The recycling of textile materials from end-of-life clothing or manufacturing waste plays a key role in the broader context of an increasingly focused pursuit of environmental sustainability in production processes and the exploitation of natural resources. This is why Next Technology Tecnotessile has developed Daedalus, a system for sorting fabrics based on color, fabric structure, and fiber composition.

Fabric sorting based on color, fabric structure, and fiber composition

> 60 garments/min

Simultaneous analysis

The composition and color classes were chosen based on arbitrary criteria and

can be customized according to customer needs. A machine training phase is required to acquire a set of standard samples. Once the learning algorithm has a sufficient data set to ensure the required level of reliability, the system is ready to begin the sorting process.

The process

The operator checks for any accessories such as buttons, zippers, pins, etc. that need to be removed. A dedicated camera captures an image of the samples and determines their color.

Meanwhile, the textile scraps are also exposed to the structure sensor, which captures a frame from the samples and determines the fabric’s structure.

The textile scraps are illuminated and exposed to the sensor to identify the fabric’s composition.

Spectral acquisition occurs with a hyperspectral camera, which takes “snapshots” of the field of view and acquires a spectrum for each pixel in the frame.

Custom System

This system is fully customizable in terms of composition and colors to be classified. It acquires the entire garment (or fabric scrap) and displays the reconstructed image on the monitor.

Recognition occurs by comparing the analyzed textile scrap with the data set acquired during the training phase. This methodology has the advantage of being retrainable at any time to recognize new colors or composition classes.

After recognition, the system can be equipped with modular unloading cells, served by a single conveyor belt that moves the analyzed fabrics. The modularity of this system allows unloading stations to be added or removed depending on specific needs. For example, a series of collection baskets can be positioned near the conveyor belt, one for each color/composition/structure combination. The fabrics can be moved from the belt to the specific basket using a jet of compressed air.

This system offers significant advantages: