Trim Paper Recycling Systems: Waste Not, Want Not
"The filter must be sized correctly, one that has no confined space, and uses an air handling fan for a negative air system," he says. "New NFPA regulations must be followed; sprinklers and explosion vents are not just the only items required."
ASDI has been focusing on significant ways to decrease the dust in the baler rooms with more efficient separators and cyclones. ASDI offers filter systems with a constant back pressure, which will not add more work for the trim fans to overcome. This type of system offers continuous, maximum suction on the trim fans, which increases production.
Matt Everhart, national sales manager of the paper and secure materials recycling division at Vecoplan LLC, echoes many with his admonition regarding one-size-fits-all systems. Folding carton and book printers churn out with ridges, and other specialty materials can make it difficult to be moved through an air system. He emphasizes the importance of properly locating a system within the facility and making sure the materials from the generators throughout the production line are accessible and can be fed to a central recycling point.
The changing face of printing companies doesn't always take into account evolving needs in a given printer's recycling system, Everhart states. When a printer acquires a company that may produce a new product, can the acquiring firm's system properly deal with the new yield/variety of waste?
One of the biggest advantages is having a system that boasts dump-and-run capabilities, Everhart remarks, but that comes at a cost. "Not having the operator constantly standing there and feeding the machine, and having an auto-tie baler instead of manual," he says. "Baler ties are more expensive, but you don't have to mess with them. As soon as the bale is full, the machine cycles, wraps the bale, pushes it out and is ready to go to the next one without any operator intervention. That allows a 24-hour facility to genuinely be able to process materials 24 hours a day, even though the operator is only feeding and unloading the machine every few hours."
