A versatile shredder can provide significant advantages to an operator, increasing business opportunities, decreasing overall costs and ensuring that an investment is as future proof as possible.

Luke Mason

 

The waste shredding business in North America and around the world is growing and becoming more complex. There is a global trend towards producing smaller waste particle sizes, minimizing the volumes that go to landfills and to recycling as much as possible in order to extract value for purposes such as producing fuel.

 

As new business opportunities arise, material recovery and processing facilities must quickly adapt to meet the requirements of potential processed waste consumers such as waste to energy facilities, or miss out on valuable business opportunities, a situation that is leading to demand for and development of more versatile shredding systems.
The various application-specific waste shredders on the market today have been designed to meet the growing need for different waste processing applications and output particle sizing requirements. The end product of this kind of processing is particles that typically range in size from around 2” to 20”.  Being able to produce a wide spectrum of particle sizes within this range is fundamental in order to reduce the operating costs of shredding, as it typically reduces the number of capital equipment purchases required and almost invariably simplifies the processing stages/operations that are required as well.

 

Acquiring a more versatile shredding system can have a significant impact on total cost of ownership (TCO). The actual savings are directly related how many machines must be used and maintained to actually achieve the required particle size. Imagine a scenario where you are shredding material X to a uniform 2” particle size and selling it to a waste-to-energy processor. Because a constant flow of material with a specific material size is needed, many equipment manufacturers provide several different machines that work in combination to achieve the desired particle output size with varying degrees of versatility. The material is generally pre-shredded, possibly in combination with a trommel screen, then shredded with a fast speed grinder to obtain the final end product.

 

With the right machine selection, the desired output particle size can be achieved more efficiently in one process with a single versatile machine, or at the very least can reduce the number of machines required in order to achieve a desired product.  This solution can not only be significantly more cost efficient, but it is also easily scale-able to meet increased production requirements.

 

Achieving Maximum Versatility when Selecting a Shredder

The more variation in incoming waste streams that a shredder can process and the greater the variation in output particle size that a shredder can produce, the greater opportunity for taking advantage of multiple and/or future material processing opportunities. When evaluating a new shredding machine purchase, it is very important to consider the features of the machine that determine the range of particle sizes that can be produced.

  • Knives and Counter Knives: A key configuration factor is the number and type of cutting knives. Is it necessary to change the cutting knife configuration or is it universal? Does the configuration have to be specified when ordering the machine? Can the shredder both shred and cut? What wear cost can be expected and how efficient is the cutting solution when processing different materials?  How easy and how time consuming is it to change out and/or reconfigure knives and counter knives? These are vital questions from the cost point of view, since there are many technical solutions on the market. Shredders that can handle a variety of materials with the same set of knives and counter knives, mean lower shredding costs.

 

  • Screens: Screening options enhance the versatility and flexibility of the shredder. When pre-shredding or producing large particle sizes, you naturally do not need a screen at all; however, when you move to smaller sizes the integration of screens ensure that a shredder is able to produce finished cut particles to a uniform size. Ensuring that the processed waste stream is uniform helps operators to produce more marketable output material. When purchasing a shredder it is important to consider if this function is available on the shredding machine itself, or if it is a separate piece of processing equipment.

 

  • Cutting Gap: Another key function in being able to produce a range of particle sizes and achieving the greatest degree of uniformity in particle size is the ability to adjust the cutting gap. Is it simple or difficult to adjust the gap? Think about how wide a range of particle sizes for which your machine should be configured.

 

  • Rotor Speed and Torque Adjustment: As various waste streams require different torque, rotor speed and conveyor speed in order to be processed most efficiently, the ability to modify these settings is the most important factor with regards to versatility.

 

Control over your machine’s performance when processing various materials ensures that you are able to maximize the productivity of your equipment while at the same time keep fuel costs low by using only the power you need in order to achieve the desired outcome in terms of capacity and particle size. Keep in mind that fuel and energy consumption can be the biggest expense item over the machinery lifespan, so reducing consumption will have a significant impact on payback and profitability.

 

  • Load Sensing: It is essential to consider how a shredder deals with hard to shred materials, obstructions within the waste stream being processed, jams or foreign material that typically cannot be shredded, (such as large pieces of metal). This can be a considerable barrier to productivity, can cause significant equipment damage and the profitability of shredding machine operations can be greatly affected by the way such material is dealt with.

 

Does the shredder have the ability to sense obstructions? Can the load sensing be adjusted for various material streams in order to maximize efficiency? Does the rotor auto reverse to clear jams? How easy is it to remove an obstruction from the hopper? Will an obstruction damage the machine? These questions are essential when considering a machine for its versatility and can mean the difference between success and failure for an operator.

 

  • Mobility: Shredder manufacturers provide various options to meet mobility requirements. It is important to consider what solution is best for your operation while keeping in mind adaptability for potential applications that might materialize in the future. Generally three options exist: fixed shredders, trailer mounted shredders and tracked shredders. Track and trailer mounted shredders tend to be diesel powered, while the majority of fixed shredding solutions are electric. Clearly, the more mobile your shredder is, the more versatile it is.

 

Versatility is King

A versatile shredder can provide significant advantages to an operator, increasing business opportunities, decreasing overall costs and ensuring that an investment is as future proof as possible. In addition, using a single machine to achieve sizing results that were previously achieved using several different pieces of equipment in combination can significantly reduce overall costs while providing the additional benefit of ease of scale-ability.  In today’s evolving waste market, versatility is king.

 

Luke Mason is Business Development Manager for TANA North America (Lubbock, TX). Luke Mason has extensive experience marketing and selling new and used heavy equipment around the world.  Luke is the Business Development Manager for TANA North America, engaged in market development and equipment sales for TANA Oy products which include Landfill Compactors and Slow Speed Shredders. He is also the President of Mektunnel Equipment Solutions Inc. For more information, visit www.tana.fi.

 

 

 

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