HORIZON-CL4-2022-TWIN-TRANSITION-01-07: Digital tools to support the engineering of a Circular Economy: European consortium is looking for a European recycling company, who is dismantling and recycling end-of-life vehicles

ResearchNemeckoRDDE20211201001
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Summary: 
A European consortium led by a German based engineering company specialized in Computer Aided Engineering is applying for the call TWIN-TRANSITION-01-07: Digital tools to support the engineering of a Circular Economy, with the aim to develop a digital twin for the recycling industry. The consortium is looking for a partner from the European vehicle recycling industry to join the project to integrate the prototype of the autonomous system in a side line of the real industrial recycling process.
Description: 
The aim of this project under the Call:TWIN-TRANSITION-01-07: Digital tools to support the engineering of a Circular Economy, is to develop a digital twin based autonomous automatized dismantling and sorting pre-shredder recycling system (including robotics, Artificial Intelligence, machine learning) for the automotive or machinery industry to secure nearly 100% closed loop recycling in particular with respect to rare and valuable materials. With respect to resource efficiency, closed loop recycling management already plays a major role. This is in particular true for highly complex technical devices, e.g. modern cars, electronical devices, machinery, domestic appliances. Where data driven automatization guides development and production of goods, the recycling is still based on manual disassembling and manual distribution of the parts with respect to their material classification. Classification of rare material would require additional effort in the pre-recycling process. Today, recycling in Europe is often not cost efficient and the “waste” is shifted from Europe to low cost countries, where recycling takes place under inhumane and ecological disastrous conditions. Further, often there is no recycling of materials like glass and plastics, and valuable rare materials are lost. Closed loop recycling should be done with high technical standards as usual in production. Recycling has to be reconsidered as a manner of production of valuable material. In order to be cost efficient, automatization has to be introduced in all areas of disassembling, distribution of parts and material classification. This project is to provide the digital twin for the recycling economy as a base for automatized production of the recycling fraction and has been initiated by a German company that is highly specialized in the field of CAE (Computer Aided Engineering) and software based methods and processes. The project does not aim to replace the shredder based recycling process. It will provide the base for a pre-process of automatized dismantling and sorting of goods, in order to achieve a nearly 100% yield rate of valuable materials, in particular rare earth metals. As usual in production, also in recycling automatization will be a key driver towards cost efficiency and quality. The overall functionality of the automatized pre-process is key for cost efficiency. In this pre-process, the individual digital twins serve as a control map and guide the automatized dismantling machinery to perform the disassembly of each individual item (e.g. car type). A key factor in the process to generate digital twins for the recycling economy is the company’s in-house developed process to derivate CAE models based on optical scans taken from technical devices. Whereas digital twins for the production are highly classified and complex, they will never leave the production plant and will never be accessible to the public or the recycling industry. On the other hand, the requirements for the digital twins for the recycling industry should not be so complex. The European consortium includes high profiled academic and industrial partners in particular in the field of machinery, robotics and control. Consortium leader of the project is a German based company specialized in CAE. The client’s customers are mainly from automotive, aerospace, energy, health and other industries. The client is dedicated to support the serial development integrated in their customers own process chain, as well as to develop tailored methods in the field of virtual product development. There is one partner missing: A European recycling company, who is dismantling and recycling end-of-life vehicles. The task is to install the prototype of the autonomous system in a side line of the real industrial recycling process, integrated as field trial, as a pre-process to the shredder stage. The deadline for submitting proposals is March 30th 2022 The deadline for EoIs is January 31st 2022
Type (e.g. company, R&D institution…), field of industry and Role of Partner Sought: 
The sought company is from the recycling industry with dismantling and sorting process for end-of-life vehicles. Dismatling and sorting process might already have a certain degree of automatization. The task would be to integrate the prototype of the autonomous system in a side line of the real industrial recycling process, integrated as field trial, as a pre-process to the shredder stage. Installation and operation of the autonomous system will be done from the system developers in the consortium, but it should run on site of the recycling company. The process will be monitored. Based on provided data from the recycling company, the potential of the new technology can be assessed, and chances and risks can be adressed. Technical strengths and weaknesses will be elaborated during the field trial onsite the recycling floor.
Technical Specification or Expertise Sought: 
Technician or applied engineer in the recycling company, collaborating with the system developers and operators which carry out the field trial. It would be an advantage, if the recycling company is already active in the field of innovation, but this is no requirement.
Stage of Development: 
Proposal under development
Comments Regarding Stage of Development: 
The company is in conceptual stage, but can apply existing technology. Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining references the digital twin of the object (CAD data). However, the digital twin for recycling comprises geometry, topology (includes accessability) and material. The autonomous dismatling and sorting system needs AI, fuzzy logic, sensors. It might become a very smart robotic system.
IPR Status: 
Secret Know-how
Comments Regarding IPR Status: 
IPR of the system to be developed will be matter of any consortium agreement once the project is funded. So far, the company does not know about any patents or IPR issues which will hamper the planned development. Of course, every partner joins the consortium with specific know-how and experience.
External code: 
RDDE20211201001