A bespoke system solution with sophisticated discharge conveyor technology for a reliable material flow
Reliably shredding bulky wood waste whilst saving energy: the South Tyrolean solid wood panel manufacturer Nordpan has opted for a UNTHA LR1400. The robust single-shaft shredder processes around 60 srm of residual wood per week and replaces a chipper that was too small for the job. Thanks to its autonomous operation, Nordpan can process the wood waste it generates efficiently and with minimal staff input into high-quality fuel.
Smart system solutions for the timber industry
The production of solid wood panels regularly generates wood waste such as wood slats, strips and small offcuts. In total, Nordpan processes around 60 srm of residual wood per week. The dimensions of the materials vary considerably – there are no foreign materials in the material stream.
Before purchasing the UNTHA LR1400, processing the wood offcuts – some of which were very bulky – posed a challenge. The previous solution was not optimally designed for the material, which repeatedly led to blockages and jams. This impaired material throughput and resulted in comparatively high energy consumption.
Nordpan GmbH opts for UNTHA’s system solution
With the UNTHA LR1400, Nordpan has found a shredding solution that is specifically suited to processing residual wood, some of which is very bulky. Key factors in the decision included the large working width, the compact design and the low energy consumption. The complex requirements for the discharge conveyor technology, which called for a bespoke system solution, also played a particularly important role.
The combination of shredding and bespoke discharge conveyor technology ensures that the material is reliably discharged and efficiently transported onwards. The components, which are optimally coordinated with one another, ensure a smooth flow of material, reduce the risk of material jams and support continuous plant operation. The system solution thus offers a reliable and space-saving way to efficiently process even bulky wood waste and to integrate the entire process optimally into existing operational workflows. The plant is complemented by a top-loading hopper with a 6 m³ capacity, specially designed for wheel loader feeding. This allows the hopper to be loaded with two full bucketfuls from a wheel loader.
Nordpan first became aware of UNTHA through other companies within the Rubner Group, where several UNTHA machines are already in use. The positive experiences and the opportunity to inspect existing plants and assess their performance were ultimately the deciding factors in the decision to invest in the LR1400.
Autonomous wood waste recycling with the UNTHA LR1400
The UNTHA LR1400 is designed for efficient feeding by a wheel loader. A wheel loader bucket with a volume of at least 3 m³ and a width of 3 m. The hopper, specially designed for wheel loader feeding, has a capacity of 6 m³ and can therefore hold two full bucket loads. The shredder runs for around three hours a day. Once fed, the LR1400 operates autonomously, so no constant supervision by a member of staff is required.
Around 60 srm of wood waste per week is reliably shredded in this way. The wood chips produced are then transported by lorry to nearby district heating plants, where they are used as fuel.
Thanks to the LR1400’s appropriate sizing, even the occasionally bulky wooden slats can be processed without any problems. At the same time, the low energy consumption ensures efficient operation.
“The project at Nordpan demonstrates how bespoke system solutions make residual wood recycling more efficient. From planning through to implementation, the entire plant was optimally tailored to the customer’s requirements – including bespoke discharge conveyor technology for a smooth flow of material. The result is a reliable, fully automatic solution that requires virtually no manual intervention and closes the material cycle,” emphasises Georg Ramsauer, Sales & Business Development at UNTHA.
The customer also draws a positive conclusion: “The LR1400 runs autonomously at our site. We can simply feed in our material and do not need to have a member of staff constantly monitoring the machine. The processing works particularly well with our bulky wooden strips. Another key component of the solution is the bespoke discharge conveyor system, which is optimally tailored to our requirements and ensures reliable material transport. At the same time, energy consumption is low,” says Erwin Brunner, Technical Purchaser at Nordpan GmbH.
Images available for download (reproduction for press purposes free of charge, image credit: UNTHA shredding technology GmbH) https://untha.canto.de/b/HV6R6
Image 1: Georg Ramsauer (UNTHA) and Erwin Brunner (Nordpan GmbH) in front of the UNTHA LR1400
Image 2: LR1400: High-Performance Single-Shaft Shredder for Residual wood
Image 3: LR1400: fed by a wheel loader
