Reinventing paper sorting

16 September 2024

The CNS BRAIN is the latest innovation from Pellenc ST, using Artificial Intelligence to improve detection accuracy and sorting performance.

Data compiled by the European Paper Recycling Council (EPRC) shows that, in 2023, the recycling rate for all paper products including graphic paper and packaging increased to reach the record high of 79.3%. To continue in this direction, the industry needs advanced solutions to recover even more material, but also modular solutions capable of adapting to changes in the market. Changes in consumer habits have transformed the composition of the fibrous material stream entering sorting centers: the volume of brown cardboard has risen sharply in the face of falling tonnages of newspapers and magazines.

With this in mind, Pellenc ST decided to harness its innovation capabilities and all its expertise in Artificial Intelligence to propose a brand-new solution for paper sorting.

A complete solution for paper sorting

Thanks to its range of products entirely dedicated to paper sorting, Pellenc ST machines are already recognised as leading solutions to sort light products. With its TURBOSORTER stabilisation system and its dedicated AEROLIGHT ejection hood, Pellenc ST sorters are renowned for sorting 2D at high throughputs and achieving the best purity rates on the market. The CNS BRAIN now complements these two existing technologies to go even further and respond to use cases for which no solution has yet been found.

An AI module to increase quality and reduce paper losses

The CNS BRAIN is the latest innovation from Pellenc ST, using Artificial Intelligence to improve detection accuracy and sorting performance. By combining DEEP LEARNING and NIR/VIS technologies, the optical sorters designed by Pellenc ST can now handle the most complex material separations. For example, specific models have been created to differentiate precisely between magazines from coated cardboard, or white cardboard from office paper. Moreover, the short distance between the detection head and the ejection bar guarantees extremely precise ejection, halving the loss of good products.

"DEEP LEARNING technology perfectly complements our already high-performance FLOW DETECTION spectrometer. It avoids the confusion that sometimes arises between white cardboard, small cardboard boxes and newspapers or magazines. The CNS BRAIN further enhances the sorting quality achieved by our machines". Kévin Alazet, Artificial Intelligence Manager

Quick to implement, this innovation in Artificial Intelligence stands out for its energy-efficiency. It requires no additional hardware or storage server. Ready to use, it therefore generates no additional energy consumption. The CNS BRAIN is available as an option on new machines or as an upgrade on the Mistral+ CONNECT and COMPACT+ ranges.

As with all its developments, Pellenc ST has qualified and validated this new technology in advance on its long-standing customer sites. The CNS BRAIN is now ready for large-scale commercial deployment.