Introduction
The roller-bar grader-also known as a roller-bar fruit and vegetable sorting machine-is specialized, continuous-flow equipment designed specifically for the size grading of spherical or near-spherical agricultural produce. It is currently one of the most widely utilized and cost-effective grading machines employed in the post-harvest commercialization and processing of agricultural products.
Parameter Table
| Feature |
Specification |
| Grading Accuracy |
Up to 98% (Subject to material consistency) |
| Number of Stages |
3 Stages (Standard); 2-6 Stages (Customizable) |
| Roller Material |
Food-grade Polymer or Stainless Steel |
| Frame Construction |
Heavy-duty reinforced steel with anti-corrosion coating |
| Mobility |
360° Industrial Swivel Casters with locking brakes |
| Material |
201&304Stainless steel |
| Power Supply |
220V/380V(Customized per country standard) |
Working Principle
Its sorting logic is highly intuitive, relying entirely on the alignment between the material's diameter and the spacing between the roller bars to achieve classification. This constitutes a purely mechanical-physical sorting process, requiring no complex electronic detection systems:
Material Conveyance: Materials are fed into the grading bed via an elevator. Driven by the rotating roller bars, the materials simultaneously rotate on their own axes and move forward, ensuring that every piece makes full contact with the gaps between the rollers.
Grading and Screening: Materials with a diameter smaller than the gap in the current section will, under the influence of gravity, fall through the spaces between the rollers and drop into the corresponding discharge outlet located beneath. Larger materials, conversely, continue to move forward into the next grading section, where the roller gaps are wider.
Product Diversion: The materials are discharged sequentially through different outlets, arranged in order from smallest to largest, thereby completing a multi-stage size classification process.
Core Advantages and Technical Features
Low Damage, High Preservation: The roller bars feature a smooth surface, ensuring that materials undergo no hard impacts or mechanical clamping throughout the entire process. The fruit damage rate is controlled at ≤2%, perfectly preserving the natural bloom and skin integrity of the fruit, making it particularly suitable for high-end fruits with delicate skins, such as lychees, cherries, and loquats.
High Grading Precision: The grading gaps can be adjusted with high precision, resulting in a grading error rate of ≤5%. This ensures clear grading specifications, prevents the mixing of different sizes, helps products achieve "premium quality at a premium price," and boosts market value.
Wide Range of Applications: Highly adaptable, capable of processing various spherical or near-spherical materials:
Fruits: Cherries, lychees, longans, green plums, cherry tomatoes, citrus fruits, apples
Vegetables: Potatoes, onions, garlic, radishes, tomatoes
Dried Fruits: Red dates, walnuts, chestnuts
Changing grading specifications requires only a simple adjustment of the roller bar gaps, eliminating the need to replace complex components.
High Efficiency and Energy Savings; Cost Reduction: A single unit boasts an hourly output of 1-4 tons. It requires only 1-2 operators for auxiliary feeding, effectively replacing the work of 10-20 manual sorters to significantly reduce labor costs. Furthermore, the equipment consumes very little energy, making its long-term operating costs far lower than those of manual sorting.
Easy Maintenance, High Stability: Core components are constructed from stainless steel, offering excellent corrosion resistance and ease of cleaning. The absence of complex electronic detection systems results in a low failure rate; consequently, maintenance costs are significantly lower than those of vision-based sorting machines, making it an ideal solution for the long-term, stable operation of small to medium-sized enterprises.
Applicable Scenarios and Industry Value
Core Application Scenarios: Fruit cultivation bases, fruit and vegetable processing plants, agricultural product wholesale markets, e-commerce supply chain enterprises, and dried fruit processing companies.
Core Industry Value:
Enhance Product Standardization: Grading ensures uniform product specifications and improved visual appeal, enabling direct fulfillment of standardized orders from supermarkets and e-commerce platforms.
Reduce Manual Sorting Errors and Losses: Eliminates the subjectivity inherent in manual grading, guaranteeing consistent grading standards across every batch.
Provide Uniformly Specified Raw Materials for Downstream Processing: Supplies standardized inputs for subsequent manufacturing stages, such as canning, dried fruit production, and juice extraction, thereby reducing rework rates in downstream processing operations.
Comparative Analysis with Other Mainstream Grading Equipment
| Equipment Type |
Core Advantages |
Core Disadvantages |
Most Applicable Scenarios |
| Roller Bar Grading Machine |
Low damage, low cost, easy maintenance and high efficiency. |
Only graded by diameter; cannot identify weight, defects or color. |
Primary grading of fruits and vegetables, mass standardized sorting; the first choice for small and medium-sized enterprises. |
| Drum Grading Machine |
Simple structure, suitable for large collision-resistant materials. |
High fruit damage rate, low grading accuracy, easy blockage and limited material compatibility. |
Bulk vegetables with rough peel and collision resistance, such as potatoes and onions. |
| Weight Sorting Machine |
Accurate weight grading, not affected by material shape. |
High equipment cost, low working speed, not suitable for large-scale rapid grading. |
High-end premium fruits, export orders, scenarios with strict requirements on weight accuracy. |
| Visual Sorting Machine |
Fully functional, capable of identifying color, defects, weight and shape simultaneously. |
High equipment cost, complicated maintenance, relatively high damage rate and strict requirements on material cleanliness. |
High-end premium fruits, export orders, scenarios requiring comprehensive grading dimensions. |
Customization and Ancillary Services
As a primary manufacturer, our factory specializes in non-standard customization. We can tailor equipment specifications-including length, grading stages, construction materials, and discharge methods-to meet specific client requirements regarding facility dimensions, material characteristics, and production output.
Furthermore, we offer a comprehensive suite of ancillary equipment, such as washing machines, air dryers, peelers, elevators, and packaging machines, to provide a complete, one-stop solution for entire fruit and vegetable processing lines. We also provide complimentary services covering equipment installation guidance, operational training, and after-sales technical support.
Company Profile
We are a primary source manufacturer specializing in the R&D, manufacturing, and provision of customized complete-line solutions for fruit and vegetable processing equipment. With years of deep expertise in the industry, we remain steadfastly focused on the fields of post-harvest handling and deep processing, delivering efficient, stable, and cost-effective professional equipment, along with comprehensive end-to-end services to clients worldwide.
Adhering to the principles of "Quality First, Customer Foremost," we empower our clients to enhance product quality, reduce production costs, and achieve value-added growth for their agricultural products through a combination of cost-effective equipment, expert technical support, and comprehensive after-sales service, thereby establishing ourselves as a trusted partner for fruit and vegetable processing enterprises worldwide.