Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 73

Copper Wire Granulator

| Tools and Equipment
  1. #1
    IntrepidMuppet started this thread.
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    33
    Thanks
    14
    Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts

    Copper Wire Granulator

    Hi all,

    Does anyone own, or have access to a wire granulator?

    My question being, are they effective with electrical cords like those that are attached to microwaves etc..

    I am relatively new to scraping but am getting close to 50lbs a week of cords and obviously hand stripping them to maximise my money would negate any profit in time spent.

    I realise they are EXPENSIVE but in the long term I think it would be a great asset as we grow and we build up the quantities we are recieving.



    Any thought or information greatly recieved

    Mike

  2. The Following User Says Thank You to IntrepidMuppet for This Post:



  3. #2
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Boise, ID
    Posts
    2,702
    Thanks
    2,237
    Thanked 2,352 Times in 1,014 Posts
    There's one on ebay for $49,500. If you buy it, can I use it?


    On a serious note, I have wondered if I could grow my business quicker by owning a granulator. Buy up insulated all day long and let the machine do its thing.

    I am not aware of any yards around here having a granulator.

  4. #3
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    May 2011
    Location
    Dallas TX
    Posts
    1,979
    Thanks
    158
    Thanked 1,182 Times in 518 Posts
    Yes they are worth it. We are working on getting one sooner or later our self.

    The work good on any cord from phone wire to power cables of all kinds. Its based on the screen you are using.
    My company name was Easy Recycle but has since been closed
    My Name Stephan Harz
    My YouTube page

  5. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by easyrecycle:


  6. #4
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Boise, ID
    Posts
    2,702
    Thanks
    2,237
    Thanked 2,352 Times in 1,014 Posts
    Not that I have any money, but if I was in the market for a chopper, I wouldn't even know what a good one would be. Are some better at copper recovery than others?

  7. #5
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    May 2011
    Location
    Dallas TX
    Posts
    1,979
    Thanks
    158
    Thanked 1,182 Times in 518 Posts
    Ask for a demo. But the end you will want to keep the eye on is the "dirt" end of the system. You want to make sure no copper is going out the back side of the unit. The next thing you want to see is how clean the copper is when its coming out of the unit. If you are in the market for one...you go to show room or something an check out there demo....or a video..something!

  8. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by easyrecycle:


  9. #6
    IntrepidMuppet started this thread.
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    33
    Thanks
    14
    Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts
    Thanks for the replies, going to do some digging and see what is available and at what prices and then work some figures out and see what I am looking at but from some rough workings in terms of productivity and value of product (resale) it sure looks like worth the investment..

  10. #7
    TheHoss's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Mar 2011
    Location
    The tater state
    Posts
    863
    Thanks
    1,112
    Thanked 840 Times in 279 Posts
    Found this website from a local electric company, called them up asking where they get their wire strippers. They gave me this site.

    http://www.striptec.com/stgranulator.htm

    They have LOTS of stuff, unfortunately they do not list prices. I'm guessing you have to call for that.

  11. The Following User Says Thank You to TheHoss for This Post:


  12. #8
    PartTimeScrapper's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Morrison, Colorado
    Posts
    3,400
    Thanks
    1,004
    Thanked 3,256 Times in 1,335 Posts
    Daddy always said if you have to ask what the price is you cant afford it

  13. The Following 2 Users say Thank You for This Post by PartTimeScrapper:


  14. #9
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Easton, MD
    Posts
    16
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    We've crunched the numbers and for the machines that our company distributes (MG Wire Granulators), it seems to work out that you'll be turning a profit with anything over 52% copper in it. Of course, if you have a small amount of christmas lights or extension chord mixed in with higher quality wire, go ahead and run it through. I just wouldn't waste time with only this quality of input.

