Why we recommend a shredder in front of a plastic recycling extruder
Advantages of a pre-shredding materials before extrusion
Plastic recyclers worldwide use a single-stage or two-stage size reduction system before material is fed into an extruder. This is not only beneficial for the capacity of the entire recycling line. Using a shredder reduces wear and power consumptions of the extruder and provides operators with much more flexibility when it comes input materials (e.g. changing from lumps to plastic films or fibers).
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In a nutshell: That's why you need a shredder in front of your extrusion machine:
- Capacity of extruder is increased by up to 15-20 %
- Reduction of electric consumption and wear on extrusion machine
- Less manual labor, more flexibility
- Easy material feeding
- Flexible use of shredder for different applications (e.g. bulky materials)
WEIMA plastic film shredder and extrusion system by EREMA
Single-shaft shredder and extrusion system recycle plastic film in Mexico
WEIMA W5 plastic shredder with EREMA extrusion line
WEIMA S7 series shreddder with hydraulic drive and EREMA extruder
WEIMA WLK 1500 shredder feeding an extruder
Plastic recycling loop
Secondary plastic raw material
WEIMA shredder feeding an Erema extrusion system via conveyor belt
A perfect match: WEIMA shredder before extrusion machine
Extrusion made easy with a WEIMA shredder
Automotive carpet recycling shredding before extrusion
Production waste recycling with shredder and extrusion
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Reduced PCU cutting
With a shredder, the Preconditioning Unit (PCU) has significantly less work to do und thus works more stable.
Stable means less temperature variation in the PCU, which results to consistently high feeding/filling ratio of the extruder screw.
Less cutting in the PCU = Longer Lifetime of the PCU knives = Less downtime for changing knives and less costs.
Fiberon plastic recycling line with WEIMA shredder
Sample calculation. Let's do the maths!
Average extruder capacity without shredder: 1,000 kg/hr
Average extruder capacity WITH shredder: at least 1,200 kg/hr
8,000 hours/year x 1,200 kg = 1,600 additional tons/year!
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Less manual labor to feed the extruder. More flexibility for the operator.
You can use the hopper of the shredder as a buffer. Gives the operator the possibility to feed the hopper infrequently with big quantities of material and let the automatic Stop/Start system automatically feed the downstream extruder. This avoids the need of a second full-time operator (necessary for machines with throughput over 350 kg/h) who feeds the material homogenously on the conveyor belt of the extruder, which in this case is necessary to achieve stable PCU process.
Also, feeding of bulky material is easier. Feeding is possible by forklift, wheel loader, feeding conveyor or manually. The WEIMA discharge conveyor can be equipped with magnet roll to remove small FE particles automatically before EREMA metal detector.
Erema extrusion line at Expert Recycling
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Recycling starts with us. Plastic shredding with WEIMA
WEIMA delivers over 1,000 machines per year. Many of them are used for inhouse recycling, post-consumer and post-industrial plastic waste recycling. You can find an excerpt of current reference projects here:
Veolia Aufderhaar Plastics Recycling, Netherlands
CeDo Recycling, Netherlands
Stiphout Plastics, Netherlands
Remondis Sweden, Sweden
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Did you know?
Putting a shredder before a recycling extruder (like EREMA or GAMMA MECHANICA) can lead to a capacity increase of 15-20 % for the recycling extruder.
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Avoiding the risks of foreign objects
The robust design of WEIMA shredders makes them less sensitive to metal contamination in comparison with an extrusion line and of course easier/cheaper to repair in case of foreign objects entering the cutting chamber. Furthermore, the discharge conveyor can be equipped with magnet roll to remove small FE particles automatically before EREMA metal detector.
The flexible use of shredders for different applications (e.g. bulky materials, lumps, films, rigid plastics) gives recyclers a lot of flexibility and more possibilities regarding input materials.
Request your plastic recycling shredding system.
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References worldwide.
These companies make use of a WEIMA shredding system in front of their extrusion line:
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Healix, Netherlands
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DIAXON, Greece
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Thrace, Greece
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Fiberon, USA
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True Plastics, USA
Request the right shredder for your extruder.
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Palmetto Synthetics, USA
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Halyard Health, USA
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Romcarbon, Romania
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This combo is only available at WEIMA
Heavy duty machine designs
for long service life
Easy maintenance
for minimal down times
Various drive options
for maximum throughput
Fast service and support
for highest customer satisfaction
Everything from one source
machines, conveying technology, metal detection, support, spare and wear parts for customized solutions
WEIMA headquarters Ilsfeld (Germany)
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Convince yourself
The WEIMA showroom is equipped with shredding and compacting machines of all sizes and technologies. This allows us to simulate your application as realistically as possible. You have the possibility to send us your material or to visit us directly in Ilsfeld. From our gallery you have the best view directly into the cutting room. This allows you to observe the shredding process live.
Request appointment now
Alternatively, you can send us material for testing. Click here for the form.
WEIMA PowerLine 3000 waste shredder
