Textile waste is a growing global problem with far-reaching environmental, social and economic consequences. The global textile industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries, producing an enormous quantity of textile products each year. Estimates suggest that less than 1% of textiles are currently recycled. A significant portion of textile waste ends up in landfills where natural fibers, such as cotton, take years to decompose. Synthetic fibers, like polyester, persist for much longer, polluting the environment.
The Spanish company PICVISA has developed technologies and solutions for this area of application. The key component of PICVISA’s fully automated textile sorting machine is the Specim FX17 hyperspectral camera. This camera operates in a line-scan mode, collecting hyperspectral data in the near-infrared (NIR) region spanning from 900 to 1700 nm. NIR hyperspectral imaging allows the identification of the composition of textile products since different textile fibers (natural, artificial, and synthetic) have unique spectral characteristics that can be used for classification. Using the Specim FX17 hyperspectral camera, PICVISA can capture images and analyze the spectral responses of different materials with exceptional precision. This is the basis for the subsequent sorting of the different textiles.
Mechanical engineering: Picvisa, www.picvisa.com
Machine vision: Specim, Spectral Imaging Ltd., www.specim.com
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