The development of a system for inspection and sorting of pellets was achieved in close cooperation with partners from the power cable industry. Today, the device is established on the market and helps users during sorting for the highest quality and sustainability.

Particularly in the production of high-voltage cables, it is essential that no metal contamination, which can occur during production, gets into the insulation of the power cables. The aim was then and now to detect and sort out impurities in the plastic pellets. A particular challenge was to detect impurities even if they were melted into the pellet. The Purity Scanner's unique combination of X-ray technology and a flexible optical system laid the foundation for 100 % inspection of plastic pellets already ten years ago. Discolorations and black specks in transparent or on translucent and colored raw materials are detected by up to three optical black and white cameras. In addition, the X-ray camera detects metallic contaminants from 50 µm in size in the pellets. The contaminants are then automatically sorted out so that only pure material is processed further. The system has been continuously developed since its introduction. The “Purity Scanner Advanced”, the successor to the “Purity Scanner”, has now been successfully established on the market. Depending on the material and requirements, the customer decides how many and which camera types are used.

The pellets are conveyed via a wear-free vibrating chute made of stainless steel, which is perfectly encapsulated to create a clean room within the system. The pellets fall evenly down the inspection area via the vibrating chute. This creates optimum conditions for optical inspection from the various camera viewing angles. With the “Purity Scanner Advanced”, customers have also the option of adapting the by-catch to the respective application using hybrid blowing. For rarely occurring, larger burns or metal contamination, for example, a larger ejection can be set than for small, light discolorations that are not critical.

Thanks to the combination of the highest possible detection and hybrid blowing, the “Purity Scanner Advanced” enables material of the highest quality. This further optimizes production processes, and the reduced bycatch contributes to cost-efficient and sustainable production.

Sikora AG

Tel.: +49 421 48900-0

www.sikora.net