Two significant innovations from c-trace for Front-End Loaders will increase operational efficiency and improve the quality of material in a valuable waste stream.
The first – a super-tough new load cell – has been designed and built to withstand the toughest conditions of UK waste collection operations. In extensive trials, it achieved a remarkable 100% success rate.
The second, an AI camera designed for contaminant detection in paper and cardboard collections, has been developed by scaling down and retraining a system successfully used for food waste contamination.
The SC series cell, with an armoured case and robust yet sensitive sensor, was developed in collaboration with c-trace’s digital hardware partners DIGI SENS. It is designed to withstand impacts encountered during collections while providing industry-leading accuracy as it dynamically weighs containers of all sizes. The cells are fully certified for pay-by-weight.
For over a year, waste management operators have extensively trialled the cell in the UK. Not a single cell has failed.
c-trace’s UK Sales Director Ian Martin said: ‘It is a fantastic piece of equipment – designed and built to be more robust than anything else on the market – and it needs to be because operations in the UK are among the most demanding in the world.
“Operators work hard to stick to tight schedules. They often handle very large bins in places with restricted access. Add to that the double-shifting some offer, and you understand these vehicles’ intensive use. So, even with experienced drivers, load cells inevitably get knocked about.
‘The SC series cell handles it superbly. The sensor is cleverly designed to withstand negative pressure and it accurately weighs containers of more than 2,000kg without compromising the lifting operation at all. The cells in the trial had a 100% success rate, as have those we’ve already supplied.
‘The overall benefits are that our customers can continue to collect the most accurate and reliable data while minimising repairs and any downtime due to load-cell damage.’
The classic automatic catch weighing system records the gross weight of the full bin multiple times as it is lifted and does the same with the emptied bin as it is lowered to calculate the weight of the collected material. These accurate and reliable figures meet billable ‘pay-by-weight’ legal standards.
‘The new load cell is at the sharp end of c-trace’s full, modular bin-to-bill solution,’ added Ian.
‘We can also supply and fit RFID hardware in all formats to our weighing system to capture chip data with our own tried-and-tested software to administer, run and schedule services.
‘And in addition, we have introduced c-detect, an AI camera system designed for contaminant detection in paper and cardboard collections, to our waste management solutions for FEL trucks.’
The camera system – a small InsideView version of c-detect – is mounted in the top of the charge box with real-time, over-air routers and all the software for processing images and contaminant detection.
‘By using this system, operators can reliably detect any contamination,’ explained Ian.
‘If they wish, they can reward customers whose bins are filled with valuable, uncontaminated paper and card. On the other hand, when a bin emptied into the charge box contains other material, the camera detects it and provides high-quality photographic evidence for enforcement.
‘Feedback to commercial customers becomes an effective education – they can save money by learning from their mistakes.
‘High-quality material collections are clearly the future of accountable, clean recycling in industrial paper and card collections. And once again, c-detect fits seamlessly into our bin-to-bill solution.
‘Just like our weighing system, c-detect uses our own software – called c-ware AIR – a modular, intuitive, cloud-based system designed specifically for flexible waste management.
‘It allows operators to manage their services on the go and provides automatic transmission of collection data to our secure servers.
‘Alternatively, we can easily integrate our system with any third-party software and a range of in-cab tablets. We take a pragmatic approach to existing IT structures to ensure we offer customers a complete, reliable and genuinely cost-effective service from end-to-end.
‘The introduction of both the super-tough SC series cells and the AI technology of c-detect demonstrate how our determination to improve all our solutions really continually pays dividends for our customers,’ concluded Ian.
