As a result, the machine can even break up very bulky materials. The developers placed great emphasis on a robust design. Little maintenance is required – and if any work is needed, it is quickly completed.
“At our customers, the shredders usually work uninterrupted for a very long period,” says Martin Baldus, Head of “Industrial Shredding” development at Vecoplan AG. The machines can, for example, prepare material for the combustion furnaces in cement works or efficiently shred sales packaging made from plastic, metal and composite materials that has been collected in yellow bags as well as household waste. “During the development of the new VRZ series shredder, we placed great emphasis on making it robust, resistant to intrusive materials, reliable and low-maintenance,” explains Baldus. That is why the developers did not equip the rotor with cutting tools but with sickle-shaped ripper teeth. These rip the material apart. As a result, this extremely powerful machine is also suitable for reprocessing waste wood – for example for the efficient shredding of root bales or entire planks and beams, which often contain tramp materials such as nails.
For the rotors, Vecoplan makes use of the dynamic, high-torque, quick-start HiTorc drives. These have no mechanical components such as belts, clutches or hydraulic units. This means that they require very little maintenance – unlike hydraulic drives. What is more: Because there is less mass to be propelled, they achieve a high level of efficiency. Operators therefore enjoy considerable energy savings. The drives, which have a capacity of 2 x 138 kilowatts, are completely insensitive to tramp materials. They are also very dynamic, thereby improving start-up and reversing behaviour. This means that the VRZ is also suitable for tough, difficult materials.
“During the development phase, it was important for us to keep the operating and maintenance costs for plant operators as low as possible,” says Baldus. “Components such as wear-resistant and replaceable sealing elements at the rotor and side wall prevent materials from becoming lodged between the front surface of the rotor and the machine housing, for example. What is more: The optimised machine design means that the cutting frame and rotors can be replaced quickly. This means that time-consuming maintenance work such as reinforcing welding work can be performed outside of the machine. This considerably reduces downtimes. “Our new VRZ is designed to remain operational for as long as possible – even if wear does occur,” promises the expert from Vecoplan.
