The company says the Cat MH3026 material handler offers high performance with lower operating costs.

Construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar, Deerfield, Illinois, has launched the Cat MH3026 material handler. The company says the loader is designed to provide superior performance, low operating costs and improved operator efficiency. 

According to a news release from Caterpillar, the material handler is powered by the Cat C7.1 engine, capable of operating on up to B20 biodiesel and meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s final Tier 4 emission standards. The company says the engine’s maintenance-free aftertreatment system lowers operating costs and maximizes machine uptime. It also offers the choice between power and economy modes, offering up to 10 percent lower fuel usage than previous models without sacrificing machine performance.

The company says the loader has Standard Product Link, which captures operating data such as location, hours, fuel usage, productivity, idle time, maintenance alerts and fault codes, which can be remotely accessed and tracked to boost fleet management efficiency.

The loader also features an electrohydraulic system the company says optimizes the balance of power and efficiency, improving cycle times to handle more material in the same amount of time. The new hydraulic oil filter improves filtration and increases change intervals to 3,000 operating hours and lasts 50 percent longer than previous designs. New anti-drain valves keep the hydraulic oil clean during filter replacement. 

All engine filters feature a coordinated 1,000-operating-hour change interval. The air intake filter with precleaner lasts up to 1,000 hours to reduce maintenance requirements, according to Caterpillar.

The vehicle’s cooling fan features a standard automatic reverse function to keep the cores clean, maximizing machine uptime. An optional vibrating cooling screen activates during reverse fan operation to further improve dust and debris removal.

For more information about the new Cat MH3026 material handler, click here.

The company has introduced its VS model, available in stationary, transportable and mobile platforms.

Vezzani, a scrap metal equipment manufacturer based in Ovada, Italy, has introduced its VS model scrap shears, which the company says were designed to meet the needs of an evolving scrap industry.

According to a news release from Vezzani, the VS system is a precompression gravity feed scrap shear that delivers fast, powerful and productive performance. The VS is available in stationary, transportable, and mobile platforms.

The company says customization is available to meet specific client requirements. These options include lifting, self-loading legs, base structure with processed scrap pusher, tracks allowing full mobility, feeding box extension, protective covers and an inclined conveyor belt. Power also can be supplied with onboard diesel engines or for more permanent installations electricity.

Improve workplace safety and utilization with automated material handling solutions.

Amid times of workforce challenges, it is imperative for companies to adopt automated scrap recycling solutions that reduce manual labor and prioritize worker safety. As labor shortages persist, preventing injuries, maximizing operator utilization and promoting uptime will be essential to efficient and profitable processing. Adding or upgrading material handling equipment is an apt place to start. With that in mind, here are three ways automated material handling solutions help reduce workforce challenges.

Any recycling process that is completed more efficiently allows for valuable resources to be used in other areas of the operation. Conveyors, for example, are proven to raise productivity by up to 60 percent, according to data from Prab. Compared with manual transfer processes, they move metal scrap more quickly and consistently to help support continuous processing. Additionally, systems that automate load-out processes not only save time and labor, but they also optimize container fill. These systems can include automatic level sensors that provide visual alerts when the container is full, integral scales that verify containers are not exceeding road weight limits and automatic notifications sent directly to the scrap haulers when a pickup is necessary.

With approximately 250,000 people injured per year due to a fall in the workplace, it’s no surprise that Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations require employers to have clean, dry floors. Large piles of metal scrap coated in cutting fluids put operators at risk for trips, slips and falls. Lifting heavy items and forklift accidents are other leading causes of workplace injuries.

Dumpers, conveyors and load-out systems that automate the transfer of metal scrap are shown to improve workplace safety up to 25 percent, according to Prab data. They promote ergonomic processing, reduce forklift traffic and help keep operators a safe distance away from shredding, crushing and melting equipment.

Preconditioning metal scrap to ensure downstream equipment can process the material can also prevent hazardous working conditions. For example, augers and steel belts sometimes fail to consistently move bushy bundles of metal scrap because they are unable to grab hold of stringy wads of material. Instead, the bundles bounce around the in-feed hopper—usually until an operator manually breaks them up or forces them up the conveyor. This practice is incredibly unsafe.

Additionally, when equipment isn’t performing optimally, employees may become frustrated and dissatisfied with their job. Adding equipment that tears stringy wads of chips, turnings and bundles apart prior to the auger or steel belt conveyor will help minimize the need for operator intervention altogether.

