This is a hands-off processing line that provides “value added” profits for scrap dealers by separating mixed-metal products into their separate components. In its basic form, it will cleanly separate copper wire from electric motor stators, “meatballs” and transformers. It will also separate the copper pipe from the aluminum fins in air conditioning radiators.
The flow sheet is:
• The whole, mixed-metal product is fed to a hammer mill, “exploding” it into cleanly separated components and discharged onto a sorting belt.
• Then, an overhead cross-belt magnet removes the ferrous fraction, leaving the non-ferrous metal, the plastic, fluff and abraded varnish on the belt, which is fed into a zig-zag air classifier.
• This zig-zag air classifier is where the rapid, upward current of air pulls out the light material, including aluminum fins, allowing a clean separation from the heavy metallic material, which drops out the bottom of the classifier.