Sesotec highlights AI detection and sorting technologies at IFAT 2024

At this year's IFAT, Sesotec is showcasing its latest AI technologies, NIR-Ai and OBJECT-Ai. Sesotec says that where advanced sensors begin to falter is where AI can pick up the slack in material detection and differentiation. Under the title "SUSTAiN Technologies – Driving the AiVOLUTION," the company will present sorting solutions at IFAT 2024.

"With the developments of NIR-Ai and OBJECT-Ai, we are significantly pushing the boundaries of material detection. These technologies are not only a leap forward in sorting efficiency, but also a milestone in our mission to promote sustainable recycling solutions," explains Andreas Hanus, development engineer and product owner plastics recycling at Sesotec.

Differentiating between optically similar plastic products using NIR-Ai

The challenge of reliably differentiating between visually very similar polymer types is often not sufficiently overcome by conventional methods. Valuable good material may be rejected, leading to losses in the material cycle. With NIR-Ai, Sesotec presents a solution that is based on artificial intelligence and allows precise differentiation of monolayer PET/multilayer PET. This technology opens up new possibilities for improved sorting performance and higher profitability.

OBJECT-Ai optical sorter

Machine sorting of heterogeneous material flows often reaches its limits when it comes to precisely identifying food and non-food items, says Sesotec. This is where OBJECT-Ai from Sesotec comes in. The colour and shape sensor uses artificial intelligence to classify each object. This enables reliable differentiation between good and bad materials based on shape, colour, and texture. This opens up new possibilities for applications in which people can easily recognize differences, where Sesotec says previous sorting systems had difficulties.

Areas of application

The applications of Sesotec's NIR-Ai and OBJECT-Ai range from the differentiation of various polymers to the detection of food and non-food materials.

NIR-Ai is available for all models in the VARISORT+ family and can be retrofitted. OBJECT-Ai is available for the VARISORT+ FLEX, VARISORT+ FILM, and VARISORT+ UNITY. These sorting systems are supplied with AI-capable hardware as standard. Sesotec will provide live demonstrations at IFAT 2024.