But when the use of the plastic item is over, it’s often just thrown into the pile of garbage to be disposed or processed. The processing of the original components into consumer plastics and the recycling processes of plastics is not understood by most consumers.

However, there are responsible and innovative industrial companies recycle discarded plastic into a reusable form such as plastic granules, pellets, plastic flakes, or powder.

Industrial Shredders

Most consumers are aware that plastics are not biodegradable, and that there are great economic and environmental incentives to recycle consumer plastics. This can only be achieved in a profitable manner with high volumes of consumer plastics and a properly designed plastic shredder system.

For initial processing of large plastic items, industrial plastic shredders with low speed, high torque shear blades are used. Finer processing, or processing of lighter plastic materials are accomplished with high speed grinders. The shredder knives in each machine manufactured from high alloy steel that has been overlaid with hard face weld material, or heat treated to achieve higher hardness and wear characteristics. Industrial plastic shredders have different number of hooks and blade thickness for the different types of plastic to be shredded.

There are various cutting chambers with different powered motors with counter rotating shafts turning at different speeds to perform effective cutting actions.

Besides shredding plastics, other types of materials can also be shredded such as tire, vinyl, PVC, glass, wood, steel, aluminum, carpet and textiles.

A plastic shredder feeds initial scrap transformed into uniform strips before passing them on to high speed grinders via conveyor belts to be reduced to crumbs, pellets, chips, powdered particles and beads.

Complementary Plastic Shredding Solutions

The right plastic shredder is essential in shredding the different types of plastic which could come in different thickness and forms. Besides using plastic shredders to recycle plastic components, there is a need to use a grinder or a granulator that can reduce the particle size to a more desirable size. The recommend shredder for these types of systems are the twin-shaft plastic shredders series from Jordan Reduction Solutions.

Every system that is utilized with plastic shredders has a specific role and function. Each system has been designed to be effective in its task through a programmable PLC. Hence, the product flow is well managed with a good system monitoring executed.

There are many plastic shredder models which will work efficiently in conjunction to the other complementary shredding solutions depending on several factors such as plastic thickness and quantity.

Shredders and Recycled Products

It is now possible to recycle plastic of all kinds, size and shapes to another useful form with the plastic shredders that come with progressive technology. Plastic components today can be recycled easily using the progressive plastic shredders for consumers as well as for further manufacturing processes.

Plastic is found in many components that contain HDPE, PVC, LDPE and PET compounds. The world is being infiltrated with more forms of plastic today than the last decade. Plastic is available in all sorts of forms, shapes, sizes in bottles, containers, scraps, trays and purgings.

The only solution to plastic is to recycle it as it is a non-biodegradable product. This is where plastic shredders come onto the scene.

Plastic shredders are capable of crushing and recycling small PET bottles, vinyl, PVC, long strips and many other types of components besides plastic containers. When these components are reduced to manageable sizes, these materials can be reused in other manufacturing processes. This becomes part of the progressive reclamation process with recycling.

Today, almost all plastic scraps, products or components can be turned into another form of valuable commodity using plastic shredders.

Shredder System Design

Plastic shredders are gaining momentum in the manufacturing industry as their advantages produce the desired results at an economical cost. Plastic shredders are found to be versatile as they can come with dual hex shafts, easy reconfigured knife designs and easily installed bed screens for the desired output.

Quality industrial plastic shredders keep improving in their designs and functions to satisfy the growing needs and demands of recyclers, extruders and plastic processors; hence, better results are produced with regards to plastics and other components that can be worked on by plastic shredders.

There are many forms and sizes of plastic shredders; hand-fed small plastic shredders for small operations to totally engineered plastic shredders for the complete works of shredding. There are customized plastic shredders which can be ordered for specific shredding needs depending on the application. Heavier plastic shredders systems can handle plastic components all the way to a a few hundred pounds.

Plastic shredders need not be expensive if the right machine is chosen for the right task. The right output would give the right returns which would lower the cost to make the plastic shredders affordable and economical.

