Use Briquetting Machines to Process Copper Chips
Copper chips mainly come from turning, milling, drilling, and other machining processes in workshops. They can also include copper powder generated during grinding and polishing. They are not ordinary scraps but important recyclable resources. Their value is much higher than steel chips. Because have a very large surface area exposed to air, improper handling can easily cause oxidation. They may also be mixed with other impurities, which can contaminate the material, reduce recycling purity, and finally lower its value. The attached cutting fluid can also affect the real recycling value.
Modern industry provides a way to turn copper chips into compact briquettes. Their volume can be reduced by more than 10 times through pressing with a professional metal briquetting machine. At the same time, most of the cutting fluid can also be squeezed out. This redefines the condition of scraps, making it more stable, easier to control, and better able to retain its original high-value properties. Widely used in industrial fields and recycling centers.
Enerpat - Copper Chip Briquetting Machine Manufacturer
Enerpat has decades of experience in the field of metal recycling equipment. We have always focused on using briquetting machines to process different types of metal chips, making loose, oily, and hard-to-manage scraps easier and more cost-effective to handle.
Enerpat has helped many customers around the world solve copper chip handling and recycling problems. We offer several machine models to choose from. The small series does not take up much space, while the heavy-duty series provides stronger pressing force and higher output. For copper briquettes, the hourly output can range from 100 kg to ten tons. The industrial-grade hydraulic system provides sufficient pressing force. The PLC automatic control system keeps the feeding, pressing, and discharging process continuous and smooth. The industrial cooling system supports 24-hour machine operation, truly meeting the needs of long daily production.
As a professional manufacturer, we offer more than just a single machine. Also offer various supporting equipment to build a complete production line system, giving you more advantages in labor saving and in handling different scraps shapes. Other types of metal chips, such as aluminum, iron, steel, and alloy chips, can also be efficiently pressed into high-density briquettes. We have multiple warehouses in the United States and Mexico, providing more convenient equipment supply and after-sales support.
Types of Copper chips Briquetting Machines
Compact mold space, capable of producing 70 mm diameter briquettes. It takes up very little floor space and is equipped with movable casters. Although the hydraulic pressing force is only 50 tons, it is fully sufficient for pressing copper chips with relatively soft material properties. Suitable for small businesses or laboratories, providing excellent convenience and flexibility.
- Pressing force: 50 tons
- Output diameter 70mm
- Compact structure, space-saving
- Waste liquid drawer-type collection box
Mature technology, capable of processing various types of metal chips. It has one discharge outlet, and the operating logic is to press first and then output. It achieves a balance between output and equipment cost, making it an entry-level choice for most machining workshops.
- Models: BM-1090, BM-1612, BM-2013
- Pressing force 100, 160, 200 tons
- Output diameter 90, 120, 130mm
- Cutting fluid recovery rate over 95%
Two discharge outlets, with a more complex structure. It has two independent mold chambers that form briquettes alternately and then discharge briquettes alternately. Therefore, the output efficiency is twice that of the single-output series, and the hydraulic system has a high utilization rate. The raised discharge outlet design allows collection boxes or ton bags to be placed directly underneath, without raising the machine.
- Models BM-D1090, D1612, D2013
- Pressing force 100, 160, 200 tons
- Output diameter 90, 120, 130mm
- Suitable for high production needs
Larger overall structure, while also providing higher hydraulic pressing force and larger briquette sizes. It can press a very wide range of metal chip types. For copper chips, the maximum processing capacity can reach more than 10 tons per hour. Suitable for various large machining workshops, and usually integrated with a production line.
- Pressing force: 310 to 1250 tons
- Output diameter: 140 to 310 mm
- Higher molding density and weight
- Higher extrusion cutting fluid efficiency
Copper Chips Briquetting System
The system has a complete production process and can handle various complex metal scraps. It integrates a shredder, a de-oiling, a briquetting machine, a waste oil collection tank, and various conveying equipment. The entire process is automatically controlled and transported. For copper chips, using a de-oiling to recover cutting fluid in advance is more effective than direct pressing, helping achieve higher recycling value. Using a shredder to reduce them into short chips is mainly for better feeding and briquette forming.
For factories with large volumes of complex copper chips that need efficient processing, a complete briquetting system is recommended. It changes the process from manual handling to automatic conveying; from messy material piles to continuous output; from an oily and disordered condition to a neat and dry material form; and from hazardous waste to general solid waste.
