TOMRA’s new FINDER – one modular system built to sort more, adapt faster
Metal recycling has never been straightforward. Sorting mixed non-ferrous streams – shredded end-of-life vehicles, e-scrap, insulated wire, complex alloys – requires accuracy and consistency under real production conditions. That’s the problem TOMRA Recycling is addressing with the latest generation of the FINDER™.
Launched in April 2026, the new FINDER is a flexible metals-sorting platform with built-in AI features designed to address modern infeed challenges. It’s the latest evolution of a system that has been through four generations of development, and it brings a more complete sensor lineup, tighter digital integration, and a mechanical design that takes maintenance seriously.
More sensors, one machine
The new FINDER delivers flexibility through its modular, multi-sensor architecture, allowing recycling operations to configure and expand the system with exactly the sensors they need.
At its foundation is a next-generation electromagnetic (EM) sensor for metal versus non-metal sorting. From there, operators can add near-infrared (NIR) sensing for precise separation of PCBs and plastics in e-scrap streams, or for pulling insulated wire from the material flow. An optional high-definition RGB camera with AI-enabled object processing handles thin, adjacent, and overlapping objects – sorting by color, size, and shape without depending on object height.
TOMRA’s optional DEEP LAISER adds object recognition capabilities that support negative sorting, enabling the precise removal of non-metals, such as black plastics, from metal fractions.
Each of these technologies can be combined on a single platform. That flexibility matters when a facility’s material stream or its customer’s quality requirements shifts.
What it can actually sort
Whether it’s shredded end-of-life vehicles or E-scrap, FINDER consistently upgrades mixed non-ferrous fractions like copper and brass, recovers insulated wire, cleans stainless steel, separates metals from non-metals, and sorts printed circuit boards (PCBs) from E-scrap.
Stainless steel cleaning is one application worth noting. It’s typically difficult to do well – contamination from other grey metals like zinc and aluminum is common, and output quality can vary. TOMRA’s FINDER COLOR (a companion product also launched in 2025) was tested in real-world conditions at TRIMETAL in France, where the result was record purity for stainless steel, elimination of manual sorting, and flexibility to process other materials such as copper, brass, and electronic boards. That kind of outcome reflects the underlying sorting capability of the broader FINDER platform.
Digital control built in
Digital tools integrated into the platform allow operators to manage all sorting machines from a single interface on the plant network, with updates delivered every second on machine status and performance trends.
The new FINDER offers full transparency, from machine health to material flow, with data-driven sorting through TOMRA Insight, an optional cloud-based data platform. If infeed quality changes or purity targets shift, operators can respond without waiting on a service visit.
Maintenance that doesn’t cost production time
Service access has been redesigned. A new service bridge offers convenient access to service areas for safer and more efficient maintenance. Opening the separation chamber provides quick access to the new internal service platform, which gives technicians safe and convenient access to internal components. A new tiltable ejection module positioning system delivers quick and unobstructed access to the valve blocks, reducing maintenance time and costs.
These aren’t cosmetic changes. Downtime in a sorting line is expensive, and reducing how long a machine is out of service for routine maintenance has a direct impact on yield.
Ready for what comes next
Plant operators can combine FINDER with GAINnext, a deep-learning solution that leverages sophisticated AI datasets and artificial neural networks to address highly complex sorting tasks. TOMRA has positioned GAINnext as its deep learning-based sorting solution, and the new FINDER is built to be compatible with it as that ecosystem grows.
“With a single modular system, the next-generation FINDER offers multiple sensor technologies, so customers can configure the system precisely to their operational needs,” said Michelle Landon, senior vice president and head of Americas for TOMRA Recycling. “It is a solution designed for today and tomorrow, enabling plant operators to add or upgrade sensor technologies over time. All sensors and software are developed in-house, enabling reliable, high-performance results.“
The bigger picture
Margins in metal recycling are tight. Quality requirements from downstream customers are getting stricter. Material streams are more complex than they were a decade ago, partly because of the growth in e-scrap and end-of-life EV components entering the waste stream.
“Recycling operations today face tightening margins, stiffer competition and more complex material streams for recovering non-ferrous metals,” explained Giuseppe Granara, head of metal recycling Americas for TOMRA Recycling. “TOMRA’s response is the new FINDER with a more robust design that expands sorting flexibility to a maximum. It allows recyclers to use one system for a broader and more demanding range of metal applications, while adapting to changing material inputs.“
That’s the pitch and given TOMRA’s track record across four generations of the FINDER platform, it’s a credible one. Whether a facility is running shredder applications, e-scrap lines, or ASR upgrading, the new FINDER is designed to do more of that work with one system instead of several.
