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"With the combination of technologies in the new AUTOSORT, we are able to see a different kind of chemical (makeup) of the same material," explains Atienza. For example, for different PET bottles and trays, "It's all PET for NIR, but combined with the other technologies, we are able to see the difference.

"We are able to identify and sort, for example, different kinds of PET, such as trays, bottles, etc., which is very important for recyclers, because the quality of the end product can change when you have a lot of trays on the PET line. We definitely see more and more PET trays on the market," which he points to as one of the drivers for the development of this technology. Key to taking material detection to the next level is DEEP LAISER, which is an optional add-on to the system.

According to TOMRA, the DEEP LAISER is one of the first fully integrated systems of its kind, and stands out for its compactness and flexible range of uses, with object recognition that enables a deeper sorting sharpness. This includes the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) via Deep Learningwhich TOMRA first introduced in 2019.

In basic terms, FLYING BEAM's NIR/VIS (Visual Spectrum) technology makes an overall determination of what kind of plastic and colour is on the belt, and SHARP EYE looks more closely at the chemical composition, to give a deeper sort, differentiating between different types of PET, for example. When you add on the DEEP LAISER component, it detects material that other optical sorters cannot detect.

"It is a laser combined with an artificially intelligent camera, using our IOR software," explains Atienza. "With DEEP LAISER we are sorting material on the conveyor that the FLYING BEAM and SHARP EYE cannot detect, such as black plastic or glass." He says it detects and sorts these materials out as an impurity, and that due to the IOR, the system sees, and is able to learn about, a very wide range of different types of material, detecting chemical composition, shapes and colour.

"With our AUTOSORT technology we can see types of materials that many other technologies cannot see. For example, our machine can differentiate LDPE, (low density polyethylene) from linear LLDPE. It's mostly the same material, because it is all LDPE, but they have differences, and we are able to see it, even at 6m/second."

Another example is LDPE and HDPE film, he says. "With films, you have low-density and high-density polyethylene, and we can see that difference, because our sensor has very high detection sensitivity."

In addition to its vastly increased sorting capacity overall, the new AUTOSORT ValveBlock geometry system is also 25% more powerful, with a reduction in air consumption of about 15%, compared to the previous version. This contributes to lower operating costs, including less electrical consumption, and notably this new generation AUTOSORT also auto calibrates every millisecond for optimal operation through changing conditions.

"This is very important," says Atienza, especially because NIR is very sensitive to temperature. "The auto calibration every single millisecond allows us to operate efficiently through a wide range of temperatures during a day," he says.

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Powerful optical sorting technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics reduce contamination for recycling operations - Recycling Product News