PC-SEP23-PG08.1_Layout 1 04/09/2023 10:35 Page 8
SOLIDS PROCESSING
KEEPING AN EYE ON THE RECYCLING PRIZE
FANUC’s LR Mate robot is helping Recycleye revolutionise waste handling through the use of its AI robotic picking technology at materials recycling facilities
upport from FANUC UK has helped a growing recycling tech company revolutionise the waste management sector with its AI-powered approach to sorting recyclable materials. London-based Recycleye uses proprietary AI vision technology in conjunction with FANUC 6-axis LR Mate robots to automate the detection and sorting of dry mixed recyclables, traditionally a largely manual process. The system, called Recycleye Robotics, is increasing sorting accuracy by up to 12% and improved line output by up to 10%, helping waste operators to boost their bottom line and providing a solution to ongoing labour shortages in the waste management industry.
S
Recycleye CEO Victor Dewulf, said: “FANUC has been a key enabler in the success we’ve achieved so far, and they’re central to our future ambitions. They really put their faith in us and the product we set out to deliver.” Recycleye Robotics uses AI-powered computer vision to identify every single item in complex waste streams. The FANUC LR Mate robot, which sits at the heart of the system, then automatically separates those recyclables into different material classes such as plastics, aluminum, paper and cardboard. The solution can operate 24/7, picking up to 33,000 items per robot over a 10- hour shift.
For Recycleye, choosing the right automation supplier and the right robotic solution was critical to their technology’s success. “In the early days of our journey, we worked with the MTC. They recommended that we speak to FANUC when we were looking for our robot partner and from day one, we knew we’d made the right choice,” said Chief Technical Officer Peter Hedley. “The FANUC LR Mate 200 iD/4SC is the perfect accompaniment to our vision system. We were looking to bring new technology into a very established, traditional industry. Although mostly reliant on manual pickers, any robots already being used to sort dry, mixed recyclables tended to be large, heavy Delta robots. The ability to retrofit our lightweight
8 SEPTEMBER 2023 | PROCESS & CONTROL
system into customers’ existing lines at a reasonable price point was therefore crucial.” This ‘retrofitability’ was a main draw of the LR Mate – as a compact, short arm, mini robot it is easy to integrate into confined spaces, making it the perfect choice for Recycleye Robotics. As a result, the Recycleye team can install a system over a weekend, with no need for the facility to shut down or operations to be suspended.
Hedley continued: “In addition, the FANUC LR- Mate is ultra-efficient, using five times less energy than a Delta robot. And thanks to its sophisticated sensors, there’s no wasted travel – if it’s not gripping anything, it won’t move to the bin. Reliability was another a key factor for us. It can operate 24/7 for eight years and still come back to the same millimetre point it has been told to move to.” For materials recycling facilities (MRFs), the
benefits of Recycleye’s technology are myriad; not least that it offers a solution to the industry-wide labour crisis.
“The LR Mate robot can pick as accurately as a human worker, and the vision system is
as accurate as a human eye,” explained Hedley. “Robots don’t need to take a break, don’t slow down or get tired, and don’t leave the job or need replacing. This is crucial as it can be very hard to find manual workers for waste picking. Recycleye Robotics is more consistently accurate than a human worker and can work safely alongside human employees, thanks to its safety guarding. It can also easily handle the hazardous materials that are routinely found in sorting facilities, which can injure human pickers. It’s therefore an ideal complement to the existing workforce.”
Another benefit for MRFs is that materials that are sorted to the highest purity will command a higher price. Recycleye Robotics is usually used at the quality assurance stage of the recycling process, comprising both positive picking (e.g. any recyclables that have been missed) and negative picking (removing any contaminants such as plastics in an aluminum line). This boosts sorting accuracy, increasing purity. And thanks to the system’s transparent traceability function – every item is scanned and the resulting data is visualised on a dashboard – demonstrating pick levels and proving the purity of the batch are made simple.
“Quite simply, for our customers in the MRF sector, investing in a Recycleye Robotics system ensures the future of their business by giving them a competitive edge,” added Hedley.
FANUC UK has been part of the Recycleye journey from the start, with an install base of 14 systems across Europe in just three years and 25 FANUC LR Mates already purchased.
FANUC
www.fanuc.eu/uk/en
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50
