11 minute read
INTERVIEW
from BP&R December 2021
FEATURE
D
DURING THE FANUC OPEN HOUSE EVENT, ROB COKER SPOKE WITH SARAH WILLIS, HEAD OF MARKETING FOR MACHINE LEARNING AND RECYCLING ROBOTICS SPECIALIST RECYCLEYE ABOUT HOW AI AND ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION IS REVOLUTIONISING SORTING TECHNOLOGY.
SPOTLIGHT
Interview | rob coker
IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE RECYCLEYE VISION AI TECHNOLOGY HELP IMPROVE THE SORTING PROCESS? Our low-cost, AI-powered Recycleye Vision system replicates the power of human vision, using advanced machine-learning algorithms to provide automatic, image-based detection of individual items in co-mingled waste streams.
This allows for 100% sampling of waste streams on a quality control line, transforming collected data into a dashboard in which plant managers can monitor their composition and granularity - bringing a previously impossible visibility to waste sorting. The vision system can also differentiate between classifications such as food-grade and non-food-grade plastics and packaging vs non packaging, prohibiting valuable recyclates from being downcycled.
Working with the Recycleye Robotics solution, this enables the automated picking of waste in materials recovery facilities that is faster, traceable and more accurate than human pickers.
THE AI SOFTWARE LOOKS PRETTY ADVANCED. CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW ADVANCED IT IS? Waste is perhaps the most complex computer vision problem – items are overlapping, crushed in many different ways and covered in dirt.
Recycleye had to develop a range of new algorithms in order to achieve the incredible +95% accuracies the system now provides (some of our work academic research has been published on our WasteNet platform). We are also the first to have brought the speed of the algorithm up to 60 frames per second meaning the system will, on average, classify each item 120 times on a conveyor belt (if it makes one error it will still have the average of the other 119 times) - this also means we are the only company with large AI models that can be installed on top of optical sorters. AT WHAT SPEEDS IS IT CAPABLE OF ACCURATELY IDENTIFYING AND SORTING WASTE STREAMS? Recycleye Vision and Recycleye Robotics picks at around 50 picks a minute with our 6 axis robot and around 70 picks with the delta robot on display at the Fanuc open days.
AND HOW DOES IT HELP OUT THOSE MANUALLY SORTING THE WASTE? The Recycleye Robotics solution can be used alongside human pickers, with a safety cage that ensures a safe distance is maintained between the hardware and people manually sorting waste.
IS THE SORTING/RECYCLING INDUSTRY SLOWLY BECOMING RELIANT ON AI AND AUTOMATION BY EFFECTIVELY ALLOWING IT TO ‘DO THE DIRTY WORK’ FOR US? Automating waste sorting brings the benefit of transparency and traceability of the materials sorted. This will become increasingly important with the requirement for increased sampling with EPR. Automated waste sorting is also more accurate, faster and can run 24/7 which is more economically efficient and safe than reliance on manual pickers, a role which experiences high turnover and recruitment issues.
IN WHAT WAYS HAS FANUC EXPERTISE CONTRIBUTED TO REALISING THIS TECHNOLOGY? Our robotics solution was developed in collaboration with the team at Fanuc in the UK. We now work with Fanuc on a European exclusivity basis for the manufacture and maintenance of our robotics.
WHEN ROBOTICS, AI AND AUTOMATION COME AS PART OF THE MACHINERY AS IN THIS CASE, DOES IT HELP MAKE THE CASE FOR GREATER UPTAKE OF INDUSTRY 4.0 TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE? Absolutely, we are, for example, embedding IoT in everything we do. This means that clients can gather data on the performance of their facility on a live basis (based on the compositional data provided by the vision system), receive augmentations through software updates that will include the accuracy of the vision system or optimize the path planning of the robot. Future applications will also include predictive maintenance.
