Around 65% of a junked car is steel, with the other 35% made up of other metals, glass, rubber and upholstery. Recycling this metal uses up around 75% less energy than making new steel. Buying recycled steel is cheaper too because new ore does not have to be mined to produce it. With all steel today made up of at least 25% recycled steel, and the number of products made of solely recycled steel increasing, auto recycling has become a vital link in the world’s industrial infrastructure, proving how lucrative a business the auto recycling industry is.
One of the first steps in preparing a vehicle to be reprocessed and recycled is condensing the car. This is done with a car crusher/flattener. The crusher condenses the car so that it takes up less space, drastically reducing transportation and storing costs. There are two primary types of car crushers, “pancake” compactors, such as the MAC Stationary Car Flattener (Electric) and baling press compactors. The “pancake” kind flatten the scrap automobile with a huge descending hydraulically-powered plate, while the baling press type compress the auto from several directions until it resembles a large cube.
Worldwide Recycling Equipment Sales, LLC put the crusher to the test on a Pontiac. This 23’ x 7’ 6” x 11’ 6” powerful crusher flattened the Pontiac with 2400 psi at 1800 rom of pressure, living up to its 306,000 lbs crushing capabilities. In just 45 seconds, the car went from drivable to scrap metal. The flattener is powered by a 50 hp, 489 VAC, 3-phase Lincoln electric motor, comes complete with controls and is in good working condition, as this demo video proves.
Electric MAC Stationary Car Flattener Crushing a Pontiac