Yes, there are industrial-grade crushers and shredders specifically designed to crush empty car battery cases. This is a standard and crucial piece of equipment in the battery recycling industry. Here’s a detailed breakdown:
Why Specialized Equipment is Required:
1. Tough Material: Empty battery cases are made of hard, thick polypropylene (PP) plastic, designed to withstand vibration and contain acid. They require heavy-duty machinery to break apart.
2. Separation Goal: The main purpose is to liberate and separate the clean plastic from any remaining lead fragments, lead paste, or separators stuck inside after the initial breaking stage. Crushing creates small, uniform plastic flakes that are easier to wash, separate, and sell.
3. Safety & Containment: Professional crushers for this application are built to manage potential residual hazards (like lead dust) with features such as dust-proofing, sealed housings, and often integration with ventilation or filtration systems.
How It Typically Works in a Recycling Line:
A dedicated Battery Case Crusher (or granulator) is usually part of a multi-step system:
1. Primary Breaking: Whole used batteries are often first put through a hammer mill or heavy shredder to smash them open.
2. Separation Stage 1: The broken material goes into a tank or trommel to separate the liquid acid and lead/oxide paste from the plastic cases and lead grids.
3. Crushing/Granulating: The empty plastic battery cases are then fed into the specialized crusher/granulator. This machine uses rotating blades or shafts to cut and crush the hard plastic into small flakes (typically 10-30mm in size).
4. Separation Stage 2: These plastic flakes undergo further washing, rinsing, and sink-float separation to remove any remaining non-plastic contaminants, yielding clean, market-ready PP plastic flakes.
Key Features of a Battery Case Crusher:
· Heavy-Duty Rotor & Blades: Made from high-strength alloy steel to handle the tough, abrasive plastic.
· Robust Screen: A perforated metal screen determines the final output flake size.
· High Torque & Power: Electric or hydraulic drives provide the necessary force.
· Durable Construction: Often made with hardened or wear-resistant liners to withstand abrasion.
Manufacturer Example:
XINYI MACHINERY is a leading China manufacturer and supplier that produce such equipment. XINYI MACHINERY not only produces car battery case crushers and shredders, but also produces blue drum crusher and shredder, PET water bottle drink bottle crusher and shredders, pipe crusher machines and shredder machines, plastic drum crusher, plastic case crusher, plastic barrel shredder, blue barrel crusher, blue drum crusher machine, etc.
In summary: A crusher for empty car battery cases is not just a generic machine; it's a purpose-built industrial crusher/granulator that plays a vital role in ensuring efficient and profitable recovery of high-quality plastic within the battery recycling chain.
