Inclined Feed Means for Laser Sorting Aluminum Scrap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for sorting material parts using laser-induced plasma spectroscopy face limitations in throughput and sorting efficiency due to inadequate separation mechanisms, leading to suboptimal sorting results, especially when processing large quantities of materials with unclear compositions.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a three-stage feed means with inclined feed surfaces of varying angles to individually transport and separate material parts, ensuring efficient acceleration and distribution, combined with an enhanced detection unit featuring multiple lenses for improved plasma detection and analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a single feed means is used to transport material parts, then the device complexity is low, but the productivity and sorting efficiency are insufficient when processing large quantities of materials
Solution Approach 1:
The feed means is divided into multiple feed means (first feed means, second feed means, etc.) arranged in sequence along the transport direction. Each feed means independently transports material parts onto the chute from different positions, enabling parallel processing and significantly increasing throughput while maintaining manageable device complexity through modular architecture.
2Measurement precision
If material parts are fed individually to the laser device and spectrometer system, then the measurement precision and sorting accuracy improve, but the productivity decreases due to slower processing speed
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple feed means are positioned to feed material parts onto the chute at different locations in advance. This preliminary arrangement ensures that material parts are already separated and spaced appropriately before reaching the analysis zone, allowing the laser device and spectrometer system to perform precise individual analysis without reducing overall throughput.
3Reliability
If the feed surface is horizontal, then the ease of manufacture is high, but the material parts do not separate effectively leading to poor sorting results
Solution Approach 1:
The feed surfaces of the multiple feed means are configured at different angles relative to the horizontal plane. This asymmetric arrangement causes material parts to accelerate at different rates and separate spatially as they travel along the chute, improving sorting reliability by ensuring better separation between consecutive material parts while maintaining reasonable manufacturing complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration significantly increases sorting efficiency and throughput by ensuring reliable separation and identification of material parts, minimizing incorrect sorting and enabling the processing of a higher volume of materials while maintaining sorting quality.
Implementation Method 1
Laser-induced plasma spectroscopy is used to determine the element-specific composition of a material part, i.e., a sample, using a plasma. The plasma is generated on a surface of the material part using high-intensity, focused laser radiation.
Implementation Method 2
Light emitted by the plasma is detected and spectrally analyzed to determine the elemental composition of the material part.
Implementation Method 3
the at least one feed surface is inclined to the horizontal in such a way that, due to the force of gravity, a material part is accelerated in the transport direction
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a system for analyzing and sorting a material part, in particular a scrap part made of aluminum, comprising: - a feeding means (110) for transporting the material part (120), - a sorting unit (160) configured to feed the material part (120) to one of two fractions (F1, F2), - a laser device (140) configured to generate a plasma (3) on a surface 7A of the material part (120) with a laser beam (5) propagating along a beam axis (5A), - a spectrometer system (1) configured to perform a spectral analysis of plasma light (3A) emitted by the laser-induced plasma (3) and to generate an output signal corresponding to the result of the spectral analysis, and - a control device (150) configured toto receive the output signal and to operate the sorting unit (160) based on the output signal and a sorting criterion, - wherein the spectrometer system (1) comprises a spectrometer (13) and a detection unit (21) optically connected to the spectrometer (13), - wherein the detection unit (21) comprises a lens (25A, 25B, 25C, 25D) to which a detection cone (35) is assigned, which forms a plasma detection area (39) in an overlap area (37) with the laser beam (5), characterized in that the feeding means (110) comprises three individual feeding units (201, 202, 203) arranged in series in the transport direction (207) of the material part (120), each feeding unit (201, 202, 203) being configured to feed the material part (120) to transport along a feeding surface (204, 205, 206) provided by the respective feeding unit (201, 202, 203), wherein the feeding surfaces (204, 205,206) are each inclined to the horizontal by forming a respective angle of inclination (α1, α2, α3), wherein the angles of inclination (α1, α2, α3) are different.