Scrap Bale Press

Optimising scrap baling presses with compact and efficient hydraulic power units

PSI Your partner for tailor-made hydraulic solutions in presses

Groaning metal and crunching glass: scrap baling presses apply tremendous forces. That’s how the strongest metal scrap turns into a small compact cube. The hydraulic device enables a significant reduction in volume or increase in the density. This results in logistical and economic advantages, especially in terms of transport and further processing. But like every industry, the recycling industry is facing new challenges.

With conventional tank designs, high cylinder speeds and large cylinder diameters lead to traditionally large oil tanks. This doesn't just take up valuable installation space. It also requires many litres of oil, costing you money. The tank optimisation developed by PSI remedies this using a flow simulation of the fluids in the tank combined with special patented filters which enable accelerated degassing of the air. This not only reduces the tank size and therefore the installation space. It also saves hydraulic oil. Furthermore, increasing connection and energy costs are leading to the desire to use the most efficient drives possible in order to reduce the drive power and power dissipation.

Reliable, fast and compact

PSI offers the right hydraulic solution for every baling press

Developing the most compact hydraulic power unit possible – that was our customer’s job for the PSI experts. The recycling plant manufacturer focuses on scrap shears and scrap baling presses and produces several new machines per year. They also carry out mechanical and hydraulic service work on existing systems. As part of a job to integrate a new baling press into an existing system, the recycling plant manufacturer asked PSI for a total hydraulic solution for their machine.

In close cooperation with the customer, our PSI experts defined several goals straight away. Due to the limited spatial conditions, the most compact hydraulic power unit possible was to be developed, saving valuable installation space. As part of this, the oil tank size and the associated size of the drip tray were to be reduced. The main goals were to ensure an energy-efficient hydraulic power unit and a reliable, fast machine with short cycle times. The customer also wanted individual support throughout the entire project phase.

The PSI solution

The tailor-made hydraulic power unit for a 170-tonne scrap baling press

What was particularly important for us when developing the tailor-made solutions? Transparency and communicating as equal partners. It was precisely according to this motto that we defined the dimensions of the hydraulic power unit as well as the necessary technical and hydraulic requirements for the press control in several conversations with our customer.

How we developed the tailor-made solution:

First, we reduced the press oil tank size using our precise flow simulation in combination with our patented AirX filters. This measure doesn't just save installation space. It also aids better air separation and achieves a significant increase in the service life of all hydraulic components. Our custom compact baler control block was equipped with special valve circuitry for the cylinder control. Two axial piston pumps PPV 102-360 with power controllers ensured an efficient reduction in the drive power. As an additional extra, we used our low-noise cooler to take the noise requirements for installation in the industrial hall into consideration.

The result

The tailor-made PSI solution exceeded our customer’s expectations: by optimising the tank, we reduced the oil tank size by 53% – from 3,200 to 1,500 litres. This allowed the hydraulic power unit to fit in the intended space. Thanks to the compact design, the customer now saves 1,700 litres of hydraulic oil per filling and 5,400 kg of CO2 as a result. In combination with the two power-controlled axial piston pumps, the special valve circuitry in the baler control block achieved a shortened cycle time of 25 seconds instead of 30 seconds. This increased production by 17%. Thanks to the efficient use of the pump flow rate and the motor power over the entire pressure range, the required pump flow amount and therefore the average power consumption were reduced compared to pump combinations with flanged fixed displacement pumps. The nominal power of the motors was reduced from 75 to 55 kW. By replacing the internal gear pumps with power-controlled axial piston pumps, the power losses were greatly reduced. For example, losses from the pumps in circulation amounting to 5.3 kW were avoided, among others. In the future, this will also save 8,960 kWh of energy per year.

What our customer’s case shows:

Our tailor-made solutions increase your efficiency while protecting your budget. Talk to our industry experts now to optimise your system.