to provide a highly innovative, complete response to operators’ demands, with more and more essential attention afforded to efficiency, sustainability and processing delicacy.”

Cardboard tray filling and closing line

 

The Cardboard tray filling and closing line comprises a model DB-F115 automatic tray denester, an Easypack model EP-F115 filler, and a model FBC-F115 tray closing and labelling machine. The filling machine is supplied by a diverging belt system and is able to handle trays of four, six and eight fruit of all types, not just apples. The closing and labelling machine is particularly flexible, as it can switch tray sizes very rapidly thanks to software that memorises the settings for each one.  

 

“Today, this line leads the field in productivity,” states Frédéric Arena, Sales Manager of Sorma France. “Thanks to its semi-automatic mechanisation, it is able to process up to 60 packs a minute, at higher speed than other machines on the market, which normally require manual input from the operator. Another plus factor is its user-friendliness, which means the operator does not require specific technical training. This also avoids production downtimes, optimising output and energy consumption.”

An update to revolutionary packing machine Aporo

At Interpoma, Sorma Group will also present its updated version of Aporo, the revolutionary packing machine based on research conducted in New Zealand, for which the Group is European licence holder. Using a robotic arm, the machine places eight apples in pockets simultaneously – and with the aid of cameras, it arranges them all with the stalk facing in the same direction and with the best (most brightly coloured) side in view. 

Aporo can handle up to 120 fruit per minute and its operation can be monitored remotely. The new version retains all the benefits of the original model dating from 2018, combined with a more compact structure, which saves space. It also boasts the ability to pack with the pockets already placed in the box, if necessary.  

 

With such advanced solutions, Sorma Group is making apple processing ever more efficient and automated. To view the two machines in operation, visit Sorma Group at Interpoma from 17–19 November (stand C18/58 in Hall CD).