Stages of Processing
Sizing
During the sizing process, the almonds pass over round hole screens
(RHS).
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Gold Hills has an LMC sizer with 20,000
lbs. per hour capacity -- one of the highest outputs available in
the industry. It is a two-stage sizer with a splitter for precision
sizing to produce eight different sizes. To keep the decks clean
and to keep screens from plugging, Gold Hills installed a pre-cleaning
scalper that rids the product of foreign material, splits and fines. |
Cleaning
Even though some cleaning begins during sizing, the gravity
process is where the major cleaning of product commences. Gold
Hills' gravity machine is also an LMC brand with 20,000 lbs.
per hour capacity. It has the largest destoner available. For
better separation of product, it has primary and secondary in-line
gravity tables. And for more quality assurance, the machine contains
a hand-sorting table at the end of each line. |
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Sorting
Electronic sorting utilizes the most advanced technology available
to remove foreign material. Gold Hills' BEST Argus laser sorter
removes rock, plastic, glass and metal at a capacity of up to
7 tons per hour. Laser sorting drastically reduces the burden
previously carried by hand sorters, increases throughput and
decreases the cost of production. |
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The hand-sorting room contains a built-in
quality control station and six through-stage hand-sorting tables. |
These six tables are fed by three separate tanks;
allowing three different products to be run at the same time.
Additional hand-sorting tables are located at various lines throughout
the
plant.
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The sized, cleaned and sorted natural almonds
are now ready to be packaged for contracts or placed in our cold
storage warehouse for manufacturing stock. |
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