MRF operators benefit from options

For decades STEINERT has been recognized as a global leader in magnetic separation technology. Material recovery facility (MRF) and plastics recovery facility (PRF) operators may not be aware that STEINERT also offers a full range of optical sorters.

Advanced technology

“Our advanced UniSort PR EVO 5.0 is capable of a wide range of sorting tasks,” says Charlotte Fischer, STEINERT’s North American UniSort sales specialist. “We have MRF customers producing clear PET [polyethylene terephthalate] clamshell loads that are meeting incredibly demanding consumer specifications.”

“Many in the industry believe you can only accomplish results like this with AI- [artificial intelligence-] based sorting,” she adds. “For STEINERT, our hyperspectral imaging [HSI] is so advanced it provides a much deeper material read. This allows us to make the sort efficiently and with incredible accuracy.”

The technology inside the UniSort PR EVO 5.0 is far more advanced. As a fifth-generation machine, it benefits from a much richer materials database and leverages AI to apply that database to each sort.

“Because the sortation is materials-based, not only image-based, the unit is more reliable,” says Patrick Lindweiler, product manager at STEINERT GmbH. “It is not reliant upon constantly updated images of consumer packaging, it simply sorts based upon material. This ensures that even previously unidentified packaging, something new from a [consumer packaged goods] company, will be reliably sorted.”

Production-minded

The units feature dynamic calibration to monitor the light spectrum on sorting lines. Advanced light boxes deliver improved detection while also minimizing maintenance, and optimized value blocks guarantee precise separation.

The UniSort offers a dual-sort splitter that allows a three-way materials sortation. “Our ability to provide three material streams in a single pass helps MRF operators increase efficiency and production,” Fischer says. “This can be for clamshell and bottle sorts when targeting PET or it can allow color sortation as required.

“STEINERT takes a holistic look at processing lines when collaborating with our customers. By understanding the material flow and composition, as well as the markets available to our customers, we ensure the proper sorting solution is applied. It’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all approach.”

The UniSort PR EVO 5.0 also plays an important role on fiber lines. It effectively removes film and other remaining plastic contamination following a primary sort or can be equipped to sort white paper out of mixed streams or deliver more brown grades to the old corrugated containers line.

The right solution

The UniSort PR EVO 5.0 is an all-around player with a range of applications, but it is just one tool in STEINERT’s portfolio of sensor-based sorting solutions. From black plastic sorting to color sortation and advanced film recovery, STEINERT offers a range of solutions. High production, superior recovery and unmatched purity define STEINERT performance.

With decades of materials sortation experience, STEINERT delivers performance. To learn more about STEINERT UniSort sensor sorting technology, please contact Charlotte Fischer at Charlotte.Fischer@steinertus.com.