For the best outcome in you plastic shredding systems, choose a professionally designed system from Jordan Reduction Solutions.

Granulator Background

With that in mind, to understand what a true granulator (or granulating process) is, we need to take into account the definition of the word.  Originally, to granulate something was to turn a larger component into a “grain”.  Thus the name Granulator was given to any equipment that could take a larger component and reduce it to a grain sized output; perhaps on the level of corn meal or below.  Sadly for those who have size reduction needs, the fact that the word has been attached to equipment other than granulators has greatly confused its usage and likely caused many to purchase equipment that simply is not capable of optimal production for a granulation process. Granted, the ability of any machine to produce a specific output is based on the material being reduced, it remains that granulators have a very specific purpose and place that no other machine can compete with.

So, how do we define a Granulator in today’s size reduction market?  

Granulators Defined

Simply put, a Granulator is a high speed, normally open rotor knife mill designed to take larger components of feed stock (such as plastics, bottles, organics, etc…) and reduce them to a particle size of approximately 40 mesh to 1/8” chip. And while many granulators are used for processing of material outputs of greater than 1/8”, it still remains that their primary place is in the reduction to the finer grains.

While that may be an overly simplistic definition, it does comprise the most common usage of equipment.  And it should also be noted that other styles do exist, such as closed rotor designs, higher production models and really, a multitude of similarly designed rotors, however; even with these options which are often to facilitate differing feed stocks – the output of a granulator still remains close to the same sizing. 

Make the Right Choice

Confused about your application?  At Jordan Reduction Solutions, we manufacture Granulators, Shredders and Grinders – and the output of each differs substantially.  Therefore, if you’re not certain of exactly what your equipment needs are, contact our engineers and they can quickly assess your needs and help you determine if a granulator is right for you.

In regard to the term Hog Mill, specifically those manufactured by Jordan Reduction Solutions, they came by their name in a very original and legitimate fashion.  The units were first created and released on the market in the early 1900’s, with patents dating back to 1925. The name Hog Mill came from the primary application for which they where designed; grinding and milling Hogs… yep, the kind that go “oink”.  Designed originally for the rendering and tallow industries, the Hog Mill was a versatile and essential part of many rendering plants in the early to mid 1900’s to reduce their cooking times in the preparation of large meats, carcasses, etc…  But the versatility of the machine could not keep it strictly in the rendering industry and enhancements to the design expanded the grinders into a vast array of other industries and materials.  But, the name stuck – and rightfully so.

As the use of the grinder (Hog Mill) began to expand into these other industries, the nature of the machine began to prove itself to be an awesome power in grinding nearly anything that was put into it – further cementing the name Hog Mill; but this time from a different perspective.  The machine that first got its name from grinding hogs soon became more known for its ability to act like one – eating (grinding) almost anything that it could get in its mouth.

As the models have evolved, the “Hog” designation has hung on, but the scope of materials successfully ground by these machines has expanded far beyond their beginnings to materials such as rubber, plastic, organics, biological, textile, non-ferrous metals and others which are too numerous to name here.  The original design of the rotor proved to be the key in the versatility of the unit.  Designed to be moisture tolerant and operate in an abusive atmosphere, the Hog Mill Grinders produced by Jordan Reduction Solutions continue to grind materials that will simply shut other grinders down, earning and living up to its 100 year old name; Hog Mill.

Today’s version of the Hog Mill is not too different in design from the original version produced and marketed as early as 1906.  However; some subtle changes have been made, not the least of which is to make the unit much more user friendly.  By doing so, the ability to maintain these machines; quickly change out screen sizes and access needed cutting areas, has become much more simplistic while maintaining its tough, robust and almost indestructible design.  And they go by different names also.  Jordan Reduction Solutions now produces multiple varieties of this reliable machine such as; Rubber Bale Hogs, Carpet and Textile Grinders, Organics and Biological Materials Grinders, Plastics Grinders and many more set up for specific and demanding applications – still performing to the same high standard set forth in the original design.  That being to provide a piece of equipment that will not only get the job done; but keep doing it year after year.

