IN Brief:
- Satake’s CHT16A is designed for rice, wheat, lentil and seed processing in international markets.
- The sorter can process more than 30 tonnes of long grain rice per hour, subject to material conditions.
- Automated colour sensitivity and shape analysis target easier setup, defect removal and product recovery.
Satake has launched the CHT16A optical sorter, targeting processors that need higher throughput across rice, wheat, lentils and seeds without increasing dependence on manual machine setup.
The new machine can process more than 30 tonnes of long grain rice per hour under suitable material conditions. Satake developed it primarily for overseas markets, including India, where large grain and pulse plants have to combine substantial daily volumes with consistent removal of discoloured, broken or malformed product.
Optical sorting takes place after upstream cleaning and preparation, using sensors and imaging to identify material that differs from the characteristics of acceptable product. Defective grains are then removed from the flow, normally through precisely timed air ejection, allowing processors to improve outgoing quality without relying on manual inspection.
The CHT16A combines that sorting principle with Satake Smart Sensitivity, which evaluates the colour characteristics of target defects and generates sensitivity settings automatically. The manufacturer says the function reduces setup time and lowers dependence on individual operator experience.
Sorter performance depends heavily on those detection thresholds. A setting that is too permissive can allow defects into the accepted stream, while excessive sensitivity can reject good product alongside unwanted material and reduce overall recovery.
Automating part of the setup process makes the initial configuration more repeatable when raw material characteristics change. Rice, wheat, pulses and seeds can vary by variety, season, origin and storage condition, so plants may need to adjust sorting parameters as different lots pass through the line.
Satake has also equipped the machine with Advanced Shape Sorting. Instead of relying only on colour differences, the technology is designed to recognise physical defects including broken, adhered and malformed grains, widening the range of unwanted material that can be identified before final product moves further into packing or distribution.
The sorter can also be configured for as many as five sorting stages, although Satake says that option is scheduled to become available from late 2026. Multiple stages can allow material rejected at one point to be reassessed, improving recovery where acceptable grains have travelled with defective material.
Product recovery has a direct impact on sorter economics because removing more defects is not automatically beneficial if acceptable material is lost at the same time. At more than 30 tonnes per hour, even a small proportion of unnecessary rejection can translate into a substantial volume of saleable grain over a production shift.
The CHT16A therefore has to balance two aspects of performance: maintaining accurate detection at high throughput while limiting losses from the accepted product stream. Satake states that actual capacity will vary according to material condition, leaving plant performance dependent on the incoming crop as well as the machine rating.
The launch follows other additions to Satake’s optical sorting portfolio during 2026, including its modular SLASH platform. CHT16A is aimed more directly at processors where scale itself is a central requirement, particularly large rice and grain operations handling substantial daily tonnages.
Greater sorter capacity can also alter line configuration. Where one machine can handle more throughput, plants may be able to reduce the number of parallel sorters required for a given output, although redundancy, product segregation and maintenance requirements will still influence the final layout.
Controls and automated setup become more important as more production passes through each machine. Inconsistent configuration or unplanned downtime affects a larger share of the plant’s output, so Satake is pairing higher mechanical throughput with functions intended to make defect selection and operating settings more repeatable.
The CHT16A is now available through Satake’s global sales and service network. Its commercial performance will depend on how the stated capacity, recovery and automated setup behave across different crops, but the launch continues the shift towards optical sorters that combine more throughput with more of the setup intelligence inside the machine itself.