  15. #10
    thortek's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Scrap biz in OHIO, but I live in south Florida!
    Posts
    513
    Thanks
    153
    Thanked 425 Times in 204 Posts
    Ok...So I'm new to the copper side of things. What's the general price spread between insulated copper, and stripped copper? I mean if the price spread is wide enough, you could buy insulated from other scrappers at a price higher than the yards, run it and sell it as #1...and all you have to do is run the machine and count the money.
    “Most people miss opportunity because it wears overalls and looks like work .” ― Thomas A. Edison

    www.thortekrecycling.com

  16. #11
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Easton, MD
    Posts
    16
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    That's the idea. The machines we sell handle anywhere from 175-2,650 lbs/hour of input material. Many yards don't have enough material to keep even the smaller machine running all day. So, they scoop up wire from wherever they can get it (preferably close and cheap).

  17. #12
    Mechanic688's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Warsaw , Ind. In the heart of the lakes, and down the street from the hotel where Al Capone stayed.
    Posts
    9,568
    Thanks
    11,247
    Thanked 10,730 Times in 4,728 Posts
    What's the general price spread between insulated copper, and stripped copper? I mean if the price spread is wide enough, you could buy insulated from other scrappers at a price higher than the yards, run it and sell it as #1...and all you have to do is run the machine and count the money.
    Scrap #1 Copper $3.31 lb, Scrap insulated Light Wire 50% Recovery $1.22 lb, Over $2.00 a lb more for just running a machine whether it's a wire stripper or granulator. You do the math, but there has been a few on here that have went that route, buying from other scrappers and putting their wire stripper to work.
    P & M Recycling - Specializing in E-Waste Recycling.
    If you enjoy your freedom, thank a vet.

  18. #13
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Easton, MD
    Posts
    16
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    Well, $2/lb would be great but you have to take into consideration that only 50% of that wire is copper. So, what you bought for $1.22 is really only worth ($3.31/.5) = $1.65. Still a little profit but you have electricity, labor, etc..

    That's where the 52% recovery comes into play. We've found anything about 52% makes sense to run. Of course, if you are doing this by hand and have some free time, might make sense for someone else at a lower recovery rate.

  19. #14
    Mechanic688's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor



    Member since
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Warsaw , Ind. In the heart of the lakes, and down the street from the hotel where Al Capone stayed.
    Posts
    9,568
    Thanks
    11,247
    Thanked 10,730 Times in 4,728 Posts
    Of course, if you are doing this by hand and have some free time, might make sense for someone else at a lower recovery rate.
    You'll find out after awhile that the majority of us on this forum are small 1-2 man operations. We're not all large corporations.

  20. The Following 3 Users say Thank You for This Post by Mechanic688:


  21. #15
    High Voltage Processing's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Allentown PA
    Posts
    316
    Thanks
    63
    Thanked 201 Times in 101 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Mechanic688 View Post
    You'll find out after awhile that the majority of us on this forum are small 1-2 man operations. We're not all large corporations.
    Not all of us. :-)

    I run three machines and am about to put in a new line. What I have found is you can do power cords and such, just don't expect to see a lot of profit. My machines are some of the best in the industry and I try to avoid this wire if I can. Easy is right about looking at the back, just understand that you will lose copper with just about every system.

    When you chop you create dust. This can be anywhere from 1-5% of your recovery. We are working on a system where we will be able to recover 100% of the copper using a liquid solution instead of a shaker table.
    Jim Dwyer
    President/Founder High Voltage Processing
    www.highvoltagepro.com
    484-226-9323

  22. The Following 3 Users say Thank You for This Post by High Voltage Processing:


  23. #16
    thortek's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Scrap biz in OHIO, but I live in south Florida!
    Posts
    513
    Thanks
    153
    Thanked 425 Times in 204 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by High Voltage Processing View Post
    Not all of us. :-)

    I run three machines and am about to put in a new line. What I have found is you can do power cords and such, just don't expect to see a lot of profit. My machines are some of the best in the industry and I try to avoid this wire if I can. Easy is right about looking at the back, just understand that you will lose copper with just about every system.

