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KORN Recycling relies on the new SR3000XC to secondary shred waste materials and produce high-quality substitute fuels or “fluff” from them. The company has been working with UNTHA’s technology for many years and, during this time, has contributed to the further development of shredders through comprehensive feedback from day-to-day operations. This also reflects UNTHA’s open innovation approach: machines are not developed by the R&D team alone but always incorporate the experiences of customers and external partners.
The client
KORN Recycling GmbH is a certified waste management company headquartered in Abstatt, Germany, with seven additional locations. The company specializes in recycling and recovering waste from commercial, industrial, and residential sources. To support these operations, KORN runs one of the world’s most advanced facilities for commercial waste sorting and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) processing.
The problem
KORN has been operating a UNTHA shredder since 2018 and is therefore well acquainted with the Austrian manufacturer and its technology. When it came time to replace the shredding unit in its RDF processing line, the company once again turned to UNTHA.
KORN’s goal is to recover and return as many secondary raw materials as possible to the circular economy. The remaining material streams are converted into alternative fuels, including high-calorific fluff for the power generation and cement industries, as well as medium-calorific fuels for other industrial applications. Each year, approximately 110,000 US tons (100,000 tons) of waste are sorted and processed at the facility.
REQUIREMENTS
- Energy-efficient secondary shredding
- Maximum throughput capacity
- Consistently homogeneous output material with no oversized particles
- Maximum machine uptime and availability
- Lower operating costs and simplified maintenance
The solution
In 2026, UNTHA’s new high-performance shredder – the SR3000XC – was installed in KORN Recycling’s existing processing plant. This powerful single-shaft shredder serves as a secondary shredder to process pre-sorted material but can also be used for other material streams and output fractions.
Operating at a rotor speed of approximately 250 rpm, the SR3000XC achieves an impressive throughput of up to 15.4 US tons (14 tons) per hour while consistently producing an output size of less than 1 inch (25 mm). The shredder—and the entire processing plant—runs six days a week in a multi-shift operation, making maximum machine availability one of the key decision factors. Its robust construction ensures reliable performance under these demanding conditions.
Several technical features contribute to high user-friendliness, low operating costs (OPEX), and maximum uptime:
- A safety clutch protects the cutting unit from damage caused by foreign objects entering the system.
- A centralized lubrication system and easy maintenance access simplify servicing and reduce downtime.
- Reversible cutting plates and stator bars, each designed for four-time use, significantly lower wear part costs.
- Access to the MyUNTHA customer platform allows operators to monitor machine and process data in real time, optimize performance, improve efficiency, and reduce long-term operating costs.
The XC cutting system was specifically customized to meet KORN Recycling’s requirements. It features six rows of knives and 84 cutting tools, ensuring optimal shredding performance. Combined with a 1 inch (25 mm) perforated screen, the system produces a consistently homogeneous output material.
The cutting unit also provides efficient material feeding, eliminating the need for a beam pusher. This simplifies the machine design, reduces maintenance requirements, and further lowers operating costs.
Another key performance feature is the hopper level monitoring system. A radar sensor continuously controls material feeding via the conveyor belt, ensuring consistent loading of the shredder and maintaining high throughput and uniform shredding quality.
“We are very satisfied with the quality and performance. The throughput is high, and the quality of the resulting alternative fuel is excellent. Our customers, particularly those in the cement industry, confirm that the material meets their requirements exactly. There are no irregularities, and the quality remains consistently at a very high level.” explains Alexander Korn, Managing Partner of KORN Recycling GmbH.
Depending on the application, SR-class shredders are available with either the Power Drive or Eco Power Drive system. At KORN Recycling, the SR3000XC is equipped with the asynchronous UNTHA Power Drive, which delivers outstanding energy efficiency, requires minimal maintenance, and achieves high throughput rates through load-dependent speed control.
“In the new SR class, complex processes have been reduced to the essentials. As a result, these shredders feature a very simple yet efficient machine design, ensuring low maintenance requirements, maximum availability and peak performance.” − Christian Lanner, Head of Research & Prototyping
Post-shredding is of central importance to our overall process. Our systems are connected in series, which is why high availability is crucial. If this process step fails, the entire plant comes to a standstill. This makes stable and reliable operation even more important – and that is precisely what the UNTHA shredder guarantees: the availability of the SR3000XC is practically 100 per cent.
Alexander Korn
Managing Partner of KORN Recycling GmbH