Vecoplan bag opener has open design for extraneous materials

To recycle plastic, metal and composite packaging or household waste collected in bags, the material must be continuously and reliably fed into sorting processes. Vecoplan, High Point, North Carolina, has developed the VSA 250 T bag opener to meet this demand.

The VSA 250 T can be loaded via belt conveyors, shovel grabs or wheel loaders. It is designed to gently opens bags and empty them. Because the recyclable materials are not destroyed during this process, more material can be recycled, the company says.

The bag opener's cutting unit consists of hammers welded onto the two rotors that operate inside the machine's large, open cutting frame. The open design of the cutting frame means the cutting unit is designed with the ability to cope with extraneous materials such as stones or hand-size pieces of metal. Because the machine is designed to break the materials, the subsequent sorting of the reusable, recyclable materials is simplified, Vecoplan says. With a bulk density of around 8 pounds per cubic feet, the VSA 250 T achieves a throughput rate of 35 tons per hour.

The rotors use Vecoplan's  HiTorc drives, which are free from mechanical elements, such as belt drives, couplings and hydraulic assemblies. The HiTorc is designed to have a high degree of efficiency, allowing the company to be able to use versions with a power consumption of 82 kilowatts, Vecoplan says.

The machine supports are manufactured in an inert gas shielded arc welded design for holding the rotors and cutting frame. The double side wall on the machine supports is designed to prevent dirt from entering the bearing housing. Sealing elements on the rotor and side wall are designed to prevent materials from depositing between the front face of the rotor and the machine housing. In addition, the cutting frame and rotors are replaceable.

The VECO+ Live Service tool is offered as part of the delivery scope. If any faults occur, operators can quickly diagnose the cause online and rectify the error, while also receiving important status messages and production information.