Vecoplan opens lab for testing shredder capability on wide range of recyclable materials

Vecoplan recently announced the opening of a new state-of-the-art test lab. An integral part of Vecoplan’s continuing expansion, the lab serves two functions vital to Vecoplan’s long-term goals. 

“First it provides a practical hands-on environment to test the feasibility and ensure the quality of our R&D efforts,” states Gary Kolbet, VP Engineering at Vecoplan, LLC. “But just as important, the test lab is set up to provide real world conditions in which customers can view their own waste materials being processed - from feeding, through shredding and discharge/separation” adds Bob Gilmore, Vecoplan’s CSO.

The new test lab contains a representative selection of four of Vecoplan’s most popular shredders and a plastics granulator. The lab is also configured with an open slot to allow for the installation of other machines on an as-needed basis. One of the semi-permanent machines is horizontally fed and four are vertically fed via hoppers. The horizontal shredder, a VTH-VU, is equipped with a vibration feed conveyor and pneumatic discharge system.

The hopper-feed shredders include a VAZ 1600 M XL T, a V-ECO 1300, and a VAZ 1300 M NewGen. Carefully selected to demonstrate a range of feed opening sizes, horse-power drive options, and material shredding capabilities – including plastics, paper, cardboard, wood, MSW, and general waste, specific shredders also feature patented Vecoplan innovations such as the SureCut Film & Fiber shredding system and the energy saving HiTorc electromagnetic drive technology. Auxiliaries complementing these hopper feed shredders include a portable box dumper and inclined feed conveyor system, a VFB 650 F3 modular belt conveyor, a multi-station KKF paddle-chain conveyor equipped with a rotary drum magnet for ferrous metals separation, a bypass gate for materials discharge, and a complete dust collection system. Control panels for each machine, like the shredders they operate, represent Vecoplan’s range of control package options.

Other amenities in the lab include customer-viewing stations with built-in windows, located at key processing points on each shredder. Cameras positioned above each shredder’s hopper provide live video feeds of materials as they are being processed in the cutting chamber. Video can be viewed on the lab’s LCD monitor and recorded for the customer on USBs, DVDs or CDs.

According to Len Beusse, COO of Vecoplan, LLC “the decision to invest in a test lab of this caliber was based on customers’ desire for precise size reduction solutions involving direct testing of their exact materials and demonstration of the exact shredder models they are purchasing”.

VECOPLAN is a leading manufacturer of advanced industrial grinding, shredding and size reduction equipment. VECOPLAN shredding and recycling equipment is the preferred choice for most industrial applications in the woodworking industries, plastics processing and recycling industries, printing and converting industries, secure destruction industry, general waste processing, alternative fuels and recovery industries.