| Primary Function | An optical sorter uses cameras, spectral sensors and controlled air jets to identify and separate materials on a conveyor. | Automatic identification and ejection of selected material fractions. | Define whether the target is recovery, contaminant removal, color separation or quality control. |
| Suitable Feed Materials | Common applications include mixed plastics, paper, cardboard, glass, municipal solid waste, construction residues and food-related products. | Material suitability depends on particle size, moisture, color, surface condition and layer thickness. | Request test results using the actual feedstock rather than relying only on laboratory samples. |
| Detection Technology | Different sensors detect visible color, near-infrared spectral signatures, shape, size and sometimes metal or foreign-object characteristics. | VIS: color and appearance; NIR: polymer and fiber identification; combined systems: broader classification. | Choose the sensor combination according to the materials that must be recognized and rejected. |
| Throughput | The quantity of material processed per hour under specified feed and purity conditions. | Often approximately 1–15 tonnes per hour, depending on material density, belt width, particle size and loading pattern. | Use the required peak hourly volume, not only the average daily volume, when sizing the machine. |
| Belt Width | The available sorting surface determines the material layer width and affects capacity. | Common industrial configurations are approximately 600–2,800 mm wide. | Match the belt width to the existing conveyor layout and required material presentation. |
| Particle Size | Objects should be separated and presented in a size range that the sensors and air-ejection system can reliably detect. | Many systems are configured for particles from roughly 10–300 mm, but the usable range is application-specific. | Install screening and size classification upstream when the feed contains excessive fines or oversized items. |
| Sorting Accuracy | Accuracy reflects how consistently the system identifies and ejects the target material under defined operating conditions. | Commercial results commonly vary from approximately 80% to above 95%, depending on feed quality and sorting objective. | Compare purity and recovery together; maximizing one may reduce the other. |
| Recovery Rate | The percentage of the valuable target material recovered in the desired output stream. | Usually reported as a percentage and measured using a defined test sample. | Set a minimum recovery target before selecting belt speed, air pressure and ejection settings. |
| Product Purity | The proportion of acceptable material in the sorted output stream. | A practical specification is often 90–99% purity, subject to input contamination and process design. | Use a second sorting stage when the required purity cannot be achieved in one pass. |
| Air-Jet System | Compressed-air valves eject selected objects from the conveyor into a separate chute. | Performance depends on valve spacing, response time, air pressure, nozzle condition and object trajectory. | Confirm available compressor capacity and specify filtration, drying and air-quality requirements. |
| Conveyor Speed | Belt speed affects throughput, object spacing, detection time and ejection accuracy. | Typical systems operate over a broad range of approximately 2–5 m/s, depending on design. | Select a speed that provides stable material presentation rather than simply maximizing belt velocity. |
| Material Presentation | Optical sensors perform best when objects are separated, visible and distributed in a thin, consistent layer. | Single-layer presentation generally improves identification and reduces overlapping objects. | Include metering, screening, ballistic separation or vibratory feeding where required. |
| Moisture and Dirt Tolerance | Water, dust, labels, food residue and surface contamination can affect spectral readings and air ejection. | Performance is feed-dependent and may decline when materials are wet, heavily coated or compacted. | Evaluate washing, drying, dust removal and routine lens-cleaning requirements. |
| Energy Consumption | Energy use includes the sorter, conveyor, lighting, control system and compressed-air generation. | Report energy as kWh per operating hour or kWh per tonne, including the compressed-air system where possible. | Compare total installed energy demand rather than the sorter cabinet alone. |
| Environmental Design | A green machine approach focuses on resource recovery, reduced landfill disposal, efficient operation and maintainable components. | Key indicators include recovered tonnes, energy per tonne, compressed-air use and reject reduction. | Calculate environmental benefits from measured operating data and the actual local waste stream. |
| Controls and Software | Control software manages recipes, sensor settings, air-jet timing, alarms and performance monitoring. | Useful functions include recipe storage, remote diagnostics, trend reports and production data export. | Check compatibility with plant PLC, SCADA, safety systems and cybersecurity requirements. |
| Maintenance Requirements | Routine work includes cleaning lenses and lighting covers, inspecting valves, checking belts and replacing filters. | Daily visual checks and scheduled preventive maintenance are common operating practices. | Confirm access to spare parts, trained technicians and documented maintenance intervals. |
| Best 2026 Buying Checklist | A reliable selection combines technical performance, lifecycle cost, environmental impact and integration capability. | Evaluate throughput, purity, recovery, energy use, air consumption, uptime, safety and payback period. | Require a documented site test, guaranteed performance conditions, operator training and lifecycle support before purchase. |
