Van Dyk Recycling Solutions introduces RoBB-AQC

Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Norwalk, Connecticut, has introduced the RoBB-AQC, a robotic sorter that is designed for improved quality control sorting. According to a news release from Van Dyk Recycling Solutions, Dutch manufacturer Bollegraaf developed this new robot through a decade’s worth of in-plant experience.

Van Dyk says Bollegraaf has been testing robotic sorters in real material recovery facilities (MRFs) since 2009. The manufacturer has discovered this past decade that the first components to fail in recycling robots is the arm; daily need of fresh suction cups and arms that only last a few months are common.

“Bollegraaf set out to construct a robot that could actually withstand harsh MRF conditions it was destined to be exposed to,” Van Dyk says. “After over a decade of working with four different picker attachments, they landed on an arm construction that is tough enough to last and does not require daily replacement parts.”

Van Dyk reports that the Bollegraaf artificial intelligence- (AI-) powered RoBB-AQC “combines the accuracy of [near-infrared] detection with the adaptability of AI-powered learning.” As a final quality control step on a container line, one RoBB unit will recover up to 70 picks per minute, which is faster and more reliable than two human sorters, Van Dyk says.

The system can be placed on top of existing sorting lines with minimal retrofit costs and minimal downtime, according to Van Dyk. Material selection only requires the touch of a button and ranges from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polystyrene (PS) and polypropylene (PP) to aseptic cartons, old corrugated containers (OCC) or paper and cardboard of various shapes and sizes.

RoBB-AQC can sort intermittently or continuously, regardless of working conditions on-site. The machine requires minimal supervision and little maintenance. Its flexible, modular configuration enables users to choose the number of sorting units required and simultaneously sort up to four different materials per module. According to Van Dyk, the system’s flexibility allows users to change material streams, as well.