Each month, our sales team puts the spotlight on a specific machine within the UNTHA range. This time, it’s the turn of the UNTHA RS100 shredder, perfect for handling hazardous and chemical waste. Learn more about the features, uses and benefits of this shredding technology in this short series of questions answered by MD Marcus Brew…

1.Describe this machine in one paragraph A robust shredder world-renowned for its ability to process even the most complex of waste materials.

2.How exactly does the shredding process work? Materials can be fed into the machine either manually, via a conveyor or using loader equipment. In simple terms, the four shaft nature of the shredding technology means that materials are shredded and re-shredded in a single pass. The shredded fraction then falls through a screen which regulates particle homogeneity. Anything that doesn’t fall through is fed back into the main cutting chamber for further processing. This patented cutting concept is now recognised worldwide.

3.What makes it ideal for shredding hazardous and chemical waste? Because UNTHA’s core specialism, from the outset, has been shredding technology, we have unrivalled experience which means that difficult applications are our speciality. Over the years we’ve continued to engineer machinery such as the RS100, which is perfectly equipped to tackle tough waste and recycling scenarios whilst still guaranteeing high throughputs. The aggressive nature of hazardous and chemical wastes would completely destroy other shredders in a matter of months. But our machines aren’t just built to shred – they’re built to last.

4.What types of hazardous wastes can it handle? It can proficiently handle materials usually classified as requiring disposal via a non-standard route, including IBC drums, oil filters, solvent containers, nuclear cartons and medical waste such as soiled dressings, surgical gowns and sharps.

5.What particle size can it achieve? That’s all dependent on what particle size the end customer requires, and therefore what our client needs to achieve. Our shredders are famous for defined outputs even at a high capacity. So, tell us what your specification is and we’ll configure the shredding technology accordingly. With a range of interchangeable screens, fraction homogeneity is no problem with the RS100.

6.And at what throughput rates? This is a difficult question to answer as everything is dependent on the individual waste scenario, but many of our clients achieve throughputs of around 8 tonnes per hour.

7.Describe an ideal maintenance regime… Anyone who works with hazardous or chemical waste will know that these materials are more aggressive than most, so the maintenance process will naturally need to be more rigorous than a regime for a cardboard shredder. That said, the RS100, like other machines in our range, has been designed for quick, easy and safe maintenance with minimal disruption. So, devise a planned preventative maintenance programme and it can be carried out with minimal downtime or disruption. Sometimes clients utilise their own in-house engineering expertise for maintenance, whilst other times they rely on the input or complete direction of our customer support team.

8.How important is regular servicing for this machine? Very important, but the same can be said for not just any shredder, but any capital asset. Routine inspections don’t just help to proactively identify problems before they arise; they help to uncover ways to tweak and optimise performance too! The most suitable servicing interval for each hazardous waste shredder very much depends on the scenario at hand.

9.What is the cost bracket? This is an asset that has been designed with performance and longevity in mind. So, if a customer is going to judge ‘value’ based purely on capital expenditure, there will be alternative machines with a cheaper price tag. However, they are typically not designed to withstand the pressures that intensive waste applications like this can pose. Clients that choose our technology judge value according to the best support, an ability to meet their exacting requirements, minimal wear and maintenance costs and, ultimately, return on investment.

10.Is finance available? Yes. Clients can either purchase the RS100 outright or our UK partners can structure an affordable finance deal to spread the cost over a term to suit them.

11.Is it possible to arrange a trial/see the RS100 in action? Yes, we have an RS100 in our state-of-the-art test centre at our North Yorkshire headquarters, which enables organisations to trial the equipment using their own materials. We have also installed these machines throughout the country and at multiple overseas sites too, so we encourage our clients to see the shredder in action!

For further information about the capabilities of this shredder, why not contact our sales team for a no obligation chat – call 0845 450 5388 or email sales@untha.co.uk. Alternatively, you can download the brochure or watch a video of the machine in action: