April 2021

TECHNOLOGY n encoders and mechanical brakes. The IE5+ synchronous motors are also available combined in a single housing with a one-stage helical gearbox to produce a compact, high-power-density, low-noise gear-motor aimed mainly at the intralogistics, food and pharmaceutical sectors, where hygienic washdowns are required. The gear-motors, called DuoDrive, have an efficiency of up to 92% – claimed to be the highest for a gear/motor combination in their power class. They maintain high efficiencies at partial loads, and are more efficient than Nord’s LogiDrive system, which combines an IE5+ synchronous motor with a Nordbloc.1 bevel gearbox. The gear-motors have a smooth, unventilated design. Because they are corrosion-resistant, easy to clean and washdown-capable, they can be used in hygiene-sensitive and harsh environments, ensuring high system availability with low cleaning costs. The first available DuoDrive model covers gear ratios from 3.24 to 16.2 and is designed for torque ratings of up to 80Nm and speeds of up to 1,000 rpm. By eliminating various wearing parts, maintenance is said to be reduced. This, combined with simple plug-and-play commissioning, is claimed to cut the total cost of ownership compared to other drive systems. https://info.nord.com/de/ie5 re’W erffe o e tal enc ing users of Rit losur cooling Vis insp equ ww i t ection ipment laim o ctk it .rw y*ev sur e a eceiv unity t t the oppor o r tal.co.u sour y FREE UCTURE TRAS IT INFR VICES ARE & SER W SOFT A LONDON-BASED start-up called Recycleye has teamed up with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) to develop a vision-guided robotic picker that can sort through streams of waste automatically. They say that their retrofittable technology will help recycling centres to boost their sorting capacity and cut the amount of waste sent to landfill. Recycleye, founded in 2019 by a former Goldman Sachs banker Victor Dewulf, has developed an AI-based vision technology that can sort waste by material, object and even brand, with a claimed accuracy of more than 90%. The modular system adapts automatically to changing mixtures of waste. The company has raised £1.2m in seed investment, as well as securing grants from the European Union and Innovate UK. Manual sorting of waste is becoming increasingly unviable, exposing pickers to health risks, and leading to a high turnover of labour at a time when Brexit is expected to limit the ability to recruit new staff. The health hazards have been exacerbated by Covid-19, threatening to close recycling plants. “The deployment of Recycleye’s robotic waste-picker successfully mitigates the risks and costs associated with manual sorting,” argues Matthew Arnold, a software engineer with the company. “In particular, admin costs such as hiring, and training are eliminated. While manual pickers work in shifts, Recycleye’s robotic picker can work continuously without any need for breaks, increasing total throughput of material recovery facilities by up to 110%.” Arnold reckons that recycling operations can expect a 300% return-on-investment from the automated picking technology compared to manual sorting. “Such yields are providing waste facilities with the additional capacity to increase sorting capabilities, thus reducing the volume of waste being sent to landfill,” he adds. “Successful automation used to require a very structured approach with consistent parts and controlled presentation,” points out the MTC’s chief automation officer. Mike Wilson. “The application of robots to recycling demonstrates the ability to handle much more varied parts and conditions and undertake mundane, unpleasant tasks which really should be automated.” There are plans to install the robotic waste-picker at a UK plant later this year. Recycleye has also set up an office in Paris to give it better access to some of the world’s biggest waste management companies, which are based in France. www.recycleye.com Vision-guided robot sorts through waste to boost recycling efficiency