Crunch time for old cars

Back in 2002, Thomas Valerio, CEO of Metaltek, Inc, Atlanta Georgia, had an electronics problem. Metaltek was developing a machine that could separate out the various materials from shredded motor cars ... steel, copper, aluminium, etc. They had an advanced sensor technology, and all the mechanics, but were at a loss on the electronics to control it all. They had tried with regular industrial PLCs, and other approaches, but nothing was anywhere near fast enough. Mr Valerio was becoming very discouraged, phoning many electronics companies in his own locality with no luck in getting a decent hearing, let alone being offered a solution.

Then he came across the website of an electronic controls company in far-away Australia. He decided to give them (us!) a call. Five minutes later he was talking to an experienced engineer who instantly understood the problem he was describing, and suggested not one but several possible approaches to a solution. A few weeks later a prototype controller was delivered and working in a machine.

The rest, as they say, is history. The machines made by Metaltek are now sorting the material (quaintly called fluff) that comes from shredding thousands of old cars every day, in yards across America, Australia and Europe. Every machine relies on a custom built, high speed SPLat control computer to perfectly separate out the different materials.