WASTE SORTING SYSTEMS AND MACHINE : OPTICAL SORTER

WASTE SORTING : OPTICAL SORTER

Integration of optical sorting units to automate plastic, fibre and other recycling operations.

Thanks to the Eagle Vizion optical sorting units, the former process of sorting certain materials by hand can now be automated. In fact, thanks to Near Infra-Red (NIR) detection, different types of materials can be detected, recognized, and then separated. Colour-detection and line-scan cameras are also available.

The operating principle of NIR optical sorting units (Optical Sorter) is quite simple: materials on a conveyor belt travel at high speed under a powerful light source. Part of the light’s wavelengths is absorbed by the materials while the other is reflected and captured by lenses. These lenses transmit the signal to a spectrometer and/or camera, which associates each reading with a specific curve since each material has its own signature. Different types of materials, such as plastics (PET, HDPE, PVC, PP, PS, and others) and fibres can be detected. Different sorts of fibres can also be recognized, as with pressed wood and melamine. When the desired material passes under the lenses, according to the library selected by the computer, a command is sent to the corresponding shutter valves that blow the material into the correct chute. This is how an automated optical sorting unit can replace the manual sorting of a dozen employees. The sorted materials only require a simple quality control. Note that we also developped an automated quality control optical sorting unit to replace any human intervention. That garbage sorting machine is ideal for plastic sorting, color sorting and many more applications.

Eagle Vizion sorting units can easily be integrated into existing plants. Whether for the construction, renovation and demolition (CRD) markets, selective collection (blue bin or “single stream”), or plastics and fibre recycling, several automation opportunities are available thanks to Eagle Vizion optical sorting.
Applications

Automated sorting plastic (PET/PE)
Sorting by color (opacity, color…) or by type
Automated sorting Wood
Automated sorting Melamin