We want to discuss the distinctions between a granulator, vertical mill, and touch upon the turbo mill and their respective applications. Granulators and wire choppers have long been synonymous, typically used together for four decades or so. Over time, granulators have predominantly featured D2 steel blades in various blade configurations—staggered tooth, flat, or scissor-cut. One downside of granulators is the need for constant monitoring of blade wear and gap adjustments. While not inherently negative, this upkeep means they are more commonly used for processing high-grade #1 wire, rather than #2, due to the risk of damaging blades with attachments like brass, zinc, or die-cast.
A granulator typically operates with one to three fixed stationary blades and a rotor equipped with multiple rotating blades. Material enters, is shredded by the blades, and passes through a bottom screen into a collection bin that gets vacuumed or conveyed out. Granulators are best with clean, chunky materials such as #1 copper and clean aluminum but struggle with wire attachments that can chip blades, necessitating frequent maintenance to adjust or replace them. Granulators can typically handle material anywhere from 0.5” to 12”+ in size because it is a cutting mill.
Vertical mills have a rotor with swinging hammers inside a drum lined with serrated armor plates. Material enters from above, and the hammers beat it against the drum’s interior, breaking it down. Unlike granulators, vertical mills can handle items like nuts, bolts, or even a piece of steel without being damaged. While they require more horsepower and are less efficient than granulators, they offer significantly lower maintenance and downtime due to their robust design. Vertical mills require material between 0.5” to 2” in size, which involves a pre-shredder before going into the vertical mill.
The turbo mill shares similarities with the vertical mill in design, using fixed, staggered paddles or blades on a rotor inside a chamber to impact and break down material. It is suitable for processing material ranging from 0.25” to 1” in size, offering adjustable processing speeds for varying material fineness. If you put a zig zag before a turbo mill, you can greatly reduce maintenance on it.
The choice between these depends on your material type, size, and desired output quality. Granulators are ideal for high-volume processing of clean metals, vertical mills for robust handling of mixed materials with minimal maintenance, and turbo mills for precise sizing and delamination of materials. Each has its niche in industrial processing, optimizing efficiency and output quality based on your specific application needs.
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