Call for design...
Cost-cutting breakthrough
So what of the changes of finding new products that reflect on the continuing upward spiral of fuel costs? Here's one. The brand new 'Raptor XL' twin blade slow speed shredder from Germany manufacturer ARJES. If fuel costs have doubled during the lifetime of equipment you currently have in use, as they almost certainly have, wouldn't it help if the manufacturers offered new products that halved fuel consumption? Amazingly, that's exactly what Gerhard Buhl, sales manager at ARJES is claiming for the XL.
Even though the machines still uses a big CAT diesel engine as a power source like many other competitive machines (electric options are available), the XL not only achieves running costs around 22 litres an hour while producing an honest 40 tonnes throughput an hour - that's just 0.5 litres of fuel for each tonne processed - it does so at 85 dbA.
How? By dispensing with hydraulics and instead using a full-load reversible direct drive gearbox transmission. New twin rotary 'chopper' blades are designed to give a more even size of product. This new 16 tonne operating weight machine, that makes it ideal for urban sites, has one feature in it's favour - it was designed by Norbert Hammel.
Waste Management World (November-December 2008)
