Itronics adds e-scrap grinding capacity

Itronics Inc., Reno, Nevada, has announced it has received a commercial scale e-scrap grinder for grinding shredded circuit boards to feed its refining furnaces. The custom-built grinder has approximately the same throughput capacity as its shredder, the company says, and is expected to significantly increase its capacity while significantly reducing the cost.

Previously, Itronics announced its plans to convert one of the rooms in its factory to a dedicated circuit board shredding and grinding room. It will be equipped with an air cleaning and ventilation system and a dedicated electrical system for the shredder, grinder and air cleaning operations.

The company says it plans to complete the needed improvements to the room, move the shredder from its current location and install it in the new location along with the grinder and start up the machines in the second quarter 2018.

The shredding and grinding capacity of this new operation is expected to be sufficient to support a 50 to 100 times staged expansion of furnace refining capacity over the next three to four years, Itronics says.

The company adds that it is working on improving “per melt” production of the furnaces and expects to expand production by 35 percent in the second quarter 2018 after the e-scrap grinder is installed and operational.