Equipment Report

BladeCore releases NiCore shear blade series

Superior, Wisconsin-based BladeCore has released its new NiCore series of shear blades. The company describes the blades as premium products made from a “specialized high-alloy material with a 4 percent nickel content.”

NiCore blades currently are available through BladeCore for Fortress, Genesis and LaBounty mobile shears, plus several brands and models of stationary shears, including Sierra, Copex, Harris, Metso and Bonfiglioli.

BladeCore says the NiCore blades are yielding an average of 60 percent to 80 percent longer life per edge than many standard blades. During a trial with more than 70 customers, more than 90 percent of them concluded they preferred blades comprised of the new alloy because it helped provide additional output of processed scrap, the firm says.

BladeCore quotes one of its customers in Pennsylvania as saying, “We used to go through two or more blade kits a year, and we’re down to one now, which is huge. The additional savings from less downtime is also great for us.”

BladeCore Division Manager Jay McDevitt says, “These NiCore blades will redefine life expectations in the scrap metal and demo industries.”

BladeCore is a division of Exodus Machines that describes itself as offering top-quality replacement blades for mobile and stationary shears via direct sales and service support.

ACI Plastics, PreZero select Davis-Standard reclaim extruders

ACI Plastics, a postindustrial plastics reprocessor headquartered in Flint, Michigan, will install two reclaim extruders from Davis-Standard, Pawcatuck, Connecticut, at its new Westminster, South Carolina, recycling facility in early 2020. The extruders will pelletize polyethylene and polypropylene scrap that is recovered from mixed rigid plastics bales the company purchases. Two additional extruders also are slated for installation in the fourth quarter at the company’s plant in California, according to a news release from Davis-Standard.

The new recycling facilities are part of ACI’s partnership with San Diego-based PreZero US Inc., the U.S.-based recycling arm of the German retailer Schwarz Group.

In addition to the South Carolina plant and the forthcoming California facility that will process plastic film scrap, ACI has operations in Arizona, Nebraska and Michigan.

“Being able to offer great products with significant environmental benefits and cost savings is increasingly important,” says Scott Melton, president of ACI Plastics. “Our process expertise combined with PreZero’s technical innovation and resources is expanding access to our services nationwide.

“In addition, we have been very diligent in our equipment selection,” he continues. Melton explains that ACI has nearly 20 years of history with Davis-Standard and its extruders. “A Davis-Standard extruder we purchased in 2000 has operated nonstop without issue.”

He adds, “We also appreciate the service provided by Gerry Sposato, our Davis-Standard representative, who has been very responsive in addressing both equipment engineering needs and price requirements.”

ACI offers size-reduction, plastic separation, paint removal, compounding, blending and logistics services for a range of automotive scrap materials, including technology for recycling multilayer automotive instrument panels and door panels. The company also supplies pellets derived from virgin materials and has a compounding capacity of more than 40 million pounds annually.

“The goal of PreZero to ‘reduce the waste of resources across the entire value chain to zero’ is an aspiration we are proud to be engaged in as we expand our capabilities,” Melton says. “We are also grateful for equipment suppliers like Davis-Standard in helping us make that happen.”