Buteo

Newtec's hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system, Buteo, provides customers with more sorting capabilities and can be used in the packaging industry for material innovation and better quality control.

The brain of the Buteo is Newtec's Oculus hyperspectral smart camera, which currently comes in two configurations that cover the visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) region from 430-1000 nm and the visible-short-wave-infrared (Vis-SWIR) region from 430-1700 nm, respectively.

Newtec recently launched its new HSI system to give customers more sorting options and access to more and new data, revealing new features for a wide variety of products. These include but are not limited to investigating hidden texts in ancient books, sorting of plastic and quality control of foods.

There are several examples where Newtec faces the challenge of employing the capabilities of the new HSI system to boost product possibilities and improve sorting options for the food, plastic and packaging industries.

Buteo is a pushbroom HSI system developed and assembled in Denmark by Newtec. The hyperspectral capability of this instrument makes it possible to detect information about objects, which would otherwise remain hidden from us.

HSI provides important information to the food industry. An example of this would be detecting potato blackhearts, which are internal defects causing the potatoes to develop a black interior, making them unfit for consumption. With the HSI cameras developed by Newtec, it is possible to distinguish potatoes infected with this disease.

This technique is non-destructive, which makes it easier to implement thorough quality control in the sorting process and reduces waste.

Hyperspectral technology has also found its way into the packaging, as well as the food and beverage industries, which is in line with Newtec's vision for transforming the sorting process through research and sustainability. Product safety and sustainability are at the core of Newtec's values, and the capabilities of HSI certainly reflect this.

Another area where hyperspectral technology is being used is in the sorting of different plastics. With the ever-increasing focus on sustainable practices, Newtec provides a technology that can more easily identify types of plastic, which are normally categorized into seven groups, some of which are particularly difficult to trace.

Newtec's sorting expertise extends beyond fruits and vegetables to include plastics, among others. Asked by Dansk Affaldsminimering and the Plastic and Polymer Engineering group, Aarhus University, to sort polyethylene from polypropylene, Newtec was given a bag with shredded plastic pieces for laboratory analysis.

With the help of Newtec's cameras and the more challenging spectral analysis, the plastic types were successfully sorted by placing pieces of plastic on the conveyor belt and camera scanning. Therefore, the HSI camera was able to achieve 100% accuracy and contribute to research about the efficient, non-invasive internal inspection of products such as plastic, potatoes and more.

Bjarke Jørgensen, Head of Research & Development at Newtec Engineering A/S:

Many million tonnes of new plastic are created every year around the globe and identifying the different types of polymers can significantly reduce cross-contamination, thereby vastly improving the recycling of the materials. In return, this will reduce the need to make more new plastic.

Statement from Trioworld:

With the environment at the top of the agenda, it is essential for us to include new technologies. Newtec Engineering’s Buteo can distinguish between plastic types. It enables us to use even more recycled plastic in our products, and at the same time maintain our high quality. This is a requirement, as, for example, our Stretch Hoods are used to protect other products during transport. We cannot compromise on quality.

Thomas Eybye, Category Manager, Trioworld

Newtec's pioneering technology enables the detection of over 350 and up to 900 colours from the visible spectrum all the way to the NIR and SWIR, hence the term hyperspectral. This is more than an RGB camera with three colours and even the human eye.

It divides the light into colours so that the information is more accessible and better managed. With the Oculus HSI camera, customers are better able to detect hidden product features that can impact value and quality, as well as health and safety concerns.

For the packaging sector, specifically, this technology can have a huge impact on both sustainability practices and better quality control for the kinds of materials used in the packaging industry.

It is interesting to think of the possible advancements in food and material inspection technologies when Newtec's non-invasive sorting solution is applied to other products such as packaging materials and food.