Alligator shear cuts oversized objects into more manageable pieces as an initial size reduction step before material is run through smaller, less costly shredders
Recycling oversized scrap or defective plastic products such as garbage cans, storage bins, or wash tubs can be challenging to both processors and OEMs. Since shredders are designed for specific material types and sizes, their cost correlates not only with their power but also with the maximum size of material to be shredded. So, when shredding oversized plastic scrap or defective product is necessary, an initial size reduction step with a separate shear system is often the solution. The concept is simple: reduce the material to a more manageable size, and then process it through more affordable, small and midsized shredders. This lowers operating costs and eliminates the need to transport bulky or long items intact to other locations for shredding.
To this end, portable, gas-powered, hydraulic alligator shears have been developed that can quickly cut oversized plastic items into smaller pieces so they can be shredded, reused for production, or hauled away to landfills.
Alligator shears are critical tools to have on hand when the size, shape, or composition of a material requires initial size reduction before shredding. As a type of shearing machine, alligator shears are characterized by the hinged opening of the cutting blades which creates a tight shear action when hydraulically closed.
Although alligator shears are well established in the recycling industry, most are stationary. When designed to be portable, however, alligator shears can be towed to any site for initial size reduction, so material does not have to be transported elsewhere for that step.
“A portable platform allows the initial size reduction to be performed onsite, instead of first transporting the oversize material to a stationary shear located elsewhere, and then possibly having to transport it again for final shredding,” says John Neuens, Industrial Consultant for Milwaukee, Wisconsin based BCA Industries, which designs and develops a wide variety of professional recycling equipment and accessories.
According to Neuens, one major application for alligator shears is reducing large plastic garbage cans, storage bins, and wash tubs for residential or commercial use. Recyclers and OEMs can avoid processing such objects if they are too large to shred. In doing so, however, they miss out on a profitable source of income or a raw material that can even be reclaimed for production.
“When recyclers cannot shred the largest plastic objects, they shy away from what can be a lucrative revenue source,” says Neuens. “Since many plastic items are too large to be cost effectively transported, portable equipment can cut it down to size onsite so it can be processed by a more affordable sized shredder.”
Understanding the gap in market offerings, Neuens’ company developed a product that facilitates reducing the size of oversized plastic materials before shredding. The result is BCA’s new portable PGS100 hydraulic shear, which enables processors to shear any plastic object up to 48” in diameter. Tires and other materials of a similar size can also be reduced before shredding.
“There was a need for a large portable alligator shear in the market, so we designed and manufactured a lightweight, towable system at the request of some of our recycling and OEM customers,” says Neuens. He notes that processors have already purchased two systems, and more are being built to meet demand.
For recycling, the unit’s 26.5 HP hydraulic drive provides the power to automatically lift large or bulky plastic objects onto a mobile platform and shear them into more manageable sized pieces. This enables easy shearing with minimal lifting and/or manual handling.
“When you are dealing with heavy or bulky plastic objects, you need the equipment to lift it onto the platform before it is sheared,” says Neuens.
The gas-powered, portable shear needs only one person to operate it, freeing recycling staff to tend to other tasks. To increase safety, the shear requires the use of two hands, ensuring the equipment activates only when the operator is ready. “With two-handed control, recyclers eliminate the possibility of the operator getting a hand in the way since it cannot be actuated with one hand,” says Neuens.
Besides plastic, the alligator shear can be used to cut to size a wide variety of materials that must be divided into pieces before being fed into a shredder.
“The shear is designed to be versatile so can be used on anything like tires, building materials, sheet metal, and wood items that need to be cut before being shredded or further processed,” says Neuens. “The idea is to broaden the range of materials that recyclers or OEMs can profitably process into saleable scrap.”
According to Neuens, the alligator shear completes BCA’s line of recycling and processing products that reduce the size of materials into salable scrap from start to finish. This includes portable alligator shears, stationary/portable shredders, portable sidewall removers, tread cutters, conveyors, magnetic separators, and vibratory, disc or trommel screens.
For more information: call 414-353-1002; fax 414-353-1003; email [email protected]; visit www.bca-industries.com; or write to BCA Industries, 4330 W. Green Tree Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53223.