    When you chop you create dust. This can be anywhere from 1-5% of your recovery. We are working on a system where we will be able to recover 100% of the copper using a liquid solution instead of a shaker table.
    Glad to see someone is making money in Allentown! I used to recruit for B.Braun and everyone else was going out of business! or moving operations!

    Does anyone know how much a low price unit like that goes for?

  24. #17
    High Voltage Processing's Avatar
    SMF Badges of Honor

    Member since
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Allentown PA
    Posts
    316
    Thanks
    63
    Thanked 201 Times in 101 Posts
    Allentown is really making a comeback. Its a nice alt to Philly.

    I have seen low level hammer mills for under 10k. I am sure used could get cheaper.

  25. #18
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Easton, MD
    Posts
    16
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    I did get that impression Mechanic. While I'm trying to gather information for the job, I also find myself personally interested in scrapping opportunities. Funny, I was walking the dogs this morning and saw two tvs sitting next to a trash can up the street from my house. Almost thought about driving up there and tossing them in the truck on the way to work. Never would have thought about it until visiting this site yesterday! hahaha.

  26. #19
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Eastern Ontario
    Posts
    294
    Thanks
    139
    Thanked 242 Times in 119 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by CharlieMAWS View Post
    I did get that impression Mechanic. While I'm trying to gather information for the job, I also find myself personally interested in scrapping opportunities. Funny, I was walking the dogs this morning and saw two tvs sitting next to a trash can up the street from my house. Almost thought about driving up there and tossing them in the truck on the way to work. Never would have thought about it until visiting this site yesterday! hahaha.
    Sounds like a low level scrap bug bite at this point. There is no cure, but you can learn to live with the illness!

    Just out of curiosity, is a granulator just basically a hammer mill at its heart. I realize there is more to it like the separation etc. Just wondering.

  27. #20
    SMF Badges of Honor


    Member since
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Easton, MD
    Posts
    16
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    To be honest with you devo, I had no idea what a hammer mill was until HVP made that comment. Googled it this morning and it seems to be similar. The wire enters the granulator where it is chopped (granulated) in a scissor action between 2 fixed sets of blades and 5 rotating sets. There is a screen beneath the granulator that can be changed out to maximize efficiency based on input material (2mm - 8mm). From the search I performed, this seems to be the extent of the hammer mill. The granulator however has several other components. From this point, the granules are sucked into a vortex and the copper that has seperated from the insulation is dropped into a collection area and the insulation is blown into a filter system and collected in bags. The material that is not seperated in the granulator is then taken into a pulverizer where the granules are beat with a paddle like turbo system. This will seperate any insulation from the remaining material. This material is then taken into another vortex where copper is seperated from insulation. Resulting material is dropped onto a seperation table from there where copper (or aluminum) is drawn up the table to the front and insulation is taken out the back.

    Here's a video of one of the machines at work that may help explain:

    Easier for a visual sometimes. As High Voltage commented earlier, there is copper dust lost in the seperation process and I'm interested to hear about ways to recover. With our machines it is very minimal but at the capacity they're running, it could add up. Hope this was clearer than mud. Haha.

  28. The Following User Says Thank You to CharlieMAWS for This Post:



  29. Similar threads on the Scrap Metal Forum

    1. a picture of my copper wire granulator
      By kenjermain31 in forum Off Topic Discussions
      Replies: 9
      Last Post: 06-02-2011, 06:37 AM
    2. New from Youngstown , Ohio own copper granulator
      By kenjermain31 in forum Introduce yourself
      Replies: 2
      Last Post: 05-21-2011, 10:29 AM

Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

 
Browse the Most Recent Threads
On SMF In THIS CATEGORY.





OR

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

The Scrap Metal Forum

    The Scrap Metal Forum is the #1 scrap metal recycling community in the world. Here we talk about the scrap metal business, making money, where we connect with other scrappers, scrap yards and more.

SMF on Facebook and Twitter

Twitter Facebook