About used machines for Apples

Apples are delicate products that bruise easily. This is why it is important to use very product-friendly machines for apples. The falling height must be limited and transitions must be equipped with brushes to prevent damage to the apples. Additionally, any parts of the machine that come into direct contact with the apples must be covered in rubber or Teflon. 

Machines for growing apple trees

Growing good apples starts with breeding and growing good apple trees. There are a diversity of used machines for growing apple trees available, such as Damcon or Basrijs harvesters and planters.

Emptying apple bins: wet or dry feed systems

After they are picked, apples are moved to the cold storage unit and grading halls in fruit crates or bins (approximately 100 X 120 x 75 cm). Before the apples are graded and packaged they have to be taken out of the apple bins in a product-friendly manner. This can be done using a bin tipper with a flat supply conveyor (dry) or a water unloader in combination with an apple dryer (wet).

Bin tipper for apples

In the dry variant the bins full of apples are tipped, and emptied gently from the bins using a bin tipper. The advantage to this system is that it is a compact solution and the apples are still dry.

Water unloader for apples bins

When a water unloader is used in what we call a water infeed system, the bins full of apples are immersed in a container filled with water. Because the apples will float, they will end up at the top of the crate. The current in the water pushes the apples towards a dryer. Here, the apples are dried before they are sent to the grading or packaging machine. Because the apples have been transported by water there is a constant supply without any transitions, which not only prevent damage but also increases capacity.

Grading machines 

Apples can be graded according to size, weight, colour or internal and/or external quality. The type of cups or carriers used for this depends on whether the grading machine is also used for other fruits, like pears, apricots, peaches or mangos. Apple grading machines are designed to reduce the possibility of collision and damage to a minimum. Many grading machines are equipped with brushes at the singulator and sorting outfeeds to prevent the apples from bumping into one another. 

After sorting, the apples are moved to the packing conveyors, where they are packed in small crates manually. Apples can also be put in larger bins semi or fully automatically and packaged into smaller packages or crates a later point in time.

Packaging machines for apples

Various types of machines can be used to package apples, in which stretch foil, flowpack, shrink film and plastic bags can be used. These machines can package apples in bulk or on trays. The way in which the apples are packaged generally depends on the customers’ requirements.

You will find our current range of used machines for apples on this page. Would you like to remain informed of all the machines for apples that come in? Register for email alerts at the top of the page.