Improving Shredder Performance Now and In the Future

1. Improving Shredder Performance Now and In the Future Scott Newell Chairman

3. Welcome • I am Scott Newell, Chairman of The Shredder Company, and proud son of the man who invented the first practical shredder with a limited feed and top discharge features. • This machine became the standard around the world and at The Shredder Company we continue to try to make improvements to shredding equipment and shredding processes.

4. I have been making speeches on this subject of shredder improvements for almost 50 years and each year I solemnly announce that the past year has seen tremendous improvements in shredding. • Almost always, I feel that we might have come about as far as possible during the past period. • Well, I am here today to say that the long evolutionary process has continued and there have been improvements to shredding again!

5. I believe that we are all here because we want for our scrap processing plants to be run better. • There is something in the human spirit that always wants to improve. • It feels good and it is satisfying to know that there is improvement. • This session will explore some practical ways in which we can try to achieve that goal.

6. My friend, Tim Shuttleworth of Eriez, reminded us last year that Peter Drucker, the famous management expert, once said, “That which gets measured gets improved”. • I have thought of that many times during this year while we have been improving our Smart Shredding System (SSS) software. We measure everything that we can imagine in the shredding process and then we compare the data. The result is that it is possible to continue to make improvements.

7. Lessons learned this year! • 1. What gets measured, gets improved. • 2. Value of one minute’s operation of the shredder. • 3. Metal Loss Monitor measures losses and send signals to a totalizer. • 4. 3 Pass ECM system creates significantly more value. • 5. Broken Window Syndrome • 6. Improvements to the Smart Shredding System (SSS).

8. Value of One Minute • We will use an illustration of a shredder using some round numbers so that it is possible to do a bunch of these calculations in your head. • Assume that the shredder producing 100 tons per hour and that the gross margin is $100 per ton and that the nonferrous metal recovered is worth $50 per ton of steel scrap shredded. The real value of nonferrous recovered is in the range of $50 to $120 per ton of steel shredded but we will use $50 for this calculation.

9. $100 * 100 plus $50 * 100 = $15,000 divided by 60 minutes = $250 per minute or about $4 per second! • Therefore if you are running 50 tons per hour, then the value of one minute would be $125 per minute and so forth. • Of course, there are many extenuating circumstances, such as do you have enough scrap to run, etc. etc. but the important and eye opening fact is that when the shredder is not producing, there is a huge loss of potential income.

10. Broken Window Syndrome • This is something that I learned during the problems in Ferguson, Mo. Reference was made to why NYC had reduced its crime rate by paying attention to neighborhoods with broken windows. The statement made was that when there are broken windows present, people do not respect the area and are much more likely to throw trash on the ground. Broken windows lead to chaos.

11. In a plant of any kind, when things are out of place or broken, there is what we now call, “The Broken Window Syndrome”. • After we recognized this, we went through the plant taking photos of this syndrome and we cleaned up our plant and made sure that people respect the cleanliness and the orderliness of making sure that everything is put into the proper places. • It has resulted in more respect and more effeciency.

12. Metal Loss Monitor • The Metal Loss Monitor (MLM) is a device invented by Eriez Magnetics and it is placed on a waste stream conveyor. • It’s sensitivity is adjustable so that different sizes of metal can be detected depending upon the wishes of management. • It counts the number of “hits” of metal passing along with the waste material. There will always be some “hits” but when the total number passes a given threshold an alarm is sounded.

13. This allows the operator to be alerted that there is some type of upset condition. • We all know that separation devices tend to get out of adjustment and this device sends a signal that it is time to investigate. • The savings for quick fixes is significant. If an adjustment can be made that rectifies a problem within minutes rather than hours or even days, the benefits are great.

14. Eriez Metal Loss Monitor

15. 3 Pass ECM System • The most important consideration in designing and operating MRP facilities is to recover all of the available value. Most plants lose far too much metal throughout the process. • Again, the primary design criteria should be recovery of value as opposed to trying to optimize tons per hour or to lower initial investment. Tons per hour and investment do not matter much if significant value is being lost.

