STEINERT OPEN 2011: Opening of the new facility and the Test Centre
STEINERT Elektromagnetbau GmbH, Cologne, supplier of separation solutions for valuable materials and contaminants, presented two new facilities to around 900 customers, partners, company representatives, employees and their families in October over four days of the STEINERT OPEN 2011. On the first day, the ANO-FOL business unit, which specializes in anodized aluminium coils, showed its new production hall with a new anodizing system to over 60 invited guests under the motto “Electromobility – Aluminium in Motion.” The innovative technology guarantees the expansion of production for electromagnetic systems. Supplementary presentations by renowned research institutes such as the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM) on the latest ideas for mobility concepts rounded out the event.
A further highlight was the official opening of the Separation Technology business unit’s new Test Centre (Fig. 1). The complete, integrated range of solutions from the group were presented here to an audience of around 400 customers. Equipped with seven different sorting machines in the outdoor area and further machines indoors, the Centre presented functionalities ranging from magnetic separation to the latest sensor-based technologies to the guests. An ferrous-metals-separated heavy shredder fraction was fed in-line to the plant. Visitors were then able to check the results and take a close look at the individual units.
Indoors, the separation of so-called meatballs (copper armatures) from a ferrous metal fraction using the X-ray sorting system XSS F was demonstrated. The covered outdoor area, which is home to the continuous-process plant with diverse magnet and sensor separators was the venue for presentations of equipment including the most successful machine at the moment, the KSS F L. This unit can recognize and sort materials including e.g. black cable, on the basis of their shapes, surfaces and other visual properties by means of laser-based 3DS technology. The separation of printed circuit boards from electronic scrap is also possible. 3DS technology can also be combined with other sensors.
The new UniSort PR is used to separate out materials from to the “Dual System” – the German packaging recycling system. This involves the sorting of packaging made of different plastics, for example. The UniSort Flakesorter (Fig. 2), which is based on near-infrared technology, was especially well received. It combines functionality and design and showed the interested specialists (Fig. 3) just what the three-metre-long, high-resolution machine can achieve in sorting plastics by colour and material and in the separation of aluminium and copper in fine-grain fractions. In addition to all of the visual impressions and the factual information, there was also an opportunity to party with live music until late in the evening.
STEINERT OPEN also provided the opportunity to hold the Representatives’ Day with around 75 national and international representatives. Detailed information on the new capabilities of the individual machines, the technical centre and the extended range of services were on the agenda. The STEINERT Family Day rounded off the event marathon on the Saturday, with the company’s employees, their families and their friends taking part. The company owners, the Buchholz family, were delighted at the attendance of over 400 guests, including 70 children.
