Optical sensor sorting
Stadler is introducing a new Stadler PX acceleration conveyor. It is intended to meet the demand for higher throughput in sensor-based automatic sorting, which can operate at higher working speeds. To achieve the desired result, Stadler has integrated features of its popular BB and DB conveyors, and has taken the opportunity to introduce a host of improvements. They include a new air stabiliser for consistent sorting quality at faster speeds with light materials, resulting in good purity of the output.
Corinna König, Team Leader Product Management explains, “We found that we were increasingly combining our BB and DB conveyors in customers’ projects to achieve the desired result, so we developed the PX, which combines the best features of each into one conveyor. This means that our customers now have only one machine to operate and maintain, simplifying their operation and reducing their costs.”
The new PX conveyor carries over the solid frame construction and long service life of its predecessors, the BB and DB models. It features a slot to fit a sensor under the belt and is easily compatible with NIR and EM sensors from a variety of manufacturers. It offers a belt speed ranging from 3.2 m/s to a fast 4.5 m/s, and can be specified with two motors to ensure the necessary torque at the required speed. The head drum is available in a choice of two diameters: 125mm and 220mm for the best detachment of the material.
The material on the conveyor is accelerated and straightened, so that the sensors fitted in the slot are able to detect accurately the material on the conveyor at all speeds. An optional stabiliser further improves performance by optimising the positioning of the material on the belt with an air flow. The result is a higher throughput with high sorting quality and a higher purity levels of the blown-out fraction – even at the top speed with light materials such as paper or film.
The PX benefits from a compact size and is designed for easy transport. The frame, with the belt already mounted, can be separated into three or four sections, depending on the length of the conveyor. These can be stacked for transport and are simple to reassemble on site. Even the model with the widest, 2,900mm belt can be loaded on standard trucks or containers, also cutting down on transport costs.
Italian company Irigom Srl has installed 6 PX conveyors at its SSF (Secondary Solid Fuel) plant, which is designed to separate and recover all valuable material from the incoming plastic waste. The recovered PET, PE-LD and PP is sent to a recycling facility, while the residue is used to produce high-quality SSF. The conveyors have been operating for 3 months, sorting PET, PE-LD and PP materials for recovery, metals, and PVC which is removed from the process.
