Page 51 from: Recycling International: Free Issue, 2 2023
TECHNOLOGY EXPERT
Lead the pack with
Zato’s Blue Devil
If you are in the scrap metal recycling business and work with twin shaft shredders or rotary shears, then you will
almost certainly have come across ‘Zato grade’ scrap.
Zato Grade scrap is a loose dense scrap which is largely free from
dust, dirt and impurities, is easy to melt and commands a premium
price as it is highly valued by steel mills and foundries. Zato grade is
produced by the Twin shaft rotary shear known as “The Blue Devil” a
rotary shear that is immediately recognised by those in the know and
has come to define the genre. The Blue Devil is the signature shred-
der in Zato´s product portfolio with over 150 machines sold world-
wide. Far from being the only twin shaft shredder on the market,
Zato´s remarkable and rapid success has a lot to do with how our cus-
tomers rate it: “Reliable, sturdy, high output, efficient and virtually
maintenance free”.
THE VALUE CHAIN: FROM THE METAL RECYCING YARD TO
THE STEEL MILL.
Blue Devil’s customers range from humble scrap metal recycling
yards right up to mega steel mills. An increasing number of steel
mills, especially EAF or Electric Arc Furnaces are committed to ful-
filling the requirements of creating a circular economy and scrap
processed with a Zato Blue Devil helps them to achieve these lofty
goals. With 60 individual rotating blades the Blue Devil generates a
dense but loose sheared scrap that is 99% free of contaminants and
uses less far less energy to melt than bales or shear baler processed
scrap. Mixing Zato grade scrap with other grades ensures that fur-
nace loading buckets are 100% full.
BLUE DEVIL: A GUARDIAN ANGEL FOR HAMMER MILLS
When used to pre-shred scrap, the Blue Devil becomes a guardian
angel for hammer mills. Not only does it prevent dangerous and
costly explosions by neutralising compressed natural gas cylinders,
scrap car fuel tanks or any other pressurised cylinders but it will also
filter out any unshredables before they get to the hammer mill. The
low speed, no impact high toque blades safely cut open pressurised
vessels without the risk of explosions. Hammer mills which are fed
with Blue Devil pre shredded scrap will increase their `Tons per
hour´ output by around 40%. Furthermore, power peaks are elimi-
nated there by reducing total power consumption by around 20%
while significantly increasing the life of expensive ware parts such as
hammers, grids and plates.
Adding a Blue Devil pre-shredder upstream of a hammer allows mill
operators to extract the full potential from their shredders while
reducing costs, downtime and maintenance. Traditional toothed
pre-shredders or “package openers”, which can only pre shred cars
or bales can let potentially explosive items and unshredables fall
between their teeth unprocessed.
ADVANTAGES:
• The low-speed high torque shafts generate a powerful shredding force with no impact and
minimal fines generation.
• No costly foundations or civil works are required for the installation.
• Worldwide delivery and installation are fast and problem free thanks to entrusted experts.
• Machine operating costs are exceptionally low compared with a hammer mill.
• High hourly production rates (25-35 t/h) which allows for fast turnaround times to take
advantage of favourable market conditions.
• Runs autonomously, no independent operator required.
• All electrical and hydraulic components are protected from the elements by our inhouse
manufactured container.
• With at least three machines in production on any given month, comprehensive spare parts
are always available.
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