The growing awareness of the mismanagement of hazardous e-scrap processing in third world countries, as well as other factors, has resulted in an increased demand for safe processing of e-scrap in the United States. Part of that process typically involves conveyor machines during the sorting and recycling of e-scrap.

Gary St. Charles is assistant general manager at Endura-Veyor Inc. (EVI). The company focuses on loose and scrap material handling conveyor designs. “Due to some potentially hazardous material within e-scrap, I think we’ll see an increase in related government agency policies. Europe has been a leader in controlling the undesirable exporting and processing of e-scrap, and I believe that a majority of e-scrap processing equipment purchased in the United States is imported from European manufacturers. As electronic device usage continues to increase, our country seems to focus more than ever on keeping e-scrap out of landfills and recycling materials instead of producing new,” St. Charles said.

EVI has aided their clients in processing over 100 million pounds of electronic waste in 2010 and they expect to double that amount this year.

St. Charles explained, “Endura-veyor’s 600 and 300 conveyor products are often the best fit for the job. The conveyor configuration can be matched to the system layout, meeting the specific design needs of sorting, shredding, chopping, granulating and mechanical separation processes that are common in e-scrap processing. If a conveyor system isn’t properly sized for a given process, it may result in added cost due to conveyor failure and lost production, repairs or a compromise in the optimal layout of the processing area.”

EVI’s hinged steel belt conveyor, available in 2.5”, 4”, 6” and 9” sizes, “is rugged, dependable and ideal for handling typical e-scrap items such as cell phones, refrigerators, CRT cullet and ‘meatballs’ or other scrap metal handling processes. Our Sliderbed Belt Conveyors are designed specifically for handling various types of loose scrap, and offer maximum product containment and ease of maintenance,” said St. Charles.

Traditional horizontal and inclined designs are available, as well as C&Z styles, which transition from horizontal to incline using a single belt. The conveyors can be designed for use in conjunction with all types of overhead separating magnets and metal detection equipment.

Mayfran International is a manufacturer of conveyors and recycling equipment components. Their full line of durable hinged steel belt conveyors and systems handle metal scrap, paper and municipal solid waste. “We’ve been known as the standard for baler feed conveyors for over 75 years. Mayfran light-duty conveyors are for lighter materials like paper for baler feed, and we also offer extreme-duty, reinforced conveyors, which handle heavier materials. Heavier-duty conveyors offer reinforced belts, an electronic-drive soft-start for repeated start-stop baler feed operation, an open-frame, reinforced construction and an anti-rollback device, which allows for heavier loading and variable speed drives for various commodities,” said Bernard Goldstein, chief engineer.

He stated, “Our clients require conveyors that take abuse with minimal maintenance, and they need conveyors and systems that are easy to install on-site. We believe we provide these features in our products. We also strive to reduce overall maintenance requirements and provide custom conveyors at standard conveyor lead times, all while meeting the demands for lower up-front costs in today’s tough economy. We can also include system flexibility whenever needed, for constantly changing material streams.”

Goldstein said that automation is the newest trend in recycling systems, allowing many manual labor tasks to be replaced, but Mayfran has also built MRF systems designed for teams of sorters to pick various grades of plastics, glass, etc. The conveyors handle a mixed stream of materials that feed trommels, shredders, shakers, electro magnets and other sorting equipment. For electronic controls and monitoring of a conveyor, Mayfran recommends and installs remote interface capability, which allows offsite access to system controls.

Remcon Equipment offers complete conveyor systems as well as components for use in an existing system, such as individual conveyors, material separation equipment (screens, magnets) and storage structures (silos, self-emptying bins). Most features of the equipment can be customized to fit customer needs regarding factors such as belt speed and type, conveyor width and length, hopper and chute designs, etc.

“Because we customize our conveyors to each customer’s specific application, we can incorporate design features that keep material leakage to a minimum,” said Dennis Lux, president. He added, “We also keep the maintenance crew in mind by designing conveyors for cleanliness, safety and for easy access to maintenance areas. Another service we provide is conveyor belt replacement. A good conveyor will be built to last longer than needed, but belts eventually wear out or become damaged beyond repair, no matter what the belt type or the material that is being processed. We also provide customized replacement belts and installation for other brands of conveyors.”

Lux said that Remcon products are used primarily by customers for sorting recyclable materials. “Most of the units we manufacture are slider bed, drag or roller chain conveyors. Baler feed and sort line types are also popular. Many large recycling companies install huge, multi-million dollar systems to process incredible volumes of material, but there are also many small operations out there that need simple, easy-to-operate machinery. We can design whatever is needed. Instead of just offering a few standard, light-duty conveyors for smaller scale operations, we take the time to design heavy-duty, custom built conveyors for these customers, while keeping extraneous costs to a minimum,” stated Lux.

Remcon has built conveyors since 1977 and according to Lux, “We design conveyors that are easy to maintain, run clean, and are heavy-duty enough to handle the harsh environments that are typical at recycling facilities and landfills. We always keep installation capabilities in mind during the design process, and we strive to incorporate easy-to-replace components. Over the last seven years, we’ve manufactured high-speed conveyors for use in conjunction with optical sorting equipment. These conveyors require a much higher degree of specialization due to the speed and precision of the process. As technology advances, the materials and production methods used to put this technology into operation will also need to improve, and we look forward to seeing that come to fruition."