Advanced precision X-ray sorting : TOMRA Recycling will launch the new X-TRACT™ at LIGNA 2025
X-TRACT™ delivers advanced XRT technology for unrivalled wood waste separation.
- © TOMRAAdvanced XRT technology for unrivalled wood waste separation
The new X-TRACT™ delivers high performance results in the most challenging environments, using the power of X-Ray Transmission (XRT) technology to detect and separate wood waste from contaminants such as inert materials, metals, heavy plastics and glass based on atomic density.
The innovative sorting system is capable of processing up to 30 tonnes of wood chips per hour, depending on material conditions such as moisture content and grain size. It delivers exceptional speed and accuracy in removing contaminants, producing high purity recycled wood content that meets industrial production standards. The unit comes with a 16,000 hour warranty on critical components such as the x-ray source and sensor, demonstrating TOMRA's confidence in the robustness and longevity of the X-TRACT™.
TOMRA's continued investment in the global wood segment, combined with the expertise of its skilled in-house engineers and wood processing specialists, has resulted in the latest generation X-TRACT™ incorporating numerous value-added features and capabilities. Many of these are a direct result of the X-TRACT™'s proven and unrivalled success in the global mining and metals recycling markets.
Innovative features of the new X-TRACT™ include
- Up to 25% reduction in air consumption: X-TRACT™ now comes with a new standard ejection module that not only provides greater precision, but also reduces the amount of compressed air required by up to 25%, depending on the application and feed material. As a result, customers can benefit from significant energy cost savings without compromising throughput rates.
- Unrivalled sorting accuracy: TOMRA's latest innovation delivers high ejection rates, consistently exceeding 98% for metals (excluding foil), 98% for inerts and 97% for heavy plastics. This superior performance is the result of robust mechanical hardware, the new standard ejection module, carefully selected X-ray components and TOMRA's core technologies, ensuring consistently high throughput and exceptional sorting results.
- Improved reliability and stability: Designed for high sorting accuracy and minimal downtime, the new X-TRACT™ delivers long-term sorting stability, improved machine reliability and lower operating costs. For improved safety, a dust-resistant design prevents blockages and dust build-up. The unit's sensor also features a reinforced design, enabling an extended component warranty of 16,000 hours. A redesigned hood allows for safer and faster maintenance, minimising disruption and maximising uptime.
Achieving next-level purity with GAINnext™
Visitors to the TOMRA stand will also hear about the company's deep learning based wood sorting technology by material type, GAINnext™. While X-TRACT™ effectively separates contaminants from waste wood, GAINnext™ takes sorting granularity to the next level by identifying objects by their shape, size and visual characteristics, enabling the differentiation between different types of wood or wood composites.
TOMRA was the first to introduce deep learning sorting technology for waste wood recycling in 2021, initially with a high-throughput application for sorting wood chips by type. Since then, the GAINnext™ technology, trained by TOMRA's experts using thousands of photos, has evolved to meet the growing market demand for advanced wood sorting solutions. GAINnext™ now enables a wide range of wood recycling applications, including precision sorting of different wood species and composites. It can distinguish between unprocessed wood (Wood A) and processed wood (Wood B) such as OSB, particleboard and coated materials. It can also recover high purity MDF for MDF-to-MDF processing. The purity of recycled wood from complex C&D waste can also be improved by identifying and removing large objects up to 400mm.
Jose Matas, Head of Waste Emerging Segments at TOMRA Recycling, comments: "We look forward to showcasing the future of wood recycling at LIGNA 2025. We understand the critical importance of 24/7 uninterrupted operations for our customers and with the latest advancements in our X-TRACT™, we are now even better equipped to support the industry. In addition, the combination of X-TRACT™ and GAINnext™ delivers an unprecedented level of purity, resulting in near virgin quality recycled wood and ultimately new profitable revenue streams for our valued customers.
