MechChem Africa July-August 2023

Recycling to reduce pollution and waste volumes going to landfill has long been a key element of waste management. Increasingly, however, it is a crucial sector for the modern circular economy and the protection of the planet. Tony dos Santos of Bonfiglioli South Africa outlines the company’s global capability. Bonfiglioli recycling solutions: working towards a sustainable economy

“G lobally, we have been active in the recycling industry for the past decade and, thanks to numerous prod uct developments and expansions, we have established a solid reputation in this sector,” says Tony dos Santos, Bonfiglioli SA’s MD. “We offer a complete range of solutions to meet any need in this rugged and de manding market. Recycling solutions have to be developed with the highest levels of customisation in mind, which requires, right from the initial design, in-depth in teraction between our customers and our Bonfiglioli design teams. This ensures that all the required specifications and variants are known so that the end product can be perfectly matched to expectations,” he says. “This is why our pre-sales and after-sales

A modular energy efficient Bonfiglioli C-Series geared motor with a BSR synchronous motor and a decentralized DGM inverter.

teams – spread strategically across all con tinents – play such a crucial role, and why delivering complete support is at the heart of our global success. The product range and its proven reliability are only the starting points of a profitable relationship,” he adds. Bonfiglioli’s custom solutions for re cycling plants cover the complete range of applications from shredding machines to conveyors and compactors. “From the inverters to the motors, gearboxes and geared motors, we have Bonfiglioli com ponents that can be selected, customised and used in machine designs that meet the needs of whole recycling systems. We have successes in many different kinds of waste recycling, including rubber tyres, metals, paper and plastic, always with a focus on application-driven customisation,” he adds. Key Bonfiglioli products for recycling systems Primary shredding, which is used to

equipment, delivering the high torque per formance required. The R3 Series planetary range is purpose built for the recycling sector and par ticularly well suited to primary shredding machines in recycling plants. Compact and powerful, R3 planetary gear trains are the ideal choice for severe duty applications where shock loads and impacts are more the rule than the exception. The R3 also offers several mounting op tions for flexible configuration with respect to the gear layout, the output shaft and the motor interface. Depending on the torque needed, the R3 Series can be equipped with a hydraulic motor adapter, while an electric motor adapter is available on request. Secondary shredding, while not always necessary, is used if further size reduction is required to suit the needs downstream. If, for example, the waste must be sorted into different material types, then a secondary shred-size may be required to allow separa tion of the different materials in the waste. “For some materials, secondary shredder torque can be over 2.0 kNm. Thanks to a high peak load capacity, planetary gears such as the Bonfiglioli 300M series offer best-in-class mechanical performance, and Bonfiglioli is one of the few OEMs that can guarantee these levels of torque for a complete range of shredding machine applications. Conveying systems are a third corner stone of most recycling systems. Bonfiglioli offers products such as the parallel shaft F-Series and the helical bevel A-Series drives for a variety of conveying systems. High dynamic response and energy ef ficiency are signature features, and these are cost-effective with extended service intervals for low costs of ownership. Waste material recovery solutions will often have compactors at the end of their

‘pre-chop’ the waste material to a size appropriate for stor age, transport or downstream processing, is at the starting point of many recycling plants. Bonfiglioli planetary products are a key feature of shredding

Compact and powerful, R3 planetary gear trains are the ideal choice for severe duty applications such as primary shredding machines. Inset: Bonfiglioli R3 EVOX 318 geared motor.

14 ¦ MechChem Africa • July-August 2023