AI Optical Sorter for Metal Cans and Plastic Bottles Waste Recycling

Metal cans and plastic bottles optical sorting machine is a kind of equipment that integrates optical detection, intelligent recognition and automatic sorting technology. It is mainly used in mixed materials of cans (metal materials) and plastic bottles (such as PET, HDPE, etc.). It can be accurately sorted according to differences in material, color, transparency, surface characteristics, etc. It is suitable for waste recycling, renewable resource processing and packaging production.

Working principle of Metal cans and plastic bottles optical sorting machine:

1. Optical detection system
Combination of light source and sensor: The equipment is equipped with multi-spectral light source (such as infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light). When the material passes through the detection area, the light is irradiated to the surface of the object. Different materials have different reflection, absorption and transmission characteristics of light.
Example: Aluminum cans have high reflectivity to infrared light, PET plastic bottles have high transmittance, and PVC plastics absorb light of specific wavelengths.
High-speed camera and spectral analysis: High-resolution camera captures the optical signals (such as color, gloss, texture) of materials in real time, and spectrometer analyzes the spectral characteristics of materials to generate digital characteristic maps.
2. Intelligent identification and decision-making
The built-in AI algorithm (such as deep learning model) compares the real-time collected optical data with the preset database (characteristic parameters of different materials and defects) to quickly determine the material type (such as aluminum cans, iron cans, PET bottles, HDPE bottles), defects (such as damage, pollution) or color classification (such as transparent bottles, colored bottles).
3. Sorting execution system
According to the identification results, different materials are accurately sorted through pneumatic nozzles, robotic arms or conveyor belt diversion devices. For example, aluminum cans are blown to the metal recycling channel, plastic bottles are sent to the plastic sorting area, and damaged products are removed to the waste bin.

The core advantages of etal cans and plastic bottles optical sorting machine:

Multi-material compatibility: Aluminum cans, steel cans, PET plastic bottles, HDPE bottles, PVC bottles, etc. can be sorted at the same time, and even transparent/colored plastic bottles and packaging with different printed coatings can be distinguished.
High-precision identification: The detection accuracy can reach 0.1mm level, and it can identify stains, cracks, deformations on the surface of plastic bottles, or scratches and dents on cans, with a material identification accuracy rate of over 98%.
Processing efficiency: A single device can process 5-10 tons of materials per hour, which is far higher than the efficiency of manual sorting (about 0.5 tons per hour for manual sorting), and is suitable for large-scale recycling scenarios.
Intelligence and automation: Supports adaptive learning, and can update the database by adding new material samples to reduce manual parameter adjustments; integrated PLC control system, can be connected to the production line to achieve fully automated operation.
Environmental protection and energy saving: non-contact detection is wear-free, and energy consumption mainly comes from the light source and sorting power system, which is more than 30% lower than the traditional manual + mechanical sorting energy consumption.

(I) Metal materials
Cans (mainstream material)
Aluminum cans: commonly found in carbonated beverages and beer packaging, light and highly reflective, optical sorters identify them through infrared spectra and metallic luster characteristics.
Steel cans: some functional beverage or food cans use tin-plated steel plates, which have different spectral reflectance from aluminum cans and can be distinguished by near-infrared light.
Other metal packaging: such as metal bottle caps and small metal cans (such as eight-treasure porridge cans), as long as the size meets the detection range of the equipment, they can be sorted.
Metal waste derivative forms:
Broken metal pieces (such as broken cans) and coated metal packaging (such as cans covered with printing ink), optical sorters can identify the optical properties of the metal substrate.
(II) Plastic materials
Plastic bottles (mainstream type)
PET plastic bottles: mineral water bottles, beverage bottles, transparent or colored (such as brown, green), optical sorters identify them through light transmittance, ultraviolet fluorescence reaction (if containing additives) and material spectrum.
HDPE plastic bottles: shampoo and detergent packaging bottles, translucent or opaque, with significant differences from PET under near-infrared spectra (PET has a characteristic absorption peak at 730nm).
PVC plastic bottles: some cosmetic packaging, optical sorters can distinguish them by their absorption characteristics of specific ultraviolet light.
Other plastic packaging and waste:
Plastic bottle caps (PP/PE materials), broken plastic bottle flakes (such as PET bottle flakes, HDPE bottle flakes), and even plastic bottles with labels (label materials may affect identification and need to be pre-processed in advance).