
Can Crusher Working Process
1. Material Inspection and Preparation
Cans and light metal containers should be inspected before crushing. Sealed containers, aerosol cans, pressurized cans, flammable residues, batteries and other hazardous materials must be removed or prepared separately.
The material should be identified as aluminum, tinplate, steel or mixed packaging scrap because the downstream separation process depends on the metal composition.
2. Controlled Feeding
Loose or prepared cans are transferred into the crushing chamber by a conveyor or suitable feeding device. Flattening may be added when loose cans need volume reduction or more stable feeding before crushing.
Dense can bales or tightly compressed material may require bale opening or primary shredding before entering the hammer crusher.
3. Hammer Crushing
A high-speed rotor drives the hammers to repeatedly impact, deform and break the cans inside the crushing chamber. Friction and compression between the hammers, liner plates and screen grate further reduce the material.
4. Screening and Discharge
Material that meets the selected screen opening is discharged from the crusher, while oversized pieces remain inside for further crushing. The actual output depends on the can material, feeding condition, hammer arrangement and screen opening.
5. Magnetic Separation
After crushing, magnetic separation can recover steel cans, tinplate fractions, iron pull tabs and other ferrous components. Aluminum and non-magnetic material continue to the next processing stage.
6. Optional Non-Ferrous and Light-Material Separation
After ferrous metal removal, screening and suitable material preparation, eddy current separation may be used to recover aluminum from appropriate non-conductive residues.
Airflow sorting can be considered when the processed material contains labels, plastic film, paper, foam or other lightweight impurities.
7. Dust Collection and Material Collection
Dust collection can be configured around the crushing chamber, conveyor transfer points and separation equipment according to the contamination level and site requirements. Processed materials are transferred to separate collection areas according to the selected sorting process.