Shredding innovation powers forward

The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) scrap recycling convention, held in the United States each spring, is one of several opportunities for global recycling equipment makers to debut their shredding and sorting innovations for the recycling market.

ISRI2019, held in Los Angeles in early April, proved no exception, with equipment makers ready to display and talk about additions to their equipment lines in the Los Angeles Convention Center ISRI exhibit hall.

Operators of shredding plants that chew through end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and other materials, as well as prospective buyers of such equipment, could take part in plenty of comparison shopping at the event.

Start to finish

Much of the equipment made by global shredding technology provider Metso is too large to bring to a convention site, but that did not stop the firm from offering video clips and other ways to display its new technology.

The company says that through its Texas Shredder and Lindemann product lines, it offers range of pre-shredders, automobile shredders, shears, balers and briquetters, with a willingness to develop custom solutions for its ferrous and nonferrous scrap processing customers.

Metso’s foremost topics of conversation at ISRI2019 included the Lindemann EtaRip, which it describes as a heavy-duty pre-shredder designed to provide greater shredder efficiencies by pre-shredding bales and ELVs. “This results in better sorting and fewer unshreddables into the main shredder, significantly reducing the risk of explosions and maximizing production output,” states Metso.

In its Texas Shredder line, Metso focused on its PS series automotive shredder for heavy-duty processes, which the company says includes “intelligent design” aspects.

Metso says the PS Series’ feed chutes are designed with replaceable chute liners and feature “state-of-the-art, heavy-duty, hydraulically driven double feed roll assemblies.” The shredding chambers in the PS series feature a removable, pinned front wall designed to provide maximum wear life and ease of maintenance.

New-generation lower bottom grates are designed for long wear life as well as optimal density and throughput, says Metso. Both open disc and “helmet spider rotor” options are available in the PS series.

All PS series ferrous downstream systems feature options for magnetic separation, with or without air assist methods. In conjunction with a water injection system, Metso says its downstreams produce “the most consistent, clean shredded products on the market.”

Primary considerations

Germany-based Hammel Recyclingtechnik has been focusing on its primary shredder models during its 2019 spring trade show season.

More than 2,000 Hammel shredders are used worldwide, according to the firm, “from Hawaii to Tasmania.” The demand for multi-functionality, mobility and higher performance “determine the present appearance of all Hammel shredders” adds the firm.

The Hammel model VB 750 DK primary shredder is equipped with a Caterpillar Inc. C13 Tier4i engine with approximately 480 horsepower. “:The bigger engine allows the machine to increase its output by more than 20 percent,” states the company.

The machine’s track system not only makes the machine appear more powerful, but it helps the shredder move on rough and difficult terrain “with ease,” says Hammel.

Because of the increased throughput of the machine, more material is discharged and a more powerful over-belt magnet has been added. The new track chain drive and the larger magnet round off the appearance of the Hammel VB 750 DK with extra power.

Multifunctional shredding shafts give customers the opportunity to process a variety of materials, says Hammel. “The same pair of multifunctional shafts can equally shred different types of materials (household, industrial, bulky waste) and wood (fresh wood and scrap wood), as well as aluminum profiles and bales, light mixed scrap and tires,” states the firm.

Finally, the discharge height of the shredder is up to 4.8 meters (15.7 feet), which facilitates higher stockpiling.

Coin of the realm

Equipment and technology provider Eriez has introduced its A.I. Sorter at ISRI2019, a camera-equipped vision sorter that can harvest coins from nonferrous mixed shredded metals, such as the zebra (high-density metals) grade.

The United States-based company says the A.I. Sorter was designed in cooperation with Texas-based research institute NanoRanch to use artificial intelligence and machine learning to sort to 95 percent or greater accuracy.

The recycling application attracting the greatest initial interest, according to Eriez CEO Tim Shuttleworth, is the identification and collection of coins, which are present in significant volumes in the auto hulks that pass through auto shredding plants.

Shuttleworth and Nalin Kumar of NanoRanch indicated, in a conversation at the ISRI2019 convention in Los Angeles, that some studies and samples show the average end-of-life vehicle in the United States may contain as much as $10 worth of coins that have settled underneath or between parts of car seats.

Shuttleworth said there are already A.I. Sorter units operating in this capacity in the U.S., and that two additional units were sold (and others quoted) on the floor of the ISRI2019 scrap recycling convention.

Kumar and Shuttleworth say other applications suitable for the A.I. Sorter  beyond the positive sort for coins includes identifying and ejecting printed circuit board (PCB) pieces from shredded scrap or identifying and ejecting ammunition shells and casings. The machine also can be taught to identify and separate wrought aluminum from cast aluminum.

The basic A.I. Sorter uses just one camera to analyze a stream of up to 1,000 pounds per hour of material. Units also can be built with two cameras to double that capacity, or with four cameras to reach a capacity of from 4,000 to 5,000 pounds per hour.

Kumar says the A.I. Sorter takes about two to four hours to learn the “basics” of what it needs to identify, and can be taught to work in more than one application. For recyclers who wish to switch between applications, Kumar says that process takes only about 45 seconds.

The A.I. Sorter is being sold globally, says Shuttleworth, and can be taught to recognize which ever coins or materials are most common in a given market.