Often, the terms grinder, shredder, and granulator are used interchangeably. So what is the difference and why does it matter?  Perhaps the best way to approach this is to answer the “why does it matter?” question first.  Buying a shredder when you really needed a grinder, or visa-versa, could cost you thousands of dollars in the purchase of a machine that just will not work for your application, or will not provide the production rates that your processing requires. Machines that perform size reduction processes can cost tens of thousands of dollars. There’s no room for mistakes. An expert analysis of your application can save you thousands on equipment costs by helping you select the right piece of equipment.  With that in mind, let’s help you determine what you really need.

The full answer to this question is a bit more involved, but it basically depends on two factors; 1) what is the material you need to reduce and 2) what kind (size) of end product do you require?  These two factors will determine whether your money is best invested in a shredder, a grinder, or a granulator – or perhaps even a combination of two or more machines.  The only way to make this determination is to analyze the material you need to reduce.  You can speak with an experienced applications engineer at Jordan Reduction Solutions to begin the decision making process.  They have over 150 years of application experience in the installation of various type machines for diverse applications.

Let’s start with your material…  Is it plastic, paper, rubber, PVC, MSW, C&D, medical waste, or something else?  Next, determine what you want to do with it.  Do you need it reduced to larger pieces, say 2” in size or do you need it reduced to something smaller; lets say – 3/8” or smaller.  Those are the primary questions you will need to answer to determine the machine you will need.  However; with a few simple guidelines, you should be able to determine it from the following:

Shredding

So, you think you may need a “shredder” – but what does shredding actually do.  Shredding is normally carried out in a machine that is “low speed and high torque”.  A shredder is designed to take large components and shred them down to random, smaller components – normally in the range of 1” – 2” and larger.  Most often, a shredder is selected if you want to do any of the following:

• Reduce a product down for compacting of space in haul off applications to a landfill.
• Reduction of items such as tires to larger chips for fuel, drain fill, etc…
• The reduction of paper or confidential documents to pieces unrecognizable in regard to their former condition.
• Reduction of plastics for washing
• Destruction of product of liability issues
• Or the preparation of the product for another application.

The above is not all inclusive of course, but it does comprise the most common applications for shredding.  Jordan Reduction Solutions has some very good video on their website that illustrates just what a shredder can do for you. You can see more technical information about various shredder machines and processes on the Industrial Shredder page. And, you can see the shredder video pages to see them in action on various products.

Grinding

While we often interchange the terms “shredding” and “grinding“, the actual process and the end product yielded, could not be further apart.  Grinding, most simplistically stated, is the shaving, chipping or “grinding” of small pieces off of a larger piece.  Or in the case of size reduction, grinding off small pieces until the original part is in thousands of smaller consistent chips, usually less than 1/4″ to 1/2”.  You can see the various grinder machines manufactured by Jordan Reduction Solutions on the Product Grinder web page. So, what applications are best for grinding?  There are many…

• Grinding large rejected parts back to smaller chips that can then be recycled into making more parts.
• Reducing larger raw materials to chips that can be mixed with other compounds to make new components.
• Reducing organic materials for bio-fuels production.
• Grinding carpet and other textiles for fiber reclamation.

Essentially, grinding is an application used to take any larger raw or rejected material and process it in the grinder to obtain a small enough particle, chip or fiber suitable for the manufacturing of other components parts.  The best example being to grind a raw or rejected piece of rubber or plastic so it can be used to make things like bottles, tires, or those neat storage bins we all have in the garage.  To get a better idea of how a grinder works, check out the grinder videos to see a rubber grinder and plastic grinder in action.

