True to its reputation

When it comes to magnets and eddy current separators, STEINERT is known for producing superior products. What companies in North America might not know is that STEINERT’s expertise extends to optical sorters, which are deployed widely throughout Europe in waste and recycling applications.

Regarding its metals sorting technologies, Tim Barry, waste market manager at STEINERT US, based in Walton, Kentucky, says, “We’ve established ourselves as a premier vendor that supplies a premier product. STEINERT wouldn’t put anything into the market that was going to lessen its brand, so if you expect our eddies and magnets to be best in class and the best in industry, you should expect nothing less from our opticals.”

STEINERT has a history of supplying optical sorters in the European market, with some customers operating more than 50 STEINERT units in a single facility. “We have facilities that are filled with nothing but STEINERT yellow boxes, and we’re excited, capable and willing to bring that knowledge and experience to the U.S. as well,” Barry says.

The company will add a U.S. test center in the next 12 months so prospective customers can see how STEINERT optical sorters perform with their material. “In the meantime, we have full access to test in our test facility in Germany,” Barry says. Customers can either visit or send their material for testing and receive videos and reports with the results.

Early embracer of hyperspectral imaging

While some optical sorter suppliers recently introduced hyperspectral imaging cameras, STEINERT has used the technology in its near-infrared (NIR) sorters for a decade.

Barry says NIR sorters typically use a single spectrometer and camera on a belt to analyze material. “It will plot 16 to 18 points on a graph with this one spectrometer. How you connect those dots creates a curve, and that curve tells the unit if it is PET [polyethylene terephthalate].”

However, STEINERT uses 320 spectrometers. “Then each of those spectrometers ... creates graphs of 256 points,” Barry explains, adding the difference is comparable to standard-definition TV versus high-definition. “When you plot 256 points, you’ll see some of these smaller waves,” which allows STEINERT optical sorters to identify thermoformed PET from PET bottles, monolayer film from multilayer film and Grade A wood from Grade B wood.

He adds, “Some of these smaller details that are presented by using this higher-definition NIR give us the ability to sort more accurately or set more parameters on what you can sort because there’s more data for us to use in selecting or deselecting what to sort based on.”

AI enables more targeted sorting

STEINERT’s experience employing hyperspectral imaging has aided its development of intelligent object recognition using artificial intelligence, or AI, Barry says, allowing food-grade polypropylene to be sorted from nonfood grade.

Barry says the data driving the AI on STEINERT’s optical sorters are owned by the customer and STEINERT doesn’t charge a licensing or subscription fee, which is different from some other AI providers.

Service and support commitment

STEINERT’s innovative technology is backed by a commitment to service and support, which includes maintaining $7 million to $10 million in spare parts in Kentucky.

It also has 11 service technicians available nationwide. If an issue cannot be resolved remotely, Barry says a service tech can get to a customer’s facility within 24 to 48 hours. “We continue to grow that service technician network to support our customers and our growing footprint here in the U.S.”

For more information on the array of optical sorting equipment STEINERT provides for the waste and recycling industry, visit https://STEINERTglobal.com/us/applications/waste-recycling.