ActiveFEED Retrofit Electronic waste

How the optimized material feed with the ActiveFEED measurably improves sensor sorting in electronic waste recycling

At its Regensdorf facility, our customer, Immark AG, uses the SPALECK ActiveFEED infeed unit to optimize material feed into the sensor sorting system. The goal of the retrofit project was to upgrade the existing system so that different material flows could be processed very reliably and, for the first time, at a defined throughput.

The focus is on the offline sorting of electronic waste – with widely varying materials and changing requirements for sorting technology.

Leading Electronic waste recycler in Switzerland
ActiveFEED optimizes the material feed for sensor sorting
Fully automatic, trouble-free material feed enables very economical use of the sorting technology
Retrofit of the ActiveFEED completely solves previous handling challenges

Optimized utilization of sorting technology

Very precise quantity feed

Optimized handling

Fully automatic per material

Pure flexibility

Recipes for every type of material

PROJECT PROFILE

Sensor sorting in electronic waste recycling

One of the most modern recycling plants for electronic waste and WEEE in Europe—designed for highly automated operation with high throughput and maximum material recovery.

Customer

Immark AG, Switzerland

Application

Offline sorting of electronic waste

Materials

Non-ferrous mixed fractions, cables, printed circuit boards, VA mixtures

Process

Sensor sorting with downstream sorting cabin

Project type

Retrofit of an existing material feed system

SPALECK SOLUTIONS

IN USE

Immark uses these SPALECK machines

Material feed

ActiveFEED infeed unit

The ActiveFEED enables the optimization of the material feed for sorting devices at the touch of a button.

Screening machines

Classification of Electronic waste

In a first project, Immark has modernized its e-scrap processing at the Regensdorf site. You can find information about the project here:

The OUTPUT SITUATION

Different materials, changing throughput requirements

In offline sorting, Immark processes a wide variety of Material flows – from cables to non-ferrous mixed fractions.

These materials place different demands on the feed:

Strongly varying material properties
Different required throughputs depending on the material
Uneven Material distribution upstream of the sorting technology
Blockages in certain Material flows
The existing feeder was working at its limit and became a bottleneck in the process.

Project objective

Defined material feed for changing sorting requirements

The aim of the project was to design the material feed in such a way that it can be flexibly adapted to different materials and process requirements.

The focus was on:

The spaleck solution

ActiveFEED as a controllable interface to sorting technology

With the retrofit of the SPALECK ActiveFEED, the existing feed system was replaced with a system that actively controls the Material flow.

The material feed is no longer controlled manually, but is managed via stored parameters and recipes. Depending on the material, the optimum quantity is fed for sorting.

Automatic adjustment of the task depending on the material
Even Material distribution across the entire width
Defined feeding of the sensor sorting system
Coordinated transfer to the downstream sorting cabin
In this way, the sorting technology receives exactly the amount of material required for efficient separation.

Customer benefits

What Immark says about the ActiveFEED solution

The ActiveFEED does a very good job with our very different materials.

Our various materials require different throughput rates during sorting. What used to cause problems is now handled very reliably and fully automatically by ActiveFEED. We simply control the materials using recipes, and the downstream sorting equipment is supplied with the set quantity. Furthermore, Blockages or tangles—such as those that occur with cables—no longer occur.

IMPLEMENTATION

Retrofit without interfering with the existing process logic

The ActiveFEED was integrated into the existing system and replaces the previous feeder.

Today, material feeding is controlled via stored settings. The system operator selects the appropriate material – the ActiveFEED takes over the appropriate feeding automatically.

PROJECT RESULT

Higher throughput, better sorting quality and no Blockages

The new material feed changes the behavior of the entire sorting line.

Higher throughput due to elimination of the bottleneck
No more Blockages in the feed system
More even Material distribution
Better working conditions for sorting technology
Higher sorting quality
The effect is particularly evident with challenging materials such as cable mixtures: the system can be operated with an adjusted throughput without any disruptions.

EFFICIENCY

More performance from existing sorting technology

In modern recycling, sensor sorting is one of the most cost-intensive components to purchase. It is therefore crucial that these systems are optimally utilized in daily operation and that optimum sorting performance is guaranteed.

Thanks to the controlled material feed:

the sorting technology is fed more evenly
even the most diverse materials can be run optimally
increases the usable throughput
improves the quality of the fractions produced
The ActiveFEED thus has a direct effect on the performance of the entire line.

TRANSFERABILITY for your preparation

Relevance for complex sorting processes

The project shows what influence the material feed has on the performance of Sorting plants.

The solution is particularly transferable to:

Exchange with our experts for Screening technology and material feed

Discuss the next step now

Would you like to find out more about our optimized material feed for e-waste recycling? Or do you already have a specific project in mind? Then let’s talk about your material and your WEEE processing. I would be happy to show you further references and use cases.

BEST SCREENING. BEST INFEED. FOR BEST SORTING QUALITY.

Conveying & Separation technology from SPALECK in use

Your contacts for optimal material feed for electronic waste sorting

We would be happy to advise you in detail on how you can easily optimize your WEEE sorting with the help of ActiveFEED.

Everything you need to know

FAQs

Here you’ll find important questions and answers about ActiveFEED, the sorting quality and performance optimizer.

How quickly does the ActiveFEED infeed unit pay for itself?

The ActiveFEED infeed unit pays for itself from day one, as it significantly increases the recovery rate of non-ferrous metals in metal recycling, for example. In many cases, the payback period is less than half a year. We’d be happy to advise you personally on this. You can see exactly how it works in case studies such as those from STENA Recycling or KMR Recycling.

What are the benefits of switching to a SPALECK ActiveFEED infeed unit?

Switching to a SPALECK ActiveFEED infeed unit optimizes material feed in recycling plants. The constant feed actively prevents overfeeding or underfeeding of sorting equipment. This improves sorting quality in the Recycling process and, as a result, increases recycling options. Many recyclers report that this helps them take their sorting to the next level. Take STENA Recycling, for example, as shown in this feedback video.

Can I retrofit the ActiveFEED infeed unit into my system?

Yes, you can easily retrofit the SPALECK ActiveFEED infeed unit. Many of our customers replace their standard feed units and achieve significantly better and more profitable sorting results as a result. See the feedback from our customer STENA here to learn how easy the replacement is.

Can I also use ActiveFEED for XRF or XRT sorting technology?

Yes, the ActiveFEED is ideal as a feeding system for X-ray sorting technology, such as XRF or XRT sorting systems. When used with XRF and XRT sorting machines, it enables fully automatic, continuous material feeding. This allows recycling companies to use the ActiveFEED to feed their sorting machines fully automatically with the optimal amount of material for each specific sorting machine and recycling material. This increases both sorting efficiency and throughput. In addition, sorting quality can be significantly improved through optimal feeding. Read the case study by STENA Recycling and the recycling expert Skrotfrag for more information.

What sizes is the ActiveFEED infeed unit available in?

The ActiveFEED infeed unit is available in sizes ranging from 2 to 50 m³. We would be happy to advise you on the optimal size for your recycling application.