Heavy Duty Screw Conveyors for Metal Recycling

General Description

To keep as much metal out of landfills as possible, metal recycling facilities separate and break down various types of metal to be reused and given new life as another product. Metal recycling facilities like Sims Metal receive metal cuttings, castings, decommissioned in-plant equipment, and defective production parts and separate the different types of metals so that it can be sold and reused in new product manufacturing. Carbon steel, stainless steel, copper, aluminum, and brass are most commonly recycled.

Material handling equipment such as belt conveyors and screw conveyors are used throughout the recycling process to transfer shredded metal to size reduction equipment or sorting areas. KWS has provided many screw conveyors to Sims Metal for conveying extremely abrasive shredded metal. Using special abrasive resistant materials in the construction of screw conveyors, KWS has reduced downtime and helped Sims Metal operate efficiently.

Design Parameters

1. Product Type: Metal Scrap
2. Material Density: 75 Lbs. per Cubic Foot
3. Capacity: 500 Cubic Feet per Hour
4. Duty: 16 Hours per Day

KWS Advantages

KWS made several site visits to Sims Metal to evaluate several screw conveyors that were a pain point for the plant. The screw conveyors were wearing out quickly and only lasting 6 weeks. Maintenance was a major problem because the conveyors were over 20 feet off the ground and difficult to access. Sims Metal was losing 6 to 8 hours of production each time a conveyor had an issue. Through an on-site visit, KWS determined that the original screw conveyors supplied by a European OEM were constructed from standard carbon steel and wearing prematurely. KWS recommended the use of AR400 abrasion resistant plate for the screw flights and AR235 for the troughs.

KWS Special Features

KWS supplied heavy-duty screws with AR400 flights mounted on heavy wall pipe. The flights were continuously welded to the center pipe on both sides for maximum strength. The replacement troughs were lined with AR235 material to drastically decrease wear and increase the lifespan of the conveyors dramatically. The increased uptime of the system saved Sims Metal thousands of dollars and improved productivity. The end result was more profitability.