It started with a crunch, then a loud bang and finally a grinding holt. The trommel had broken down again. This time it was a rip in the drum, causing debris to foul a drive wheel and a drive gear chain to snap. After 15 years of sorting skip waste and dealing with regular breakdowns, costly repairs and wasted staff time, the sheer frustration drove Andrew Park of Smiths Skip Hire, with Steve Mattinson, a design engineer, and Bob Spencer a mechanical engineer to completely redesign and build a waste sorting system that would withstand the heavy construction waste that was the biggest part of incoming skip waste (concrete kerb stones, paving slabs and bricks). The first system was installed in Smith’s transfer station four years ago, when BSA Ltd was founded with Bob, Steve and Andrew as directors. That first trommel is still running 4 years after installation and the drum has not needed any attention. BSA Ltd has gone from strength to strength installing 7 new waste sorting systems in the North West and, with a strong ethos for quality and service, is sure to continue providing equipment built for purpose to the skip waste sorting industry.
John Davidson, Sales Manager at BSA, says, “We now have a proven system that is unique in the waste industry, built specifically to sort skip waste. We have a skilled team in place to deal with any skip hire company’s criteria, designing and building a system specifically for their needs, in the UK and Ireland.
The system has a 2m screening drum with punched holes of varying size with wide spacing to give more strength. The 12mm thick steel used will withstand a relentless heavy work load.
The normal drive mechanism of chains, gears and bearings has been replaced with a single heavy duty hydraulic drive motor powering two heavy duty prop shafts that in turn drive two of the four wheels rotating the trommel drum.
The standard steel wheels have been replaced with solid rubber reducing noise and vibration and should the wheels need attention the design allows this to be done easily without a major strip down or removal of the trommel drum, saving a lot of time.
The whole idea of redesigning and building a waste screening trommel was to make a seriously heavy duty system that was easy to maintain and built for purpose and not just adapted from soil and aggregate screens on the market.
Our system will without doubt stand up to high volume, screening heavy skip waste with the minimum of maintenance and can be made to suit any waste management company’s criteria, with over belt magnets, paper/plastic blowers and any amount of picking stations, and conveyer shoots.
This is a unique system build with the best materials available by a waste handling company for waste handling companies.
BSA Ltd is ISOQAR certified.
And the upshot of all this we are able to separate and recycle more waste, with minimum effort, reducing landfill costs and pushing up profit. In January 2006 Smith’s Skip Hire achieved an 87% recycling rate.
TROMMEL SCREEN FEEDER UNIT
Unique to BSA this remote- controlled, push box assembly, gives the grab or loading shovel driver complete control of the feed rate and speed, assuring the waste is thoroughly sorted right through to the picking belt operatives. With a throughput capacity of around 150 tonnes per hour, it will keep up with even the busiest skip yard. If however your throughput is higher we will make a system to suit your needs.
HYDRAULICS AND ELECTRICS
The heavy duty hydraulic power unit is housed under the feeder unit in a closed steel box keeping it free of debris and stray bricks. It is at the same time easily accessible. The hydraulic motor replaces the chains and gears normally found on trommel systems and is a lot less susceptible to wear.
Pressures and speeds are adjustable to suit different waste types. This can be done manually or by remote control. We have also featured a sequenced shut down, making sure all sections are empty before stopping, this ensures the that the trommel is not restarted ½ loaded so the hydraulic motor is not under stress leading to a longer working life.
TROMMEL ASSEMBLY
Constructed of heavy duty steel throughout, the 12mm thick screens are punched with varying sized holes with a minimum of 12 mm spacing ensuring durability even in the harshest conditions. The trommel drum is driven by a heavy duty hydraulic motor via propshafts to the solid rubber tyres, significantly reducing noise and vibration. If required a wheel change can be done with the minimum of fuss.
PICKING STATION
Again unique to BSA ltd, the picking station system is constructed of a belt on close mounted rollers with heavy duty bearings and impact beds with or without shoots. The area under the rollers is made of perforated steel plates allowing dust and debris to fall rather than blocking up the under side of the belt. The picking station belts can be manufactured to suit you requirements.