Denver’s Amp Robotics Corp. develops automated systems powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The system will help materials recovery facilities (MRFs) avoid film contamination when sorting film and flexible packaging, the company said.
The company, dubbed Amp Vortex, says it has started a pre-release to the market and is working with early customers on deployment. Amp says he expects the Vortex to be in full production in his 2023.
Amp says the recycling industry lacks the infrastructure to identify and separate film and flexible packaging, and the material clogs MRF equipment that isn’t designed to handle it. Even 2-3% of the film in the overall MRF stream is difficult to remove manually, often resulting in equipment damage and downtime that prevents recovery of recyclables. presumed to be impeded. Amp says film and flexible packaging can find its way into all lines of his MRF, resulting in high levels of contamination.
Additionally, the company says most of these materials are used in fiberlines because of their light weight.Contamination of the film reduces the purity of the fiber bales, leading to loss of revenue and additional downstream post-processing. may lead to the need for
The Amp Vortex system can be deployed as a retrofit solution in various configurations to accommodate different belt sizes and slopes, targets film contamination, and was initially optimized for fiber line quality control. Yes, says Amp.
“Innovation and infrastructure improvements are essential for MRF to handle this challenging and high-volume material type and increase recycling rates for residential film and flexible packaging,” said Matanya, founder and CEO of Amp. Horowitz said. “AI is laying the groundwork for reducing MRF’s pollution load and increasing recycling of film and flexible packaging.”
Amp develops Vortex for targeted collection of film and flexible packaging for packaging and sale. Use of post-consumer resins in plastic products and packaging.
The system was first developed through Amp’s Customer Innovation Program. The program focuses on working with industry stakeholders to develop new AI-enabled automation applications for the recycling industry. According to Amp, Vortex is one of a portfolio of new products and performance features it is developing for pilot and commercial release to help improve recycling efficiency and cost effectiveness of MRFs and converters.
“The latest innovations for a more efficient and profitable recycling business will facilitate recovery and drive demand for products made from recycled film and flexibles to develop and support end markets. We aim to achieve that,” said Amanda Marrs, Senior Director of Amp Products. “This effort is key to addressing the plastic waste crisis and diverting millions of tons of recoverable material from landfills each year.”
