Zato’s Blue Devil earning high marks in Chicago

One year into its operation, Frank Cozzi Jr. of Cozzi Recycling in Chicago gives the Zato Blue Devil shredder an “A-plus” grade as it has increased tons processed while helping protect the facility’s hammermill from heavies and energy releases. 

Cozzi Recycling processes a wide variety of materials, including steel busheling, machine shop turnings, cast iron, stainless steel, aluminum, copper and much more. The company has been a ferrous and nonferrous metals recycling institution in the Chicago area for eight decades with a public metal recycling center in Melrose Park, Illinois, and a full-service scrapyard in Bellwood, Illinois. 

In recent years, the company had been on the hunt for a machine that fit its price range and could shred materials such as white goods and sheet iron material to support its stationary 1,000-horsepower hammermill. After visiting some local installations, the Blue Devil quickly stood out as a shredder that could meet the venerable recycling company’s needs.

“It was a pretty quick decision, to be honest,” Cozzi Jr. says of the selection of the Blue Devil. “One person we went to see locally is someone we have a relationship with. They had all good things to say about it. It was more of a [standard] preshredder, but was more manageable in cost. … Most of the other preshredders on the market that aren’t portable would far outproduce my shredder, and the math just didn’t make sense.” 

The Blue Devil, manufactured by Italy-based Zato, turned out to be the perfect fit. Cozzi Jr. says that since its installation in Bellwood last April, it has increased the hammermill’s output by at least 25 percent. 

“The increased production has more than offset the cost of running our [hammermill] because of the increased throughput per unit,” he says. 

Constructed from high-strength steel, Zato says the Blue Devil is considered the strongest twin-shaft shredder in its class. Its low shaft speed enables high shredding torques, allowing it to handle particularly challenging materials while also minimizing dust and noise emissions. 

Additionally, the Blue Devil is designed to produce limited fines and protect hammermills from energy releases and unshreddable materials, increasing both the reliability and efficiency of hammermills and the safety of operators, while reducing current peaks in the mill.

“It does help to keep the heavies and the [energy releases] out of the shredder,” Cozzi Jr. says. “Our mill is very sensitive to the heavies, just because of its design. [The Blue Devil] has kept a lot of them out.” 

The machine’s ease of maintenance also has served Cozzi Recycling well, and Cozzi Jr. gives it an “A-plus” grade.

“Once we figured out what it can and can’t do and tested its limits—as we tend to do here—there’s been no real issues,” he says, adding that maintenance has been relatively minor outside of one scheduled blade change. 

Cozzi Recycling also has benefited from the Blue Devil’s programmable logic controller, or PLC, which is designed to integrate innovation and automation. It automatically adjusts shaft speed based on the resistance encountered during the shredding process. When the PLC detects critical conditions, such as an overload or the introduction of unshreddable material into the machine, it can slow the shaft rotation instantly to prevent damage to the blades and shaft. 

Additionally, the PLC monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) and tracks alarms and shutdowns caused by overloads, ensuring low operating costs and consistent, high performance. 

The PLC features a responsive 10-inch high-definition touchscreen, enabling direct data uploads and storage on the manufacturer’s service portal. With the help of the PLC, Zato technicians can assist plant operators and fulfill customer service requests promptly, minimizing downtime. 

When it comes to Zato’s customer service, whether from its Prevalle, Italy, headquarters or its North American base in Hebron, Kentucky, Cozzi Jr. gives it another high mark. 

“The customer service, they’re right on it,” Cozzi Jr. says. “They’ve hired some people locally [to help with service]. But even from Italy, they’re right on it. If there’s any PLC or connection issues, they’ll jump right on. We can contact them via text and they can log right on from a computer. It’s been an A-plus for that.”