Japanese multinational Canon has become a manufacturer of plastic sorting equipment using material identification technology.
The company is now accepting orders from the market for its TR Series which has been kicked off by the TR-S1510.
The new product employs a proprietary tracking Raman spectroscopic method to sort plastic pieces regardless of their colours, including black. Raman spectroscopy utilises laser light to illuminate plastic pieces to obtain molecular information of the substance, thereby enabling the material detection.
Market entry
With the launch of this product, Canon marks its entry into the recycling system market in an aim to build a circular economy by maximising material recycling, says a news release.
However, due to the limited amount of reflection by black plastic pieces, the measurement time is too long relative to the speed and throughput required to effectively sort all the pieces regardless of their colours at recycling plants.
By combining Raman spectroscopy with Canons measurement and control equipment, the company has developed a technology which scans laser light toward the pieces, ensuring sufficient measurement time for each piece of plastic regardless of its colour.
The product maintains a conveyor speed of 1.5 metres per second and can sort up to one tonne of plastic per hour.
Fuente: Recycling International