16. 3 Pass ECM SystemRCS System Rougher Cleaner Scavenger

18. Smart Shredding Systems(SSS) • SSS does two things • It controls the feeding function • It provides management data to guide continuous improvement

19. Typical Operators Control Station

20. Smart Shredding System Touch Screen Monitor

21. SSS • The SSS controls the feed roller speed based on the: • Amperage of the current on the main electric motor • Thermal Capacity of the electric motor

23. Typical shredding plants operate far below their theoretical capacities!

24. Shredders Operate Below Capacity Because They Are Not Properly Being Fed Enough Raw Material! • The electric motor driving the shredder is not being used to its capacity.

25. Typical Motor Current Chart

26. Smart motor current chart

27. It is apparent from the comparison of the charts that a much higher percentage of the available power has been used with the most modern Super Double Feed Roller feeding system. • The unused valleys of available power have been significantly reduced.

28. The SDFR combined with the SSS allows the shredder to accomplish “full box shredding” a higher percentage of time. • We did not invent the term “full box shredding” but we were doing it before the term became popular. • It means that the shredder is being provided enough raw material to utilize the full horsepower of the main motor by keeping the shredder box full.

29. This allows the pieces of shredded scrap to be hit and shredded, not only by the hammers, but by other pieces of shredded scrap. • This leads to a more dense and more clean shredded scrap and it leads to smaller size pieces of waste material, which is then easier to separate by the magnetic separations and the air systems. • While most operators and shredder experts recognize the benefit of full box shredding, they do not always have the equipment or the electronic controls that allow it to happen consistently.

30. How is this accomplished? • More HP is required for the feeding system so that lighter material can be fed fast enough to utilize the capacity of the main motor. • The SDFR’s speed and up and down movements are controlled by a Computer with a Smart Shredding System (SSS). • The SSS is tracking the amperage and thermal capacity of the main motor as well as the pressure in the hydraulic system. • The SSS represents the most significant single improvement in productivity of shredding plants ever made.

31. Use of the SSS increases production by minimizing the time periods when the shredder could be shredding but is not. • It minimizes the effect of operator error or poor operating ability. • The SSS does all of this and it does it in a way that tends to present a more even flow of shredded material to the downstream separation systems. • The SSS is never late to work, never has a hangover, always works consistently, works hard and works smart. • The SSS is always smarter and more effective than an operator in that it is constantly reading every electric motor, oil pressures and temperatures, bearing temperatures and operating conditions of the entire plant and it is constantly updated. • There is much more information than any human could possibly comprehend or digest.

32. The ability to feed material to the capacity of the electric motor and to use all of the available power answers the first two of the reasons why we operate our shredders at less than the theoretical capacity.

33. Smart Shredding Systems • The other major advantage of SSS is that not only does the computer run the shredding plant it records data and measures as many of the metrics as possible so that management is able to “measure and improve”.

34. Main Control Monitoring Screen

35. Operator’s Control Screen

36. Production Screen

37. The screen report selector allow the operator or manager to select the type of report wanted. It creates the reports in Excel (also has network capabilities for several plants)

38. On downtime event the operator can select the category type of downtime

39. On downtime event the operator can log the cause when a material problem is the reason of downtime

40. On downtime event the operator can log the cause when an operation mistake or failure is the reason of downtime

41. On downtime event the operator can log the cause when a casting failure or problem is the reason of downtime

42. On downtime event the operator can log the cause when an electrical failure or problem is the reason of downtime

43. On downtime event the operator can log the cause when a mechanical failure or problem is the reason of downtime

44. On downtime event the operator can log the cause when hydraulic failure or problem is the reason of downtime

45. On downtime event the operator can select the option other so he/she can describe the cause of the downtime

46. The Maintenance Settings screen allows the operator to setup the low and high level alarms of running hours of each motor, drives, gear box, bearings and hydraulics (default levels are provided based on TSC recommendations)

47. Casting Category Screen Selector The Casting Category screen selector allows the operator to navigate through all casting wear life screens of the shredder

48. The Wear Life Settings screen allows the operator to set limits for low and high level alarms of wear life for each casting of the shredder (the default settings are based on TSC recommendations)

49. The Grates and Large Castings screen monitors the life of each casting and gives alarms based on the settings on the Wear Life Settings screen

50. The Side Liners screen monitors the life of each liner and gives alarms based on the settings on the Wear Life Settings screen