RELUCTANCE REGARDING ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION UPTAKE IS ONE OF THE MAJOR THEMES OF THE FANUC OPEN HOUSE EVENT. WHAT ARE YOUR OWN THOUGHTS ON IMPROVING UPTAKE ACROSS MANUFACTURING AND INDUSTRY GENERALLY? The waste management industry is defined by the traditional analog machinery which has served MRFs for several decades, therefore it is expected that many players are hesitant towards automation. However, we believe that increasingly stringent UK, European and global policies will require classification and sampling sizes to a degree only capable by AI and robotics.
Additionally, our solutions are retrofittable to existing machinery, allowing facilities to invest in the technology as a compliment, rather than substitute, and without need for expensive renovations. Hence, automation is becoming an increasingly attractive, and in some cases necessary, prospect for existing MRFs, rather than simply newly designed facilities.
IN WHAT WAYS IS RECYCLEYE WORKING WITH PARTNERS FURTHER ALONG THE VALUE CHAIN (E.G. RECYCLERS, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS) TO ROLL THIS TECHNOLOGY OUT? Recycleye is collaborating with waste management companies and local councils at MRFs on projects to increase vision capabilities, such as food grade vs non-food grade plastic differentiation, and packaging vs non packaging. Recycleye also believes that technology is key in driving alignment to ever changing industry policies, and therefore endeavour to work closely with policy-making organisations to enable an automated future for recycling.
WHERE ELSE MIGHT WE BE ABLE TO SEE MORE RECYCLEYE SOLUTIONS LIVE IN ACTION? We have Robotic and Vision installations in the UK, France, Italy and Northern Ireland at the moment.
IN
THIS EDITION OF HIS REGULAR COLUMN, OUR RESIDENT MATERIALS EXPERT, MIKE BOSWELL, CONSIDERS WHAT FACTORS WILL DRIVE PRICE INFLATION AND INCREASING VOLATILITY.
Who is ‘Polymerman’?
Mike Boswell is Managing Director of UK materials distributor, Plastribution, as well as the Chairman of the British Plastic Federation’s Polymer Compounders and Distributors Group and its ‘BREXIT Committee’. ‘Polymerman’ is the title used for announcements made via his Twitter account. This column is compiled using data from PIE (Plastics Information Europe) www.plastribution. co.uk | www.pieweb.com
The cyclical nature of petrochemicals is well established with historical cycles typically taking 5 – 7 years from low to low, or high to high. The traditional view on the cycle is that this is mainly driven by investment cycles in the sector, with geopolitical and weather-related events providing volatility within the overall cycle.
However, and for the reasons outlined below consideration must be given to if some influencing factors have fundamentally changed which could affect:
Lows – historically lows have often taken prices to the threshold of profitability, and it is possible that the market will post higher lows Highs – recent history is evident that the market for many petrochemicals have posted higher highs, with many new highs posted in the last year. Average prices – to what extent are inflationary pressures able to increase average prices throughout future cycles
The following PESTLE evaluation, in which values have been attributed to the qualitative factors confirms that there is an overall tendency towards inflation. It should be noted that there are likely to be occasions where individual factors become more influential. In addition to baseline inflation, it is likely that volatility will increase as the impact of global warming on the climate will result in more frequent extreme weather events, with the consequence of the output of plants that are vulnerable to extreme weather conditions becoming less reliable. Whilst it may be possible to mitigate this risk by enhancing the protection for these petrochemical plants, the requisite investment is likely to drive up fixed costs, which in turn will support inflationary pressures.
The historical reliance of petrochemical feedstocks on bi-products from refining crude oil for transport fuels is another vulnerability because as transport moves to alternative energy sources output rates will fall and this will result in an increasing need to invest in expensive on-purpose feedstock production, albeit that this could be in the sector of chemical recycling with the obvious benefit of enhancing the environmental credentials of plastics.
In summary it is likely that polymer pricing will become more volatile, that the relative pricing of these important materials will become relatively more expensive and the whole sector will need to evolve in order to further support sustainability of the global environment.
The graph below depicts the cycles running from 2008 to 2015 and 2015 to 2020, along the record highs posted for the Styrene and Polyolefins baskets earlier this year.
