Automated Systems for Material Categorization

A PET bottle separation and recovery device that sorts and processes used PET bottles to increase recycling efficiency. The device has a holder, transfer unit, crusher, ring separator, and measuring unit. It measures transparency, contamination, and lid presence of bottles. Bottles are crushed and separated based on measurements to optimize recycling. Transparent bottles are shredded in one area, opaque ones in another, and contaminated ones crushed. This allows recycling of transparent shards, shredded opaque sections, and crushed contaminated parts separately.

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Sorting mixed plastic waste containing PE, PET, PP, PS, MPO and films into pure fractions for recycling. The sorting process involves initial separation of lower density films from higher density waste using air classifiers. Then, PET is further sorted by color using optical sorters. PET trays are extracted and clear/blue PET is separated. Impurities are removed from remaining PET. PP is separated into films and 3D waste using ballistic separators. PS is further sorted. The remaining mixed waste is rechecked for missed plastics. The sorted fractions are combined and recycled.

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Automated system for packing materials into boxes that can identify and sort materials as they move through the system. The system has a conveyor, identification mechanism, sorting mechanism, and box loading mechanism. The identification mechanism determines if the material is qualified and what type it is. The sorting mechanism moves the material to the correct location based on the identification result. The box loading mechanism puts the material into the box. This allows automated sorting and packing without manual intervention. The identification, sorting, and packing steps can all be performed simultaneously. The system also has a flipping mechanism to turn the material over for better identification and an adjustable cartoning mechanism to fit different box sizes.

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A smart PET bottle collection machine that separates and crushes transparent PET bottles with caps intact, while diverting opaque bottles and unsealed transparent bottles. The machine uses image analysis to identify the type and condition of introduced bottles. For transparent bottles with caps, it cuts the neck before crushing. For opaque or unsealed bottles, it ejects them. The machine has separate doors for different bottle types. It also accumulates points based on the separation and recycling process.

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Processing method and system for sorting and separating different types of waste paper, such as white vs colored waste paper, to enable efficient recycling. The method involves crushing the compressed waste paper packages to break apart the contained papers. Then, colorimetry and hyperspectral analysis are used to sort the crushed material. Colorimetry measures whiteness and hyperspectral analysis determines cellulose content. High whiteness and cellulose indicates recyclable white paper, low whiteness and cellulose indicates recyclable cardboard, and no cellulose indicates non-paper waste.

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A sorting system for bottle cap aluminum rings that enables automated assembly of aluminum rings in split bottle caps while preventing deformation during sorting. The system has a rotating tray with guide rails and a screening template to sort the rings. The guide rails have a spiral configuration to move rings to the top. The screening template removes deformed rings with leaking openings. The sorting tray rotates to feed rings into the guide rails. The rings exit facing upwards. This ensures the rings' upper port faces up during assembly, preventing deformation. The system also has a reclaiming assembly to pick up sorted rings for further processing.

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Method for identifying the material of a packaging container for recycling and a system to track the container throughout its lifecycle. The method involves assigning a unique code to the container during production. This code contains information about the materials used in the container. When the container is disposed of, the code is read to determine the specific recycling process needed for that container's materials. This allows separating and recycling the different materials in the container. The system has a database with entries for each code that contain the container's material information. A reader scans the code to retrieve the entry and determine the appropriate recycling process.

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A method and device for sorting mixed plastic packaging waste like bags and films into separate streams. The key innovation is to focus on sorting out films first, before further separating the remaining plastic. This prevents films from getting stuck in sorting machinery and causing issues. By removing films at an early stage, it allows better separation and prevents contamination of the sorted streams. The remaining waste is then visually inspected and further sorted if needed. The device uses multiple size fractions to further separate the plastic.

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Sorting mixed plastic packaging waste containing foil into pure foil and other plastic waste using a multi-step size separation process. The method involves sorting the mixed waste into five size fractions, then further separating each fraction to extract the foil pieces. This allows efficient removal of foil before processing the remaining plastic waste, preventing foil contamination in further sorting steps. The different size fractions are sorted separately using adapted processes to achieve high-purity sorted foil.

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Automatic sorting system for PET bottles that separates them into colored and transparent bottles, as well as labeled and unlabeled transparent bottles. The system uses sensors, conveyors, and rotating doors to sort the bottles. It also has features like user verification, weight measurement, and cutting of bottle caps. The system improves efficiency and reduces costs compared to manual sorting.

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A simple and energy-efficient system to separate empty cheese packages from full ones as they move along a conveyor to be banderoled. The system uses a double-winged arm with an extending rod that prevents empty packages from advancing. The arm rotates to move the rod circularly in the X and Y directions. A spring on the end of the arm provides force to counteract the lower friction of empty packages versus full ones, allowing separation. The system avoids electrical power, maintenance, and control needs compared to existing faulty packaging detection systems.

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An automated packaging system for flat packaging with compartments for separating different types of hardware parts in a kit. The system has vibrating tables with parallel rows of pans, vertical sealing strips between the pans to create rooms, and a transverse sealing strip to enclose the rooms. Three reels of plastic film wrap the parts as they move along the tables. The system vibrates the pans to shake out the parts, seals the rooms, and cuts through the film to separate the compartments. This allows automated separation of hardware types in flat packaging without manually sealing each compartment.

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Recycling and pelletizing of bottle flakes, including the bottle flakes feeding apparatus and a screw extrusion pelletizing apparatus. The recycling includes an eddy current separator, material sorter, fluid bed, round vibrating sieve and drying reaction tower.

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Automatic waste sorter for separating plastic bottles and aluminum cans. The sorter has sensors to detect the presence of bottles and cans. An ultrasonic sensor distinguishes between bottles and cans based on their size. A metal sensor detects cans. When a waste item enters, the sensors identify it and the sorter sends it to the appropriate container. The sorter also has a data logging circuit to track the separation and report it online.

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A vending machine that collects and recycles plastic bottles, processes the collected bottles if they are recyclable, and pays users for recycled bottles. The machine uses sensors and near-infrared spectroscopy to determine if a bottle is recyclable based on material, color, and transparency. Bottles that pass recyclability are processed into new forms. Filmy bottles have the film removed. The machine pays users for recycled bottles through their accounts. This incentivizes recycling and reduces plastic waste.

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Device for sorting and recycling beverage containers like bottles and cans. The device has a receiving area, analysis area with sensors, and sorting area with a movable platform. Waste is introduced, analyzed, and then sorted based on container type. The analysis uses sensors to measure properties like weight, rigidity, refractive index, and magnetic field. This allows identifying common beverage container materials like PET, glass, and metal cans. The device can also detect full vs empty bottles. The sorting uses a movable platform with shutters that open when a container is detected.

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Device for waste analysis, recognition and sorting that can be integrated into storage devices to automatically sort recyclable beverage containers like bottles and cans. The device has a receiving area for waste, an analysis area with sensors, and a sorting area with movable arms. It uses sensors to measure properties like refractive index, weight, magnetic field, and dimensions to identify containers like bottles, cans, and glasses. The device can sort the containers by guiding them to the appropriate orifice based on their identified type.

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