STADLER Delabelers enable high-quality bottle sorting

STADLER has developed a solution to remove the labels from plastic bottles, maximising the efficiency of the recycling process and the quality of the output.

The Delabeler removes labels from bottles of all types, achieving a quality standard of up to 80 per cent of labels removed, while also processing a mass flow of up to nine tonnes per hour, depending on the particle size and material composition.

It is equipped with blades made from high-tensile steel that are attached to the rotor at one end so they can oscillate freely, and to the housing’s inner wall at the other.

The machine’s quality features include a rotor with rotating arms, a belt drive with tensioning pulley, a quality motor and gearbox from SEW, a maintenance door with safety lock, and an electrical cabinet with frequency invertor and adjustable rotor speed.

Rok Mežič, Head of R&D Slovenia, which led the development process of the machine, said: “Bottles make up a large proportion of plastic waste, and they present a particular issue to the recycling industry. The labels are made from a different polymer and colour than the bottles, which negatively affect the accuracy of the sorting process.”

“At STADLER we saw the need to address this issue, and developed the Delabeler to remove the labels automatically at the beginning of the process in order to achieve high-quality sorting and good purity rates.”