Eriez Shred1 data demonstrates scalable copper control

Eriez, an Erie, Pennsylvania-based magnetic separation and material handling technology company, has released new Shred1 performance data showing that scrap recyclers can achieve precise copper control without compromising throughput. 

The company says full-scale installations of the Shred1 Ballistic Separator consistently deliver copper levels below 0.15 percent while processing more than 140 tons per hour. 

Copper contamination has traditionally forced recyclers to choose between costly melt chemistry corrections and rejecting marginal feedstock. According to Eriez, a report indicates that the Shred1 removes this constraint, providing a mechanical solution that enables high productivity and tight chemical control. 

According to the data, the system delivers verified performance across four critical measures. 

At a U.S. scrap processing facility, Eriez says the Shred1 consistently produced premium shred with copper levels as low as 0.13 percent. This performance allows the operator to blend higher-copper input material while still meeting melt specifications, ensuring all output ships as premium-grade product rather than being downgraded or diverted. 

The company says comparable results were realized at a European recycling facility through a 76-heat melt trial. Low-copper shred produced by the Shred1 averaged 0.145 percent, with melt chemistry closely aligning with theoretical predictions. The consistency reduced dependence on dilution scrap and supported more precise furnace optimization. 

In addition to copper control, the report documents improvements in overall melt performance. Material previously delivered an approximately 88 percent yield, which increased to 94 percent after installing the Shred1 combined with polishing magnet technology, improving furnace efficiency and accelerating economic returns. 

Installed downstream of primary scrap drum magnets, the Shred1 separates material using magnetic forces and high-speed ballistic trajectories. Unlike air, optical or X-ray-based systems, the mechanical process sorts material by mass and density, delivering stable separation performance with minimal operator intervention and no loss of throughput. 

During operation, liberated shred is conveyed at high speed toward the head pulley. Low-copper material, more strongly influenced by the magnetic field, follows the pulley arc and is discharged behind a splitter, while higher-copper material continues forward for additional polishing. 

“Scrap processors are under growing pressure to meet tighter melt chemistry requirements without slowing production,” says Mike Shattuck, Eriez business development recycling manager. “These results show that copper control is no longer theoretical. The Shred1 delivers repeatable, measured performance at industrial scale and integrates seamlessly into existing shred lines.”