TECHNOLOGY | SORTATION
Right: Tomra says its new Innosort Flake unit uses
advanced NIR spectrometer technology to precisely
detect various polymers from highly contaminated infeed
flexibility that makes it possible to run multiple sorting and recovery steps in a single machine, leading to considerable time savings coupled with less material handling, said Alberto Piovesan, Global Segment Manager for Plastics at Tomra Recycling Sorting. Innosort Flake can sort mixed plastic fractions
that have been shredded and washed into clean fractions of PET, PP, PE, PVC, ABS, PS, PA, PC, PLA, PMMA, POM and more, the company said. The model utilises advanced NIR spectrometer technol- ogy to precisely detect the various polymers from highly contaminated infeed. Dual-sided high-reso- lution cameras are used to detect millions of colours to create single colour fractions. The high-contrast imaging is also able to differentiate between white, opaque, natural, transparent, and translucent flakes, reducing material loss and maximising yields, said Piovesan. The unit’s higher-end optics also includes enhanced illumina- tion intensity with a changeable colour back- ground, for sorting flexibility and adaptability.
Below: Sesotec’s new Varisort+ Film unit has features to stabilise film waste during sorting
Data analysis The Innosort unit is offered in a choice of three working widths of 1,000 mm, 1,500 mm and 2,000 mm. It can be ordered with two to four chutes and can process up to 8 tonnes/hr of flake. Tomra says the Innosort Flake has an integrated passive cooling system to ensure consistent and reliable operation even in challenging environments. Tomra’s Insight cloud-based data monitoring
platform can be installed as an add-on service to further improve sorting performance by optimising processes through data analysis. Tomra Insight can provide digital metrics like throughput, material distribution across the conveyor belt, accept and rejection rates. It can identify inefficiencies and
carry out predictive maintenance to further support the reduction of productivity losses and machine downtime, the company said. The Innosort Flake unit joins Tomra’s Autosort
Flake sorting machine which is designed for high-end applications like bottle-to-bottle recycling where contamination of the infeed material is low but quality requirements are high, said Piovesan. It features an NIR spectrometer in combination with a full colour camera and high sensitivity electromag- netic sensor for ferrous and non-ferrous metal detection, providing simultaneous material, colour and metal detection, to achieve both high purity and stable throughput.
Difficult objects German separation and sorting systems manufac- turer Sesotec developed Varisort+ Film, a new multi-sensor system for sorting plastics films. The film sorter is a modular system based on the proven features of the company’s Varisort+ device family but incorporates new technical develop- ments that enable optimum conveying of flexible packaging and films. Varisort+ Film features a new specially gener-
ated laminar air flow design that stabilises the film for reliable identification and sorting. Another innovation incorporated into the new unit is an aerodynamically designed separator housing that prevents air turbulence, which usually impairs the sorting efficiency of flexible packaging. Sesotec introduced its latest developments in
IMAGE: SESOTEC 14 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | September 2024
material evaluation methods based on AI that enable reliable detection and the differentiation identificating of many materials beyond the limits of high-tech sensor technologies. The company developed Object-Ai, which uses colour and shape sensor technology with AI to clas- sify objects that were previously difficult to detect
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
IMAGE: TOMRA
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