Eriez reports widespread Shred1 interest

Growing demand from steel mills for premium low-copper ferrous shred is driving rising sales for its Shred1 Ballistic Separators, according to United States-based equipment firm Eriez.

The company says it is experiencing “a surge” in sales of its Shred1, with Eriez saying the separators are “popular for their ability to produce premium low-copper shred and reduce hand sorting labor.”

“After introducing the Shred1 Ballistic Separator at the 2011 ISRI show, we saw the fastest product acceptance by the marketplace that we have experienced in the past decade,” says Darrell Milton, director of heavy industry for Eriez. “While Shred1 sales have always been strong and steady—with a significant number of successful installations up and running for years—that number is spiking as steel mills are requesting a higher quality ferrous product from scrap yards.”

For steel mills, the highest quality ferrous product contains the lowest quantity of copper, says Milton. “While copper is a valuable metal, it is not an acceptable ingredient when it comes to steelmaking,” he comments. “Too much copper in a melt will soften or embrittle the steel batch and affect the surface quality of the end product.”

The Shred1 uses magnetics and ballistics to deliver two distinct fractions: what Eriez calls a high-value, premium low-copper (<0.2 percent) ferrous product and a more common No. 2 shred. The technology has been designed to consolidate visible and concealed copper, reducing the requirement for hand sorting and eliminating the need for X-ray scanning.

“Scrap processors are utilizing Shred1 Ballistic Separators to increase their profitability by supplying their steel mill customers with high-grade ferrous product at a premium price,” says Milton. “Furthermore, as shredders are able to reduce the amount of hand sorting required, their profitability picture gets even more exciting.”

The company says more information about the Shred1 can be found on this web page. Also, Eriez will have staff available to talk about the Shred1 at the ISRI2019 convention in Los Angeles April 8-10, Booth B2.