Tomra observes 15 years of X-Tract technology for sorting of aluminium

Tomra has made a long-term commitment to be a leader in the resource revolution. Through automated sensor-based sorting technologies, the business aims to enhance the aluminium industry's environmental performance. Tomra confirms once again that its famous performance continues to improve the manufacture of green, recycled aluminium as a pioneer in dual energy XRT technology with a remarkable heritage in metal, mineral, and diamond sorting.

Since 2007, X-Tract has used dual energy x-ray transmission with high resolution and sensitivity sensors to serve the aluminium industry. The quantity of aluminium generated from scrap had increased from 1 million tonnes in 1980 to 8 million tonnes that year, as demand for aluminium continued to rise in the transportation and construction industries.

According to the International Aluminium Institute (IAI), refiners and re-melters, helped fulfil demand in 2007 by producing around 18 million tonnes of recycled aluminium from old and traded new trash, including ingots for casting, rolling, and extrusion. Every year, more than 30 million tonnes of aluminium scrap are recycled across the world. By 2050, European Aluminium predicts a 40 percent rise in demand in Europe, with recycled, post-consumer aluminium capable of meeting 50 percent of that need.

X-Tract includes market-leading improvements for unrivalled picture clarity and quicker integration times, making it ideal for high-performance separation of aluminium from heavy metals based on density detection. Its unparalleled performance is due to its field-proven architecture and built-in software intelligence.

X-Tract robust construction consists of a top-mounted x-ray source that helps in protecting it from dirt, prevents high cost maintenance and as a result, extending the lifetime of the machine.

“Our machine concept was built from the ground up with an extra focus on performance longevity. We offer a variety of sensor, valve and even x-ray power options to maximize throughput and minimize product loss,” said Matthias Winkler, Product Manager at Tomra

X-Tract comes with an optional x-ray power source up to 1000W for high throughput processing of a variety of materials and grain sizes, including 5–40 mm aluminium fines and copper wires, depending on the application. The machine's Dual Processing Technology, which is based on software, allows for simultaneous object and area processing of adjacent and overlapping items, obviating the need for additional sensors.

X-Tract also features a density detection with unmatched sorting level and throughput, which is due to the sensors and software developed in-house by Tomra. Compared to the other XRT solutions that depends on third-party development, the data-driven technology of X-Tract is more systematic and planned to process secondary and primary raw materials.

“Our team of software developers, designers, and engineers work together to continually improve performance. Every aspect of the machine and its software is optimized for the highest sorting accuracy and purity possible,” said Thomas Erdmann, Technical Manager at Tomra.

However, the Tomra developed software has helped the X-Tract Fines unit to achieve 98-99 percent of purity levels during high throughput applications.

“The aluminum industry is transforming, and smelters are demanding high-grade secondary aluminum. Tomra’s high precision sensors and software intelligence help scrap recyclers and processors get ahead of the curve,” added Matthias Winkler.