Labor shortages don’t only affect in-house staffing capabilities—they also impact third-party contractors, such as equipment technicians. Whether your operation enlists the services of a technician to perform preventive maintenance or mission-critical repairs, service may be delayed due to a lack of available resources. Fortunately, certain design features of material handling equipment can help prevent downtime related to maintenance, including:

Build quality: Heavy-duty, abrasion-resistant construction materials and high-quality welds are critical to meeting the high-volume demand typical of metal scrap recycling operations. Design features that provide reinforcement and/or reduce impact, such as special supports and belt-reinforcing impact plates, help extend a conveyor’s service life and maximize uptime.

Simplified maintenance: Belt maintenance and bearing lubrication are aspects of routine conveyor maintenance that can be minimized through automated solutions. Auto lube systems that automatically grease bearings improve bearing performance and eliminate maintenance required for manual greasing. To eliminate manual belt adjustments and the issues associated with stretched belts, an auto-take up system can be designed into the conveyor. This feature automatically monitors tension using load cells on chain conveyors and tightens the belt to eliminate manual adjustments and downtime. These systems can be added to new conveyors or retrofitted onto existing models. Automatic adjustments can be scheduled to be completed during low production times or shift changes.

Carryover prevention: Above all, avoid carryover that may damage conveyor equipment by utilizing a conveyor designed to provide a positive discharge of material. For instance, some scrap conveyors eliminate carryover by using a drag flight to pull material toward the discharge point. When the flights pivot out of the way, stuck materials dislodge from the machine.

It is projected that industrial operations will continue to face labor shortages as the workforce ages. Managing turnover is also a challenge. According to a report from Tooling U-SME, 43 percent of companies report an average of at least 20 percent annual turnover that costs them hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of dollars annually.

Compensation and safe working conditions are table stakes. Today’s employees have higher aspirations for their work experiences. In a poll conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 41 percent of respondents indicated that prospective employees are looking for a positive work environment. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reports that good housekeeping in the workplace not only creates a cleaner, safer workplace, but also promotes positive behaviors, habits and attitudes. In this way, conveyors and other material handling solutions also can impact employees’ perceptions about their jobs. Improved housekeeping achieved through effective management of metal scrap helps make the working environment feel tidy and orderly, which can contribute to a more favorable view of work overall.

Mike Hook is the sales and marketing director for Prab and has more than 20 years of mechanical design and application experience. Prab is a leading supplier of engineered conveyors, equipment for processing stamping scrap, turnings, chips and spent metalworking fluids, as well as wastewater treatment solutions.

South Carolina-based Atlas demonstrates mobile composting unit in Connecticut.

Spartanburg, South Carolina-based Atlas Organics held an event in West Haven, Connecticut, in mid-January to demonstrate its EASP Modular Unit. Atlas describes the system as “a fully remote, off-grid solution to diverting organic waste and creating quality compost.”

The EASP Modular Unit powers all blowers as well as monitoring and control systems needed to run an extended aerated static pile (ASP), says the company.

“Our hope for this project is that it demonstrates to the people of West Haven and other municipalities, that when you are faced with solid waste management decisions, there are things you can do,” says Doug Colter with the city of West Haven. “This ASP project will show that we can incorporate more and more organics from our waste stream into a usable product,” he adds.

Colter, the city’s project manager, is overseeing a food waste diversion and compost pilot project funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Agriculture Department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service Urban Farming program.

He says the composting project is permitted by the department as a pilot and is a public-private partnership with Atlas.

“Modular Units like these can finally provide a much-needed solution for municipalities with limited space,” says Atlas Organics CEO Joseph McMillin. “The Modular Unit allows for a large amount of material to be processed in a small space with limited infrastructure.”

According to Atlas, which recently was acquired by San Francisco-based Generate Capital, the Modular Unit is made using a 20-foot shipping container that is outfitted with a newly developed control system that allows operators, managers and engineers to see and communicate with the unit remotely.

The unit comes equipped with temperature probes, a solar photovoltaic (PV) system, a three-blower EASP system with piping, an operations manual and Solvita maturity kits used in soil testing.

Farmingdale, New York-based Posillico adds to its recycling and wash plant facility with CDE’s Hydro:Tip product.

