Blade mill vs. hammer mill: the differences
The main difference between blade mills and bladeless mills (or hammer mills or other crushing technologies)–in the context of recycling–concerns the type of technology used to reduce the size of materials and the effectiveness in processing different types of waste. Here is an overview of the differences between the traditional process and innovations in recycling, focusing on the role of these two types of mill.
Blade mill: traditional technology
The blade mill is the technology traditionally used to process electrical cables and other plastic materials that require precise cutting.
Operation: The blade mill uses high-speed rotating blades to cut materials. These mills are ideal for shredding softer and more flexible materials. The force applied is primarily a cutting action, allowing for smaller pieces or flakes.
Advantages:
- Precise size reduction.
- Suitable for materials that do not require much energy to crush.
- Relatively low energy consumption compared to other crushing systems.
- Greater control over final size of recycled material.
Disadvantages:
- Not suitable for very hard or tough materials.
Bladeless or hammer mill: innovative technology
Bladeless mills, often called hammer mills, are a type of innovative technology in the field of processing electrical cables and other non-ferrous materials. In fact, they use the kinetic energy generated by the rotation of hammers striking the material to be crushed.
Operation: Hammer mills use hammers that strike and crush materials into smaller pieces. This process can be accompanied by particle sorting through grids of various sizes that determine the fineness of the crushed material.
Advantages:
- Suitable for a wide range of materials, including hard and tough materials such as WEEE, electronic boards, automotive waste.
- Effective for shredding complex and mixed materials.
- Suitable for large quantities of material.
- Reduced maintenance time and cost.
Disadvantages:
- More difficult to achieve uniform size of shredded material.
Key differences between blade mills and hammer mills in recycling
The main differences between blade mills and hammer mills in recycling are:
- The type of material being processed: The blade mill is more suitable for soft and flexible materials, while the hammer mill is preferred for hard or mixed materials.
- Crushing process: The blade mill uses shear, while the hammer mill uses impact.
- Efficiency and control: The blade mill offers greater precision in controlling the final size of the crushed material, while the hammer mill tends to produce a material with a less uniform size.
In summary, the innovation in recycling represented by the hammer mill is its application to a wider range of materials than the blade mill, providing greater performance and durability. The biggest advantage is the elimination of the cost and maintenance time associated with the traditional hammer mill.
MG Recycling showcased the MILL-HA 800 hammer mill prototype during the last Ecomondo exhibition in Rimini, one of the most important events for sustainability and green technologies, often featuring innovations in recycling machinery and environmental technologies.
The MILL-HA 800 is part of MG Recycling’s efforts to enhance the efficiency of recycling systems, especially in processing materials such as WEEE, circuit boards, and other heavy recyclables. The hammer mill technology is crucial for breaking down larger materials into smaller pieces, facilitating their further processing, separation, and recycling.