TPT November 2021

T E CHNOLOG Y

SORTCO relies on Sikora’s advanced online inspection and sor ting system to spot defects

SORTCO GmbH & Co KG, a specialist in optical and mechanical sorting of shape and colour deviations in plastic pellets, has been using two Purity Scanner Advanced systems from Sikora in its new, state-of-the-art sorting service centre in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With these, the pellets to be sorted are inspected 100 per cent optically and impurities from a size of 50µm are automatically sorted out. Technically demanding plastics, such as those used in the medical sector or in the aircraft and automotive industries, require the highest quality standards as well as reliable control and processing of raw materials. Accordingly, the requirements for the purity of the materials are very high. SORTCO has been specialised in contract sorting since 2015 and professionally prepares plastic pellets according to customer requirements. In the sorting service centre, which was opened in spring 2021, the company sorts standard plastics as well as optically demanding technical plastics. For this purpose, SORTCO uses two online inspection and sorting systems from Sikora. “The decision for Sikora was made due to the best detection for us, excellent analytics and the proximity to the company, which is not unimportant for us,” said Hilger Groß, head of sales & QM at SORTCO. “The Purity Scanner Advanced is typically used where other sorting systems have difficulties. Namely,

Lars Ruttmann, managing director at SORTCO, presents Sikora’s Purity Scanner Advanced

During sorting, the Purity Scanner Advanced automatically records the number of all defects, the smallest edge length of the optical defect, the contamination area and, for example, the size class of the defect, which can be freely adjusted and specified according to customer requirements. In addition, the system detects the intensity with which the colour deviation was detected. “All key data is checked again at the end of the job, stored and a test report is generated for the customer. Logging of the results is also possible but must be decided due to the large volume of data,” added Lars Ruttmann, managing director at SORTCO. Mr Ruttmann also sees an increasing demand for optically sorted raw materials in the future. “Sorting is in demand because manufacturers have recognised that special requirements also necessitate special measures. We are pleased to have found such a reliable partner in Sikora and its sorting system, with whom we successfully co- operate in our core business.”

in the detection of very small optical defects from a size of 50µm.” SORTCO uses the Purity Scanner Advanced to sort primarily transparent, natural-coloured and, to a lesser extent, coloured pellets. The focus is on unreinforced materials which, after sorting, find their use in high-quality optical applications. Each system is equipped with three optical cameras, which detect even the smallest optical impurities from 50µm in size and automatically sort them out by compressed air pulse. If required, the Purity Scanner Advanced can also be extended by an X-ray camera for the detection of metal particles in the raw material. “Black specks are the focus of our sorting work. In addition, we remove all discolorations that have a different colour than the polymer to be sorted,” explained Mr Groß. “As a service provider, SORTCO is confronted with new materials and new and old contamination every day. This means that we also have to adjust the Purity Scanner Advanced to constantly changing products and customer requirements. We therefore create a special recipe for each product that can also be used and adapted for future jobs.”

Sikora www.sikora.net SORTCO www.sortco.de

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NOVEMBER 2021