BCA Industries is now offering its Triplus technology in a wider range of industrial shredders. The patented system shreds and granulates plastic without requiring screens.
The technology, which was originally developed several years ago for BCA Industries’ chipper-shredder machines, is especially suited for shredding large plastic parts such as garbage cans, car bumpers, 55-gallon barrels, paint cans and gas tanks.
BCA Industries, based in Milwaukee, said the patented shredder knives cut, screen and size in a single pass in one machine. The end size of the plastic material is based on the size and geometry of the knives. The uniform size of the granulate also means more material can be reused or shipped off-site with less labor and processing.
Material to be shredded enters and exits the unit much like a conventional dual-shaft shredder, except the output material is uniform in size as if it went through a screen. There is no material rolling around a screen using unnecessary horsepower and creating heat, the company said.
The number of knives is proprietary and varies, depending on the length and width of the machine for each application.
The Triplus-equipped machines are low maintenance, according to the company. Knife replacement times average about three to six months, depending on the type of plastic being shredded and the cleanliness of the material. BCA works with individual customers to determine how many knives they need along with a schedule for replacement.
The Triplus system is standard on BCA’s chipper-shredder Single S series.
What is new is that Triplus can now be installed in all of BCA’s shredders. The shredders range from 10 horsepower (hp) to 800 hp, with cutting chambers of 15 inches by 12 inches to 48 inches by 72 inches. That includes its ES300 dual-shaft shredders in 10 hp, 20 hp or 30 hp sizes; ES1000 general-purpose, high-torque shredders with a 100 hp motor; or the huge ES2000 series with a 55-inch by 72-inch by 44-inch cutting chamber and up to 800 hp motor.
BCA Industries also offers the Triplus knife system on its new PD1000 ICCB, a portable or stationary system that uses compression feeding for plastic garbage containers up to 96 gallons that need to be shredded into a 2-inch by 4-inch chip. The PD1000 includes a bagger scale and lift to facilitate shipping.
Ram assist and compression feed system options are available in Triplus shredder models.
There is also a Triplus head-only option that is interchangeable with standard shredder heads so that a single shredder can be used for multiple materials.
Insert-style stationary knives are available in larger Triplus shredders to facilitate easier knife maintenance.
Triplus systems can be stacked on top of each other for two-stage shredding of large parts that need to be reduced to a very small size.
BCA Industries, owned by brothers Doug and Joe Bartlett, was a metal fabrication and machine shop when it built its first shredder in 2006, the PD1000 portable unit that is still sold today. More models were added over the years and today BCA machines are available for all industrial shredding applications.
Ron Shinn, editor
BCA Industries, Milwaukee, 414-353-1002, www.bca-industries.com
Ron Shinn | Editor
Editor Ron Shinn is a co-founder of Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing and has been covering the plastics industry for more than 35 years. He leads the editorial team, directs coverage and sets the editorial calendar. He also writes features, including the Talking Points column and On the Factory Floor, and covers recycling and sustainability for PMM and Plastics Recycling.
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