Techno-Economic Assessment of Robotic Sorting of Aluminium Scrap

Due to shifting material use in several sectors, such as the automotive sector, demand for wrought aluminium alloys is significantly increasing. Because of their low weight and desirable mechanical properties, find many different applications. However, primary production extremely energy intensive. Therefore, using secondary yields major environmental benefits. Hence, order avoid degradation quality during recycling, sorting alloys, based on alloying elements, necessary. Today, various non-ferrous metal fractions are either still sorted manually unhealthy working conditions, resulting high labour costs, or export this waste stream countries with a lower cost. With emergence novel spectrometric techniques, laser-induced breakdown spectrometry (LIBS) deep learning computer vision technical feasibility classifying has been demonstrated. techno-economic viability robotic process, that could be combined advanced classification systems, presented. This study presents development evaluation system consisting of; system, conveyor, SCARA robot pneumatic gripper. The recognises dimensions positions objects conveyor communicates an innovative sequence planning algorithm. experimental data enables obtain realistic insights efficiencies can obtained. initial economic analysis illustrates substantial potential proposed approach. To overcome saturation belt, two systems assumed capable 20.000 tons annually each equipped 6 robots creating total added revenue up 1,95 million euro per year.