UNTHA secondary shredder boosts performance and availability
With the new SR3000XC, KORN Recycling GmbH is modernising its substitute fuel processing operations, prioritising high plant availability, stable throughput rates and consistently high fuel quality. The new UNTHA secondary shredder was integrated into the existing processing line within a few days and has since been reliably producing up to 14 t/h of high-quality main burner material smaller than 25 mm for the cement industry.
Leading waste management company with state-of-the-art technology
KORN Recycling GmbH, based in Albstadt, is one of Germany’s leading waste management companies. With around 220 employees, eight sites, 66 vehicles and some 5,000 containers, the company operates one of the country’s most modern sorting and alternative fuel processing plants. Annually, around 100,000 tonnes of waste are processed and converted into approximately 60,000 tonnes of alternative fuels, including high-calorific fluff for the cement industry.
Rapid replacement of a key component
As part of the modernisation of one of three secondary shredding units, KORN Recycling opted to use the new SR3000XC. Integration into the existing line was straightforward and completed within a single weekend. By the following Monday, the plant was already back in regular multi-shift operation.
The robust shredder is driven by the beltless UNTHA Power Drive with an output of 2 x 250 kW. The machine processes pre-sorted commercial and industrial waste to a particle size of 25 mm, achieving throughput rates of up to 14 tonnes per hour. The plant operates on a multi-shift basis six days a week, underlining the machine’s high performance and availability in demanding continuous operation.
A slide-gate-free design meets intelligent material handling
At the heart of the slide-gate-free secondary shredder is the XC cutting unit, featuring a rotor diameter of 1,000 mm and a working width of three metres. The large rotor ensures continuous self-feeding of the material, meaning that a hydraulic feed-pressure pusher is not required at all. This reduces the number of moving components, minimises potential sources of faults and lowers maintenance requirements.
The newly developed SR FlowGuide optimises material flow within the cutting chamber, reduces material carry-over and shortens the residence time within the shredder. This ensures that the available drive power is utilised efficiently and guarantees a continuous, stable material flow. The result is a consistently high output quality combined with high process stability and increased throughput.
The cutting unit features six rows of blades with a total of 84 strip blades. The cutting tools are designed for four-way use and help to significantly reduce the cost of wear parts as well as downtime. In combination with the large screening area and a rotor speed of around 250 rpm, the secondary shredder achieves this high throughput whilst maintaining low wear.
The direct drive also replaces the belt drive technology that is otherwise frequently used. Tasks such as belt tensioning, readjustment or belt replacement are completely eliminated. This reduces maintenance requirements, increases availability and lowers operating costs over the machine’s entire service life. A maintenance-free safety clutch reliably protects the cutting unit and drive from damage caused by foreign matter.
“What you want as an operator of an EBS plant is a stable process with high throughput, smooth operation, consistent output quality and economical running costs. And UNTHA has achieved this very well with the SR3000XC,” explains Alexander Korn, managing partner of KORN Recycling GmbH.
Development in collaboration with plant operators
Even during the development phase, UNTHA relied on close collaboration with experienced EBS processors. A workshop was held to define the key requirements for a new generation of secondary shredders.
The focus was on a slide-free machine design, a low-maintenance direct drive and a bolted wear plate on the blade holder. The aim was to create a design with as few wear-prone and high-maintenance components as possible.
“In the new SR class, complex processes have been systematically streamlined. The result is a robust and high-performance shredder with high availability and low maintenance requirements,” explains Christian Lanner, Head of Research at UNTHA shredding technology.
Focus on operational reliability and ease of maintenance
As secondary shredding represents a key process step within the entire processing chain, the development focused on operational reliability and ease of maintenance. The robust design and good accessibility of all relevant components shorten service calls and reduce unplanned downtime.
“The throughput is high and the quality of the resulting substitute fuel consistently meets our customers’ requirements at a very high standard. Our customers in the cement industry confirm that we deliver consistently high quality without any outliers. We are very satisfied with the SR3000XC,” adds Alexander Korn.
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Images for download (Reproduction for press purposes free of charge, image credit: UNTHA shredding technology GmbH) Untha Medienpool
Image 1: SR3000XR successfully in operation at Korn
Image 2: Initial material condition at Korn GmbH
Image 3: Final state: Homogeneous feed material without oversized pieces
