EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT | MAY 2026 Size Reduction Equipment

by MARY M. THORNTON
maryt@americanrecycler.com

The volume of global e-waste generated shows no sign of slowing and raw materials retrieved via recycling can take the place of virgin material that would otherwise be needed for production supply. Manufacturers have detailed below, some of the products available to aid in e-waste recycling.

Eldan Recycling A/S

The ELDAN Heavy Duty Granulator (HDG) is modified for recycling tough material, including electrical waste such as ASCR cables, low-grade cables with some impurities – as well as nonferrous metals, refrigerators, industrial waste and more. The product’s new knife system with integrated rotary knives/knife holders with a rotor provides a solid foundation for the resistance required when processing heavy objects. The knives are straight, can be used on all four sides and grind materials easily. Friction clutches protect the machine from material overload and the belt drive involved ensures a simple transmission. The HDG also processes RDF well and can produce 20 mm material size. The HDG performs well as a pre-chopper for these materials and other Cu or Al cables and can include various screen hole sizes down to 12mm and upwards, according to customer requirements.

A summary of HDG features includes: adjustable knife clearance, which optimizes the cutting function; product knives that can be reground multiple times on a “flat-bed” grinder, ensuring long life and low operation costs; the HDG design allows for the quick and easy change of knives and screens; the rotor is manufactured and designed for minimum wear with hard-face welding; screens provide different hole sizes for flexible production; five pieces of screens per set are included and interchangeable, depending on wear and exchangeable wear parts “provide operators with a virtually indestructible machine,” Carsten Nielsen, product manager, stated.

Orbcon, utilizing Prall-Tec’s shredding platform, offers multiple types of size reduction technologies based on the application involved – electronics recycling, C&D recycling, glass, incinerator bottom ash, auto shred residue and metals in general. “We offer multiple types of size reduction technologies, including impact crushers, fine grinding mills, hammermills, dual shaft shredders and balling mills. Throughputs of our products extend from 6tph up to 400tph for impact crushers that process aggregate materials,” explained Pedro Orbezo, managing director of Orbcon.

Orbezo mentioned that in order to achieve the best sorting of e-waste recyclables, employing a combination of two types of shredders is important to maximize recovery and quality of the products. “For example, for the processing of e-waste, the use of a dual shaft shredder as a primary shredding step helps us achieve a high throughput, low cost and decent liberation of electronics. Once the material has been reduced to roughly a size of 3-4in., we employ our PTV Balling Mill technology. This is a versatile shredding step that allows us to further liberate, size reduce and separate the comingled recyclables.

Orbcon

“Depending upon the configuration employed on the PTV, we are not only able to liberate comingled materials, but can also detach the insulation from the copper wires in one single step. Also, while doing so, the shape of the copper strands changes into a round and denser particle; this is crucial for further sorting steps. We see other higher-speed, more aggressive, shredding technologies that achieve similar results, however, the PTV is a high throughput, low-cost system that achieves the balling effect without compromising the recovery of metals, including precious metals, that other systems blast-off into powder.”

Orbezo commented that customers prefer high throughput, low operating cost systems – whether they are processing electronic waste, scrap metal, auto shredder residue or aggregate materials. “It is fundamentally important to process materials at high capacity, with high liberation efficiency – and with a low operating cost. The versatility of the PTV allows us to achieve all these key metrics. It can be used to process other types of mixed materials, such as handpicked wire from a ferrous stream and mixed ICW products from sensor technology and even if some stainless waste is in the mix.”

For nearly a century, Schutte Hammermill has been known for providing high quality size reduction equipment solutions. “Today, our RAS and DataKiller Pro models are state-of-the-art solutions designed to meet the rigorous demands involved in e-scrap processing, providing exceptional throughput and efficient, fast processing of large volumes of electronic scrap to below 2mm. This high-capacity production rate ensures that facilities with e-waste recycling needs can keep up with the exponential increase in material,” said Chris Berardi, president of Schutte Hammermill.

According to Berardi, the RAS and DataKiller Pro models are multi-stage combination mills – the DataKiller Pro combining an industry-leading shredder atop a dual-stage hammer mill. The RAS is a stacked, dual-stage hammer mill – constructed to ensure long-lasting performance, even under the most demanding conditions. “This durability equals lower maintenance costs and reduced downtime. These machines also deliver precise, consistent particle size reduction, which creates value in two ways: by causing the e-waste to meet regulatory/industry data destruction requirements, and by significantly enhancing downstream recovery rates of valuable metals and other materials.”

Schutte Hammermill

Through advanced technology, the RAS and DataKiller Pro “help reduce the environmental impact of e-waste while ensuring that sensitive or hazardous materials are safely handled and valuable resources are recovered, aiding sustainability. In combining long-time technical precision and cutting-edge engineering, the RAS and DataKiller Pro can be invaluable assets for recycling facilities, data centers and other end users facing the growing e-waste problem while striving for environmental sustainability,” Berardi said.

He also noted that as electronic devices become obsolete faster, it causes an increase in the challenges with electronics disposal. This trend necessitates advanced recycling solutions that can handle the intricate mix of metals, plastics and hazardous materials found in e-waste. Schutte Hammermill, with a reputation for manufacturing robust and reliable size reduction equipment, is ready to meet these challenges, head-on.

Published in the May 2026 Edition of American Recycler News