- The whole process, from shredder feeding to discharge, is controlled by PLC. It supports one-button start and unattended operation, requiring only regular briquette collection.
- Equipment such as shredders, de-oiling, and conveyors can be flexibly selected to customized solutions for different scraps conditions, including long curled, sheet-like, powder, and oil-containing.
- Enclosed conveyors are used between different equipment, with dust collection ports configured to reduce leakage and keep the production site cleaner.
How Are Copper Chip Briquettes Made?
Loose copper chips in the hopper is forced and quantitatively pushed into the pressing mold through the screw rotation. This helps avoid uneven feeding and blockage. The feeding amount can be adjusted to change the thickness of the briquette.
The main hydraulic cylinder pushes the hydraulic head with strong pressure, pressing the material inside the mold into a high-density briquette. It relies on sufficient physical pressing force for cold forming, without heating.
During pressing and forming, the cutting fluid and oil in the gaps between scraps are squeezed out and separated under strong pressure. They then flow out through the drainage structure. After further treatment, they can be reused.
After pressing is completed, the hydraulic rod returns, the discharge outlet opens, and the materials is automatically pushed out without manual removal. Then the machine enters the next pressing cycle.
Global Customer Case Studies of Copper Chips Briquetting
A large metal manufacturing company in Asia needs to process a large amount of copper powder generated from lithium battery dismantling every day. Because they has fine particles and low density, long-term loose storage takes up a lot of space. It also contains residual electrolyte, making it flammable and inconvenient to transport. Direct selling also brings a lower value.
Enerpat configured two BM-6320 heavy-duty briquetting machines for the customer, output diameter of 200 mm. The material volume was reduced by 80%, and the electrolyte was effectively removed.
This made the customer’s material storage more centralized, while bagging and transportation efficiency were significantly improved. Customer feedback: the equipment solved multiple problems of storage, environmental protection, and material value at one time.
A machining workshop of a large company in the United States produces 50 tons of copper chips every month. Pain points: the spiral scraps contain oil, manual cleaning is dangerous, and they also pollute the environment, making recycling difficult.
The customer used integrated BM-1090 briquetting system, which provides fully automatic shredding, briquetting, and oil removal.
Oil content decreased significantly, and the space occupied is greatly reduced. The recycling price increased by 20%, and the recovered oil was reused. The customer said, “Since then, the workshop has become cleaner and safer, and we have saved a lot of costs.”
- Before & After
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The thickness mainly depends on the amount of material that enters the pressing mold chamber each time. Through the PLC control system, the rotation time and number of turns of the screw blades can be adjusted, thereby controlling the feeding amount for each cycle.
The more material is fed, the thicker the briquette will be. However, we recommend keeping it at a moderate level.
Because the volume is greatly reduced, the workshop environment becomes less messy, and more storage space is available. Because the cutting fluid is recovered, there is less concern about environmental inspections, and purchasing costs are also reduced. Because the copper chips become cleaner and more organized, the recycling price can increase by 20–30%. The effect is also significant in saving manual handling costs and transportation costs.
Yes. From a technical point of view, our briquetting machine can press various types of metal chips. However, we strongly do not recommend mixing them for processing, because it can cause serious economic loss. Even if only 5% brass is mixed in, it can directly destroy the high-value properties of red copper.
Therefore, we recommend separating them from the very beginning, for example by using an eddy current separator, but the cost is relatively high.
Only one operator is needed to manage the system. From the first material feeding, to intermediate conveying, and finally to briquette discharge and bagging, the whole process is completed automatically.
The operator is mainly responsible for starting the equipment, observing the running status, checking the hopper and ton bag loading condition, and making simple adjustments when needed.
Copper chips themselves have good forming properties. Under high hydraulic pressure, they can form high-density, heavy, and tightly structured briquettes. And also have clear edges and do not shed loose particles. Even if they fall from a certain height, they will not break obviously, and can meet the requirements for later storage and recycling.
Yes. Compared with other metal chips, copper itself has a higher recycling value. Therefore, after changing from a loose and oil-containing condition into compact briquettes, the economic benefits are also more obvious.
In addition to reducing cutting fluid costs, transportation costs, and daily operating consumption, the more important high-value attributes are better reflected when selling. After considering all these factors, many customers can recover their investment in about one year at the fastest.
