TOMRA Launches AUTOSORT™ PULSE with Dynamic LIBS Technology

Global sensor-based sorting technology provider, TOMRA Recycling Sorting, introduces a new machine featuring dynamic laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). Designed for high throughput sorting of aluminum alloys, AUTOSORT™ PULSE redefines industry standards.

Leveraging decades of experience in the metal recycling industry, the company celebrates the introduction of AUTOSORT™ PULSE to the market. Equipped with dynamic LIBS technology the new sorting system gives recyclers the means to sort aluminum by alloy classes and produce furnace-ready products for demanding applications.

Next-level alloy sorting
AUTOSORT™ PULSE combines leading-edge technology in one machine, enabling high-throughput production of green aluminum. Featuring the patented, dynamic LIBS technology, it delivers outstanding performance in the separation of, for example, 5xxx and 6xxx aluminum alloys. The machine’s 3D object scanning detects each object regardless of its size and surface while multiple single-point scans enable sharper detection of materials in any condition. Thanks to its AI-based object singulation feature, even overlapping and adjacent objects can be accurately separated to maximize yield.

Conventional sorting machines like x-ray fluorescence (XRF) or standard LIBS technologies are limited in maintaining industry-level throughputs when sorting aluminum alloys.

AUTOSORT™ PULSE has a combination of the most innovative technologies, leading to peak precision and high-purity sorting results. Multiple material tests have demonstrated that purity levels of more than 95 percent can be achieved.

High volume processing
With a bulk infeed system and a processing capacity between 3 – 7 tons/hour, operators can create high volumes of recycled content, meeting industrial standards. Its relatively compact equipment footprint integrates an extensive set of technologies and a conveyor belt, making it easy to install without the need for additional, complicated material handling equipment. Furthermore, the machine’s design protects workers from any potentially harmful or penetrating light emissions.

Matthias Winkler, Product Manager at TOMRA Recycling Sorting, states: ”We have a long-standing legacy in the metals segment and our finger is on the pulse of the market. Based on our extensive in-house knowledge, we have now extended our product portfolio with AUTOSORT™ PULSE. Customers testing the machine are impressed by its results and the operational benefits it brings.”

Data-driven results
AUTOSORT™ PULSE can be equipped with the cloud-based data platform TOMRA Insight that allows for a data-driven optimization of sorting processes through near-live monitoring. As critical sorting data is available anywhere and anytime, operators can anticipate operational issues and future maintenance requirements and be in control of the entire sorting line.

Supporting net-zero
Aluminum is a very versatile material that is a highly demanded commodity. In Europe alone, demand is expected to grow by 40 percent from 2018 – 2050.(*) At the same time, the aluminum industry is undertaking considerable decarbonization efforts to reach worldwide climate goals.

To bridge the gap between supply and demand and support the transition to a climate-neutral society, the industry resorts to recycled aluminum as recycling aluminum is 95 percent less energy-intense compared to primary production. Moreover, it prolongs the lifecycle of existing materials.

Terence Keyworth, Segment Manager Metals at TOMRA Recycling Sorting, states: “Our intensive and long-term collaboration with some of the world’s largest scrap recyclers and aluminum producers is the foundation of our development process. With our metal sorting units, we provide the technological force in driving the aluminum sector’s net-zero transition as it delivers high-quality alloy scrap fractions for producing low-carbon aluminum.”

www.tomra.com

*) European Aluminum Vision 2050; 2. European Aluminum Circular Economy Action Plan, 2020

(Published in GLOBAL RECYCLING Magazine 2/2023, Page 42 -Advertorial-, Photo: Tomra)