Granulating

Granulators are perhaps the most commonly confused machines with grinders, as they essentially do the same thing; they take larger components and make them smaller. Perhaps the best way to know if you need a granulator is to determine how small you want your discharged component to be.  Granulators have the ability to reduce certain materials to a much smaller particle size than a grinder. The reason for this is that a granulator differs in design significantly from a grinder in the following ways:

• Most all granulators have an “open rotor” design.  This means that there is a great deal of air space around the rotor for product agitation and cooling.  The open rotor allows for better processing of lighter materials that would not be well suited for a closed rotor design.
• Many Grinders on the other hand, especially the type of grinders offered by Jordan Reduction Solutions, have closed rotor designs.  Meaning the rotor is closed, high speed and very tight tolerances.  These type rotors leave little room for the product being process to go anywhere other than across the cutting edges.

There are advantages to both designs mentioned above, but simply put; each design is more applicable to specific products.

• A granulator, with an open rotor type design, is normally more applicable in taking small components in the ½” to 6” or 8” sizes and reducing them to much smaller chips than a grinder would be used to do.  Often in the range of producing 5/16” flake to even powders.
• Granulators are often used as an after process for materials that have been size reduced previously.
• Granulators are well suited for lighter materials such as plastic bottles which do not grind well in a closed rotor design unit.

Final Comments

All of this is a large amount of information to consider when selecting the proper machine for your size reduction needs.  And often, so many products can cross over from one machine to the next.  In considering your needs, the best way to determine your needs is to answer the following questions:

• What material am I trying to reduce?
• What is the size of the material that will be fed into the size reduction unit?
• How much per hour will I need to do?
• How small do I want the final product to be?

So, grinder vs shredder vs granulator? Once you have answered these questions, application engineers who are experienced in size reduction of materials, such as those at Jordan Reduction Solutions, can help you determine the correct answer.

photo by Alessio Cuccu

Have you ever wondered what happens to that water bottle you’re throwing away? True, some of them will end up in a landfill but in many cases, it will never reach the landfill. Rather it will be separated from the rest of your trash and sent on its way to another purpose; perhaps a surprising purpose. In fact, it is a good possibility that the carpet you walk on, the sweater you’re wearing, the bag you take to the grocery store and a host of other products, just may have once been those plastic bottles you threw away last year.

Water, soda, dish washing liquid and various other plastic bottles we all use on a daily basis are made from a plastic compound called Polyethylene Teraphthalate; or PET. And all such PET bottles have a multitude of uses that many do not realize. However, before any of those other products can be manufactured from our discarded bottles, they must go through an elaborate process of sorting, washing, shredding, washing again in some cases, drying and granulating. And there are numerous methods to process the plastic based largely on the facility doing the processing.

A typical process to reclaim discarded bottles would be first to sort them based on color and sometimes on size. Once sorted, they need to be washed, however; washing them while in one piece is not the most advantageous method. Therefore, to facilitate the washing process, the bottles are likely shred into smaller pieces. A number of plastic shredders and plastic grinders can be used to do the job, such as those manufactured by Jordan Reduction Solutions. They make a wide variety of shredders to break down whole plastic and PET containers into smaller sizes that can then be sent to a wash station. Check out some of the videos on plastic shredding.

Once the bottles have been shred down to a size suitable for washing, they are still not yet suitable for processing into other goods. After shredding, the PET chips have to be washed to remove residue, labels and other contaminants. Once clean the PET chips are then ready for reducing to smaller particles called flake. Flake is normally produced in another size reduction machine called a granulator. A granulator is significantly different than a shredder. A shredder runs at a slow speed and is designed to produce a chip of various irregular sizes suitable to be washed. The granulator is a higher speed machine designed to produce a flake of specific size suitable for recycling into many of the products listed above. Here’s a good example of the type of granulator used in this application.

After the final granulation process the material may once again be washed and dried, however; at this point, it is ready for its semi-final destination. That destination being hundreds of manufacturers ready to receive the flake and turn it into the thousands of recycled products we use every day.

In order to create more dynamic content on our site we’ve added the WordPress blogging engine, so stay tuned for helpful articles and information related to shredding and grinding processes and the equipment offered by Jordan Reduction Solutions to perform these services. Articles will cover basic plastic grinding, rubber grinding, and our specialty shredder machines. Also, you can find some interesting and technical information on tire shredding using our PT-6000 Tire Shredders.