Retrofitting optical sorters without rebuilding the line
Halden Sorting Systems argues that most MRFs can add a sorting stage inside existing conveyor geometry, and that the structural work operators fear is avoidable more often than not.
This article was produced in partnership with Halden Sorting Systems and paid for by the sponsor. RecyclerWorld's newsroom was not involved in writing it.
This article is sponsored by Halden Sorting Systems.
Most operators evaluating an added optical sorting stage arrive with the same two questions: what does the machine cost, and how long is the line down. Halden Sorting Systems argues that the second question matters more, and that the answer is frequently better than expected.
Where retrofit budgets go wrong
“The machine is the predictable part of the quote,” said Anders Halden, technical director at the company. “What kills a retrofit budget is discovering in week three that you need to raise a roof section or relocate a structural column.”
Halden’s position is that a majority of container-line and fibre-line additions can be accommodated within existing geometry if the assessment is done properly at the survey stage rather than after order. The company’s approach involves a full three-dimensional scan of the existing line, modelling of the proposed unit against actual as-built clearances rather than original drawings, and belt-speed and burden-depth analysis to confirm the sorter will see material presented in a usable single layer.
That last point, the company says, is where retrofits underperform most often. A near-infrared unit reading a burden two or three items deep will miss material regardless of ejection accuracy, and operators sometimes attribute a presentation problem to the sensor.
The downtime question
Halden’s HX-series units are configured for staged installation: mounting structure and services are installed during scheduled maintenance windows, with the sorter head and air manifold set and commissioned in a single shutdown. The company quotes typical outage windows of two to four days for a single-stage addition on an existing conveyor, against one to two weeks for installations requiring conveyor replacement.
Sensor configurations cover near-infrared for polymer and fibre identification, colour cameras for sorting by appearance, and combined arrangements for applications such as pulling coated board and residual containers out of a mixed paper stream.
What operators should ask for
The company recommends that operators evaluating any supplier request three things before signing: a burden-depth measurement on the actual line at production throughput, a written clearance assessment against a physical survey rather than drawings, and a commissioning plan with a named outage window and a defined acceptance test.
“If a supplier will not measure your burden depth before quoting, they are selling you a machine, not a result,” Halden said.
Halden Sorting Systems supplies optical sorting equipment and retrofit engineering to materials recovery, plastics reclaiming and fibre processing operations. Details on the HX-series and survey process are available from the company directly.
Sponsored content is produced in partnership with the sponsor and is not written by the RecyclerWorld editorial team.
