Modern Mining March 2021

New intuitive user interface from TOMRA Sorting Mining

TOMRA has introduced its TOMRA ACT, a new user interface, together with a new image processing pipeline and additional pro- cess data for TOMRA Insight, enabling improvements in the overall sorting process for greater productivity and profitability. The new TOMRA ACT graphical user interface (UI) heralds a fundamental change in the way customers interact with their machines, making it extremely easy to control the work flow in their sorting process with simple, intuitive, touch gestures and actions on the screen. TOMRA ACT provides sorting information and real-time process data at a glance through easy-to-understand graphics. With this clear information, the operator is able to better monitor the sorting process and make fast adjustments at any time. The quick feed- back on the machine performance and throughput enables them to optimise the process, maximising productivity and efficiency. With the new state-of-the-art UI, the tasks of controlling the sorter feel natural and part of the produc- tion process. Ines Hartwig, TOMRA product manager, explains: “Throughout the development process of TOMRA ACT, we conducted many in-depth discussions with our cus- tomers to ensure we provided them with an interface that would improve the performance of their sorters, benefiting their business. We have been testing it with customers and the feedback has been very positive, in particular about the ease of use, also remotely, which facilitates controlling the process and adjusting settings. With the new interface, customers interact with their sort- ers in a much more intuitive way and they have better guidance on how to improve the overall handling of the sorters. As a result, they will be able to improve the pro- ductivity of their sorting plant and the profitability of their mining operation.” TOMRA is introducing the new UI on all its current X-Ray Transmission (XRT) sorters, and is planning to extend it to other machines in its offering at a later stage.

Upgrade packages to update previous models of its XRT sorters will also become available. The new Image Processing Pipeline analyses the data sent by the sorter’s sensors and cameras. This solution provides TOMRA with even more flexibility to adjust and customise the image cal- culations according to the application and the customer’s specific requirements in order to achieve the best possible sorting results. The new enhanced image processing solution also collects detailed process data, such as information on particle size dis- tribution of the feed, belt occupancy which gives useful insights on feed tonnages, or data relating to the health of the sorter. All these statistics are fed to TOMRA Insight, the cloud-based data platform, adding to the process information it has already received. 

The new TOMRA ACT graphical user interface heralds a fundamental change in the way customers interact with their machines.

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