Columbus McKinnon to deliver dual-drive crackermill to Canadian tire recycler

Alberta Environmental Rubber Products (AERP) of Edmonton, Canada, has added a CM Dual Drive Crackermill to its tire recycling facility.

The crackermill is manufactured by CM Tire Recycling, a division of Sarasota, Florida-based Columbus McKinnon (CM) Corp.. 

AERP, a family-owned and -operated company was founded in 1994, inspired by environmental policy initiatives in the province of Alberta promoting tire collection and recycling. The full-service processor collects, transports and processes tires from across Alberta. Currently the company produces and markets a wide range of tire-derived material from shred to crumb rubber.

Initially, AERP focused on the tire-derived fuel (TDF) market, selecting a CM Dual-Speed Shredder for the job. The company added a second CM Dual-Speed Shredder the following year to keep up with demand, CM reports.

Over the years, the company reports, AERP has expanded beyond TDF into higher value products. Toward that end, the company also reconfigured its shredding equipment to make larger shreds to optimize feedstock for downstream removal of steel to supply the makers of mulch and loose-fill playground products. The company also expanded its capabilities to remove fiber and to granulate the rubber, which is sold to companies that produce pour-in-place surfacing, tiles, mats and many other molded products.

AERP was recently awarded a large contract to supply minus-30-mesh rubber powders, and the company selected a CM Dual Drive Crackermill for this purpose, CM reports. The company also says the delivery to AERP represents the first crackermill delivered by CM since acquiring the intellectual rights for the Artisan dual-drive crackermill in 2014.

According to CM, the Dual Drive Crackermill features a dual-roll technology for the production of finely ground rubber material. The rolls are driven independently at variable speeds to create the rolling and cracking of the rubber, known as the friction ratio. As the friction ratio increases, the mill’s production and size reduction performance capabilities are enhanced, according to CM.

The company says the dual-drive mill uses a regeneration process that allows the machine to lower its energy requirements and operate more efficiently. The process is controlled by programmable, fully integrated logic controls designed to increase production rates while cutting power consumption. The machine is capable of processing tire rubber as well as other rubber materials down to minus-20-to-80-mesh powders, CM says.