Eriez celebrates milestone separator order

The Shred1 Ballistic Separator. (PHOTO: Eriez)

Unlike traditional methods, which involve polishing drums and X-ray systems, the Shred1 Ballistic Separator uses permanent magnets and ballistics to separate copper-bearing materials from shredded steel recovered by scrap drum magnets.

According to Eriez, the model represents a “new process” for separating metals and yields two distinct fractions: a high-quality low-copper ferrous product (typically containing 0.16-0.20% copper) and a traditional #2 shred.

The 50th unit was sold to North American company OmniSource, a processor and distributor of scrap and secondary metals that is owned by Steel Dynamics, Inc (SDI). 

OmniSource is said to have played a key role in the early stages of the separator’s development, by providing critical feedback through online real-time analysis of the separated metal fractions from the machine.

Commenting on the equipment purchase, Jon Kunze, Project Engineer at OmniSource, said: “We recognized that a new process was essential to achieve optimal ferrous product quality and quantity for steel mills. Relying solely on reading the chemistry levels of the product was insufficient. With the power of ballistics, we can deliver the clean shredded product we desire, regardless of changes in weather or feedstock.” 

He added that the new machine would enable OmniSource “to consistently produce a higher quality and more dependable product that SDI can confidently utilize. While shredded ferrous generated using conventional technology often exhibits significant variability in chemistry and recovery”. 

Eriez is currently anticipating “sustained and robust interest” in its Shred1 model, due to an increasing demand for low copper shred from steel mills.

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