Dutch recycler upgrades ZenRobotics system

The Finnish equipment company ZenRobotics Ltd. has confirmed that the Dutch waste management and recycling company Baetsen has purchased two Next Generation ZenRobotics Recycler (ZRR) units. The new systems will replace an earlier ZRR Fast Picker unit that has been in operation at Baetsen’s Veldhoven, Netherlands, recycling plant since March 2013. In addition, a second ZRR unit will be installed to increase the sorting line’s automation. 

“These two years of cooperation have taught us a lot. Together, we have been able to further develop the ZRR system in a demanding heavy-waste sorting environment. The renewed ZRR is now more durable and rigid, and specifically fine-tuned for handling bulky waste.

“Our experiences at the Baetsen recycling plant have enabled us to develop a robotic recycling system that meets the demands of recycling companies that operate in a market with the strictest environmental regulations in the world," says Timo Taalas, ZenRobotics’ CEO.

The current Next Generation ZenRobotics Recycler can sort 3,000 picks per hour on average, with a peak sorting speed of as much as 4,000 picks per hour. New features include a gripper that can pick heavier objects, up to 20 kilograms, with a reach of full 2 meters along the sorting belt.

“We believe that robotic sorting will bring a considerable business advantage to waste recycling companies that aim to be forerunners in a challenging market situation. The ZenRobotics Recycler represents the best available technology for sorting construction and demolition waste. It allows lower costs in sorting bulky C&D objects while maintaining high purity of recovered fractions," says Baetsen CEO Hans van Roosmalen.