By Del Williams, Technical Writer

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 24, 2009 (RISI) - Recycling bale wire scrap at its point of generation can clean up the production floor and improve profitability. For industrial processors, who depend on efficiency to stay profitable, gnarly bale wire scrap cut loose from binding raw inputs at the start of production can act like barbed wire on a battlefield, slowing progress and threatening the safety of those nearby. The solution is to get it off the production floor as quickly, safely, and efficiently as possible.

But the traditional manual means of handling high-tensile bale wire scrap is inadequate, since having staff handle it multiple times wastes valuable space and labor while increasing injury risk. It's not only difficult to manually cut, wad, wind, or compress but also can spring back like a whip when bent. Its sharp ends can poke, scratch, or puncture, and are a particular hazard to eyes. Long lengths of it can also trip staff and entangle machinery.

A growing number of companies in bulk processing industries, ranging from recycling and textiles to pulp and paper, are finding a key to unlocking greater productivity and safety. They're handling high-tensile bale wire scrap more safely and efficiently by recycling it at its point of generation via heavy-duty scrap choppers that clean up the production floor and improve profitability.

Safer, Faster, and Green

Western Pulp, a leader in molded fiber solutions in industries such as packaging-shipping, nursery-greenhouse and floral, has also enhanced safety, efficiency, and recycling with a heavy-duty bale wire chopper. As its primary bulk input, bundles of used paper enter production bound with bale wire that must be removed and safely disposed of.

Previously, operators cut the bale wire then rolled or wadded it to fit into outside dumpsters.

"The primary driver for us was safety, to reduce the risk of pokes and cuts posed from loose, tangled bale wire," says Terry Glasgow, Maintenance Supervisor at Western Pulp's Corvallis, OR plant. "We didn't want anyone poked in the eye. Because the Sweed chopper will help to eliminate poke, cut or trip incidents due to loose bale wire in the production area, it should simplify meeting OSHA requirements."

Glasgow likes a number of the safety features in the heavy-duty bale wire chopper, such as a large opening for smooth feeding of the wire, along with an "anti-kickback" funnel infeed. He feels its "safety face" makes an easy target should a user need to stop the machine quickly. "Since the operator can hit the entire front of the machine with a shoulder, elbow, or body part, it's a failsafe emergency stop that enhances safety."

By handling the bale wire once, instead of multiple times, after it's cut from incoming bales of paper, the company is saving a significant amount of labor. "We've cut bale wire related-labor tremendously," says Glasgow.

Glasgow acknowledges another economical, ecological plus: "Instead of paying to haul unmanageable bale wire to a landfill, a scrap dealer is now paying us for the chopped, more easily processed bale wire. Our improved process will help move us toward green certification, as we aim to recycle 100% of our input material, including bale wire."

Sweed is the world leader in linear material reduction equipment in a range of industries. Its scrap choppers can chop linear bale wire, steel, plastic or other materials into small pieces at the point of generation for easy recycling and a space saving ratio of up to 20-1. By eliminating excess clutter and material handling cost, the scrap choppers can reduce overhead, promote safety, and create new revenue via value-added recycling to scrap dealers.

For more information, visit http://www.sweed.com/;