Exosens Details Its SWIR Cameras for Industrial and Food Sorting
On Thursday, Exosens released a technical document outlining the applications of SWIR (Short-Wave Infrared) imaging in automated sorting systems. Operating in the 900-1700 nm range, this technology can detect defects and contaminations invisible to conventional cameras by exploiting the molecular properties of materials.
SWIR Imaging: Contaminant Detection and Compositional Analysis
According to Exosens' document, SWIR imaging reveals material differences based on water content, fat, and protein, rather than surface color. In food chains, this technology detects invisible foreign bodies to color cameras (translucent plastic fragments, shards of glass or stone in vegetables) by exploiting the contrast between the water absorption of the product and the reflection of dry contaminants. SWIR imaging also operates at line rates up to 40 kHz, allowing real-time sorting. Beyond contaminant detection, the technology penetrates beneath the surface of biological tissues to identify internal defects (bruises, rotting) before they become visible, and enables sorting by chemical composition (sugar content, water content, protein profile).
Lynx and Manx Series: SWIR Cameras for High-Speed Sorting Applications
Exosens offers two ranges of SWIR cameras. The Lynx series includes compact uncooled InGaAs SWIR linear cameras, with a maximum line rate of 10 kHz (resolution 2048 pixels) or 40 kHz (1024 pixels), a resolution up to 2048 pixels, and CameraLink or GigE Vision interfaces. The Manx series offers line rates of 128 or 256 kHz and CoaXPress interfaces, positioned as the fastest InGaAs SWIR linear camera in the world according to the document. Beyond the food sector, Exosens indicates that applications extend to waste sorting (plastics, textiles, electronic waste), industrial inspection (weld joint inspection, detection of filling variations in pharmaceutical lines) and packaging integrity verification (detection of residual moisture and water contamination).
