As a technology-based company, we are very active in research, development, and innovation projects. Most of our research activities are carried out in close cooperation with reference research institutes and universities which are strongly involved in the calibration, validation, and certification of our products.

Our main fields of research are:

• · Novel sensing, monitoring and control solutions for the Meat Industry 4.0
• · Remote sensing and waste sorting solutions for the Recycling industry
• · Advanced In-line analytical tools for the Third Generation Photovoltaic manufacturing industry

Novel solutions for the Meat Industry 4.0

OPTICUT – Smart inspection system for the optimization of cutting and deboning operations in pork carcasses.

In recent years, inspection systems to determine meat quality parameters have increased the interest of the sector, due to their potential to optimize production processes and establish new product segmentation strategies. However, current inspection systems have a series of limitations that make them not viable in practice, especially in the segment of medium to large slaughterhouses due to their complex integration into the line. Within the OPTICUT project, the objective is to develop and integrate a new online inspection system that allows determining quality parameters such as water retention capacity. The inspection of the primary cuts prior to cutting the carcass provides a series of operational advantages and allows maximizing the value of the raw material by segmentation into different quality categories. This project has received the support of ACCIÓ.

Know more at: Opticut

Recycling sector

In the frame of two collaborative European Research projects, we are developing innovative recycling processes for the revalorization of end-of-life building materials and laminated glass waste.

ICEBERG – Innovative Circular Economy Based solutions demonstrating the Efficient recovery of valuable material Resources from the Generation of representative End-of-Life building materials

ICEBERG aims to design, develop, demonstrate and validate advanced technologies for the production of high-purity secondary raw materials through 6 circular case studies across Europe, covering circularity of wood, concrete, mixed aggregate, plasterboard, glass,  polymeric insulating foams, and inorganic superinsulation materials. ICEBERG will develop novel technologies for the recovery of EBM, which include: HyperSpectral Imaging (HSI), machine-learning software, and robotic manipulators to increase sorting efficiency of mixed aggregates; An integrated crushing, sorting, and cleaning optimized system and fast pyrolysis and purification processes for wood fractions; Thermal attrition mobile unit integrated with LIBS and carbonation for concrete; Hydrocyclone combined with HSI sorting and acid purification to increase the purity of recycled plasterboard; A combined process of purification and solvolysis for polymeric insulating foams; Advanced hydrothermal and supercritical-based processing of glass and silica-containing waste.
 
Know more at: Iceberg

SUNRISE – MultiSensor sorting tools in a circular economy approach for the efficient recycling of PVB interlayer material in high-quality prodUcts from laminated glass coNstRuction and demolItion waStEs 

Laminated glass is obtained by bonding glass layers using a polymeric interlayer. Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) is used as an interlayer in laminated glass and their use in construction components is growing, therefore the end-of-life should be addressed.  SUNRISE will demonstrate within the current glass recycling business the application of an innovative optical multi-sensor sorting tool based on industrial in-line techniques (Raman, IRS, Fluorescence and Optical Spectroscopy) and AI algorithms which will allow optimal classification of laminated glass according to composition and degradation. The success of SUNRISE will avoid PVB wastes of more than 125.000 tons, representing significant economic, environmental, and social benefits.

Know more at: Sunrise

Third-generation photovoltaic industry

Next-generation photovoltaic devices are forecasted to play a key role in the generation of green electricity. The development of high-efficiency devices on customized and flexible substrates will enable new applications with huge market potential, including building and automotive integrated photovoltaics (BIPV and AIPV). In collaboration with other Industrial partners, Lenz Instruments collaborates in the development, optimization, and scale-up of Next-generation PV manufacturing processes through the development of innovative in-line sensing solutions.

In4CIS: New in-line optical methodologies for advanced assessment of high-efficiency CIGS industrial processes

In4CIS aims to establish and demonstrate at pre-industrial level optical advanced methodologies for the in-line assessment of advanced CIGS processes. These will be applied to the monitoring of innovative postdeposition treatments (PDT) that are developed for the production of very high-efficiency Cu(In, Ga)Se₂ (CIGS) devices, in order to ensure a successful transfer of these CIGS process concepts from cell (lab) level to a pre-industrial module level.

The optical methodologies proposed in the project will be based on the use of multi-wavelength excitation Raman scattering/Photoluminescence (PL) techniques for the advanced non-destructive quantitative assessment of the uniformity of the CIGS surface absorber region at different process steps in the CIGS production line. These methodologies are based on the use of resonant excitation strategies that allow achieving very high measuring sensitivity with fast measuring times – compatible with their implementation at the in-line process monitoring level – and have already been demonstrated at the laboratory level.

Know more at: IN4CIS