With the growing global awareness of environmental protection and the reality of limited resources, the recycling industry has become a critical part of the modern green economy, playing a key role in everyday life. Integrating recyclable materials during the manufacturing phase helps companies reduce waste, lower environmental pollution, and promote resource recycling. The plastic recycling industry is particularly significant as the application of plastic products in daily life continues to expand, from beverage containers such as PET bottles and textiles to food packaging and cosmetic containers. The demand for plastic recycling is steadily increasing, and through recycling and regeneration, these plastic products can be converted into new raw materials, reducing the use of virgin resources. This circular economy model not only fosters environmental protection but also generates substantial economic benefits for local economies.
Numerous conventional plastic recycling systems relied on human sorting, which was labor-intensive, prone to mistakes and economically inefficient as plastic consumption increased. To reduce labor costs and increase the accuracy of material identification, recycling operators are increasingly implementing automated plastic recycling systems. To maintain economic viability, various plastic kinds (such as PET, HDPE, and PP) need dependable sorting systems. However, recycling multilayer materials makes the process more complicated, particularly when it comes to textiles, food packaging, and cosmetic containers.
By combining AI image recognition and optical sorting technologies with automated systems, plastic recycling operators can accurately distinguish multilayer composite plastics, significantly improving recycling efficiency. These intelligent sorting technologies, which include X-ray radiography technology (XRT), Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR), and color recognition sensors, allow for the rapid identification of different plastic kinds, including Polystyrene (PS) and Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Infrared technology plays a critical role in plastic recycling by analyzing the unique absorption and vibration effects of different chemical bonds within plastics. These variations produce distinct reflective spectra for each material, enabling precise differentiation of various components within recyclables. Additionally, infrared technology identifies plastic colors by analyzing the wavelengths of light reflected from the surface of materials, particularly transparent or white variants, hold significantly higher market demand and value due to their ease of dyeing and wide applicability. Their post-recycling market potential far exceeds that of dark or mixed-color plastics. This capability is pivotal in enhancing the quality and market value of recycled plastics, driving advancements in sustainability and efficiency within the recycling industry.
The Portwell WEBS-89I0 embedded system, powered by the Intel® Celeron® J6412 processor, features a fanless, compact, and robust design, ensuring reliable operation in temperatures ranging from -20°C to 60°C. Its compact form factor optimizes workspace utilization, making it ideal for confined spaces and harsh environments, while guaranteeing long-term stable performance. The system is equipped with multiple I/O ports (USB, Ethernet, Serial ports, etc.) to facilitate seamless connectivity with various AI imaging and optical sorting sensors and devices. It also includes a mini-PCIe expansion slot supporting the Hailo-8 AI accelerator, delivering 13 TOPS of computing power to enhance spectral and wavelength analysis performance in sorting systems, providing stable computing and data processing capabilities.
Designed for multitasking and streamlined workflows, the system supports dual high-definition displays and offers advanced wireless communication features, including Wi-Fi 6 and 5G, enabling remote monitoring and real-time data transmission. These features make it well-suited for AI-driven imaging recognition and data analysis applications. Additionally, the system incorporates a DIN-RAIL mounting design, facilitating easy installation within sorting system control frameworks, simplifying maintenance, and enhancing overall system flexibility.
Portwell’s DMS (Design, Manufacturing and Service) offerings provide comprehensive support across design, manufacturing and post-service stages, adding value at every step. Portwell’s PET (Portwell Engineering Toolkits) platform, serving as the core of IoT solutions, supports cross-system APIs and applications, simplifying system design and enhancing IoT application performance. Meanwhile, the RPET (Remote Portwell Engineering Toolkits) solution delivers comprehensive device monitoring functions and supports real-time firmware updates to ensure efficient system operation. Detailed monitoring data helps users quickly identify and resolve potential operational issues, maximizing equipment stability and performance while improving overall business operational efficiency.