MATERIALS | NEWS
JEC Group and EuCIA publish first edition of 2021 Composites Sustainability report
JEC Group in collaboration with EuCIA has published the first edition of the Composites Sustainability report 2021. This report seeks to give highlights about the part composite materials are playing in creating the sustainable European economy of the future.
The contents of the book are comprehensive: starting with discussions around the widelyrecognised Life Cycle Assessment methodology for calculating the environmental impact of products, it then moves through a series of analyses and case studies presenting the Circular Economy approach and ranging from raw materials (including bio-based) to industrial components. The purpose of the work, rather than results, which quickly become obsolete, is to give examples of approaches contributing to and moving towards sustainability.
Frédéric Reux, former Editor-in-Chief of the JEC Composites Magazine, said: “There’s room for everyone willing to show initiative. No field will be able to dodge the issue, and all the necessary questions are touched on in a life cycle assessment or through a tool like the Eco Impact Calculator developed by Eucia, which assist players in making progress in their environment approach.”
Royce and IOM3 launch Materials Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution
At COP 26 the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, The Henry Royce Institute(Royce) and the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3) launched a joint report which sets out how materials science and innovation will help the UK achieve net-zero.
The document aligns into the Government’s Ten Point Plan for a green industrial revolution, the precursor to the subsequent Net Zero Strategy, which sets out how the UK will deliver on its commitment to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and outlines measures to transition to a green and sustainable future including helping businesses and consumers to move to clean power.
The new RoyceIOM3 report highlights the importance and cross-cutting nature of materials science and demonstrates how different materials systems are applicable to each of the themes in the Government’s Ten Point Plan, as well as the applications and enabling technologies that will allow the plan to be put into action.
Nick Rimmer, Royce Head of Business Engagement at Royce said: “Materials science and engineering will be critical in providing the solutions needed for each of the ten points in the Government’s plan. As acknowledged in the recent Innovation Strategy, the UK has strong historical strengths across materials and engineering and, as this new report notes, understanding and predicting how materials react and respond in challenging environments – for example at sea, in a nuclear reactor, or in a rapidly charging battery – is fundamental to the safe operation of many systems. Advanced materials will also help us to prolong service life and minimise resource consumption, which are becoming increasingly important considerations within our net-zero ambitions.”
IOM3 CEO, Dr Colin Church CEnv FIMMM said: “As this report shows, materials science is a key enabler and is
Milliken expands PP recyclers portfolio with DeltaFlow viscosity modifiers
Milliken & Company has launched DeltaFlow viscosity modifiers specifically to help polypropylene (PP) recyclers. Recyclers can use DeltaFlow, a solid concentrate, to increase the melt flow rate of recycled polypropylene (rPP) for the extrusion and injection moulding processes..
DeltaFlow-optimised resins allow for lower processing temperatures, which can enable converters to reduce cycle times, boost productivity and improve processability.
DeltaFlow enables rPP to replace virgin resin in many end-use already contributing to our progress towards net-zero in a number of critical areas, from research into materials that will deliver major advances in energy storage, to fuel cell development to exploit hydrogen and more efficient solar cells to harvest sunlight. And for the circular economy, which cuts across everything we do in society, we need a range of new and advanced materials with a focus on sustainability, considering the full life-cycle from initial raw material extraction, through to manufacture and end-oflife reuse or recycling.”
applications. This allows brands to use more rPP in their products, thereby helping them to meet their sustainability goals.
This new concentrate nicely complements Milliken’s existing family of DeltaMax Performance Modifiers for polypropylene that enhances the physical properties and melt flow of rPP resins by allowing recyclers and converters to optimize their formulations and blends machine-side.
Tugce Asici-van Houselt, Milliken’s Sales Manager for Plastic Additives in EMEA, said: “Milliken is pleased to be adding to its portfolio of products that assist polypropylene recyclers.
“Milliken & Company remains committed to supporting the plastics recycling industry with advanced polymer additives that allow for the increased use of recycled content by improving the properties of the recycled PP resin itself. DeltaFlow Viscosity Modifiers are just the latest example of this effort, which in turn, contributes to the industry’s ongoing push to promote sustainability.”
