Application Report 22
The Problem...
Continuous Web of Paper Waste
Altra Filters, Inc., is the largest producer of coffee filters in the U.S., with plants on the east and west coasts. In the Riverdale, NJ, plant, the company operated five punch presses, each producing 50 filters per stroke. The filter paper was fed to the presses from 50 rolls mounted on backstands at about 60 strokes a minute, in a horizontal plane, so the continuous web of paper waste (matrix) fell downward as the press retracted.
Altra had installed a used pneumatic scrap handling system, with 17" ducts, fan and cyclone, but was unable to get the scrap to feed into the system. Therefore, six people were employed to manually feed the continuous filter matrix into both a downstroke baler and a horizontal baler. The paper matrix was unwieldy and bulky, labor costs were high, and bale quality was low, weighing about 500 lbs. each.
The Solution...
BloApCo Model 5SC Trim Cutters
A flat, rectangular pick-up duct was installed under each press, so that the scrap matrix could be drawn directly unto a BloApCo Trim Cutter, which cuts the material into pieces that can be easily pneumatically conveyed to a central baling area.
BloApCo Model 5SC Trim Cutters were installed to handle the waste from four presses. These units were equipped with 3-HP motors and flywheels to provide the inertia to chop through the web which could be as much as 200 sheets thick as it folds onto itself entering the cutters. On one of the larger presses, a BloApCo Model 8-5 Trim cutter with a 5-HP motor was used.
All of the trim cutters were specially build in an inverted configuration in order to keep the flow into the cutters from beneath the presses as smooth as possible.
New ducting was installed from the trim cutters to the existing main duct system, which was redesigned and reinstalled to provide a smooth flow of the cut matrix into the cyclone. The upgraded pneumatic system accommodates seven presses.
The redesigned system has resulted in a PAYBACK IN LESS THAN SIX MONTHS. The downstroke baler was eliminated, and the horizontal baler now produces high-quality bales weighing 800 pounds, qualifying for top recycling dollars.
Application Report 22
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