Farmingdale, New York-based Posillico Inc. has invested in a new 20 tons per hour hydrovac materials washing plant for its recycling facility on Long Island in New York.

The company has commissioned a new Hydro:Tip unit to recover what equipment provider CDE calls “high-value, in-spec recycled sand and aggregates from waste muds, fluids and clays – byproducts generated from the hydro excavation process.”

Established in 1946, Posillico Inc. is a fourth-generation family business that provides a range of integrated services including heavy civil work for the public and private sectors to environmental remediation, paving, drilling and utilities contracting.

In 2019, Posillico partnered with wet processing industry supplier CDE to remove contaminants and extract value from contaminated soil that formerly had been destined for landfills. “The Posillico team understood that with the right technology this material could be processed, generating new revenue streams while simultaneously producing in-spec secondary sand and aggregate products for the construction industry in New York,” states CDE.

The three-acre Posillico Farmingdale facility has the capacity to recycle up to 3,000 tons of soil per day while recovering recyclable and saleable products that meet State of New York remediation standards. Products recovered include concrete and mason sands, and three different sized aggregates.

CDE business development manager Joseph Teahl says Posillico’s drive to transform the recycling sector in the local market is matched by its commitment to investing in the right technology, as demonstrated by its investment in the Hydro:Tip.

“It was identified that there was a need to recycle hydro excavation waste on Long Island,” says Teahl. “The team at Posillico recognized the problem at hand and, knowing CDE technology intimately, turned to us to explore workable solutions for handling this tricky-to-process waste.”

Comments Posillico facility manager Robert Tassey, “We saw a need in the market to address the waste burden generated by hydro excavated material. Our existing CDE contaminated soils wash plant has demonstrated not only the capabilities of the technology, but the commitment of the CDE team to finding new and pioneering ways to close the loop. We knew CDE was the right partner for the job.”

CDE’s Hydro:Tip is designed to allow operators to process wet materials including mud, fluid and clay in a cost-effective and responsible manner, facilitating the recovery of sand and aggregates that can be re-sold to generate additional revenue streams.

Suitable for urban environments, the Hydro:Tip enables hydro excavation fleets to set up closer to extraction sources to reduce transport time, cost and fuel emissions, says CDE. It then achieves significant landfill diversion with most of the solids recovered from hydro excavation activities being reusable in the construction industry, adds the United Kingdom-based firm, which has a United States office in Texas. 

“Our goals for the materials business are to provide the highest quality materials at the best prices for our valued customers,” says Posillico’s Tassey. “The hydro excavated waste that we are bringing in is comprised of the same type of fill that we bring in normally. So, we knew there was valuable material critical to the construction industry locked within this waste stream. The only difference is that it’s more of a slurry form and more difficult to handle.”

Posillico’s 20 tons per hour Hydro:Tip system ensures the safe processing of wet waste, providing optimal material recovery and creating valuable resources, says CDE’s Teahl. “Tankers deposit their load directly into the hopper, after which the material is rinsed and dewatered with CDE’s Infinity Screen technology before the oversize material is deposited.”

“Our sand fraction falls to the sump from where it is pumped to the cyclone in order to remove the silt-water slurry. All of that output – the oversize material and sand fraction – is then loaded into the complete C&D waste wash plant process which enables further wet processing to guarantee final in-spec sand and aggregate products.”                                          

The new equipment also is removing the costly burden associated with slurry disposal for Posillico, says Tassey. “With the addition of the Hydro:Tip, we’re now able to dewater those slurries, separate the liquid from the solids, process the water directly into our wash plant, and then handle the solid material in the same way we would with our other incoming fill,” he comments. “It’s the cleanest, safest, most effective and efficient way to manage hydro excavated waste on Long Island.”

Up to 85 percent of hydrovac material coming into Posillico’s Farmingdale facility is being reclaimed via its CDE system, recovering products including marketable aggregates and sands, say the two companies.

Commenting on the relationship between CDE and Posillico, Teahl says it’s gratifying to see the partnership flourish. “Posillico’s commitment to CDE as well as our commitment to them is evident in what we have managed to achieve together at Farmingdale and the impact the facility is having on the island.”

Tassey says the two companies share an excellent working relationship. “I’d recommend working with CDE because they’re reliable and they have a genuine, authentic determination to provide the highest level of customer service in the industry. They engineer real solutions to urgent real-world problems,” says the Posillico plant manager.