TOMRA Recycling, a global leader in sensor-based sorting solutions, has expanded its portfolio of advanced metals recycling with a groundbreaking AI-based solution to upgrade wrought aluminum scrap.
This development represents the first application of GAINnext™ – TOMRA’s revolutionary deep learning-based sorting technology – in the metals industry. This AI innovation enables aluminum scrap processors and recyclers to upgrade their wrought aluminum scrap and produce exceptionally high purity fractions by instantly recovering low alloy cast from the wrought fraction and reducing alloying elements such as silicon. GAINnext™ complements TOMRA’s X-TRACT™, which separates based on atomic density.
TOMRA’s X-TRACT™, featuring X-ray Transmission (XRT) technology, is the industry standard for sorting aluminum from heavy metals based on atomic density. X-TRACT™ initially sorts shredded mixed non-ferrous metals (Zorba) to produce high-purity aluminum scrap (Twitch), then removes high alloy aluminum cast and high-density wrought aluminum to further refine the Twitch. This process yields a high-quality fraction, containing both wrought aluminum and minor amounts of low alloy cast, which other currently available sorting methods cannot fully separate.
Now, by integrating GAINnext™ into the sorting process after X-TRACT™, a pure wrought fraction can be achieved. GAINnext™ leverages the power of deep learning and artificial neural networks. Using RGB cameras, it rapidly processes tens to hundreds of thousands of images per millisecond, ‘perceiving’ and ‘classifying’ materials by shape, size and dimension with exceptional accuracy. This advanced system, trained over years by TOMRA’s experts, mimics human vision but with superior speed, facilitating high throughput sorting of up to 2,000 ejections per minute. In its first metals industry application, by precisely detecting and removing low alloy cast from the wrought fraction that TOMRA’s X-TRACT™ produces, GAINnext™ delivers an exceptionally high purity wrought product that commands premium market prices.
For TOMRA customers seeking to achieve even higher granularity levels in aluminum sorting, the wrought fraction recovered by GAINnext™ can be further refined using TOMRA’s AUTOSORT™ PULSE system, which employs dynamic laser-induced plasma spectroscopy (Dynamic LIBS) for precise identification and sorting of different alloy types. Launched in 2023, AUTOSORT™ PULSE, TOMRA’s breakthrough innovation, leverages precise elemental composition analysis and advanced dynamic laser detection to accurately distinguish between different alloy types e.g. 5xxx and 6xxx aluminum.
This combination of X-TRACT™, GAINnext™ and AUTOSORT™ PULSE represents the pinnacle of sorting innovation, delivering the highest levels of material separation available on the market today.
Tom Jansen, Head of the Metals Segment, Sales at TOMRA Recycling, comments: “We are excited to launch this new deep learning-based application to upgrade wrought aluminum. Deep learning is a powerful addition to our traditional sensor-based technology, and expanding our GAINnext™ ecosystem aligns with our broader AI strategy. Building on our proven success and the significant results our customers have achieved with GAINnext™ in the waste segment, we are confident in delivering similar value to our metals customers”.
“This latest application enhances dry mechanical sorting of mixed metals, offering a cost-effective solution with a low cost per ton thanks to its high throughput and significantly reduced manual sorting requirements. Our customers will be able to consistently produce smelter-ready, premium-grade aluminum with exceptional purity levels. This is a significant enhancement to our metal recycling solutions portfolio, and we anticipate wide adoption by recyclers seeking to refine scrap and generate high-quality feedstock for circular manufacturing.”
TOMRA pioneered deep learning technology in 2019, and GAINnext™ has been proven in the field across various complex recycling streams, including waste, plastics, paper, metals and wood. In 2024, TOMRA introduced a groundbreaking GAINnextTM application to separate food-grade from non-food-grade plastics for PET, PP and HDPE. This latest expansion of the GAINnextTM ecosystem is part of TOMRA’s broader AI strategy. Further GAINnext™ applications are due to be announced in 2025.
Tom Jansen, TOMRA Recycling: TOMRA Recycling’s Tom Jansen: “Deep learning technology is a significant enhancement to our metal recycling solutions portfolio.”
TOMRA Recycling Sorting
TOMRA Recycling Sorting designs and manufactures sensor-based sorting technologies for the global recycling and waste management industry to transform resource recovery and create value in waste.
The company was the first to develop advanced waste and metals sorting applications using high capacity near infrared (NIR) technology to extract the most value from resources and keep materials in a loop of use and reuse. To date, around 10,000 systems have been installed in 100 countries worldwide.
TOMRA Recycling is a division of TOMRA Group. TOMRA was founded on an innovation in 1972 that began with the design, manufacture and sale of reverse vending machines (RVMs) for automated collection of used beverage containers. Today, TOMRA is leading the resource revolution to transform how the planet’s resources are obtained, used and reused to enable a world without waste. The company’s other business divisions are TOMRA Food and TOMRA Collection.
TOMRA has approximately 105,000 installations in over 100 markets worldwide and had total revenues of about 14.8 billion NOK in 2023. The Group employs 5,000 people globally and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. The company headquarters are in Asker, Norway.
