Reading Guide
1. Overview
Crusher Blade Selection Guide
This manual from Tyrone Environmental Protection Company systematically reviews the core performance characteristics (hardness, wear resistance, toughness) of mainstream blade materials for plastic crushing applications. It also provides information on suitable plastic types and application recommendations. The aim is to help customers quickly select the optimal blade material based on their specific crushing materials, thereby improving crushing efficiency and reducing operating and maintenance costs.
2. Core Cutting Tool Materials
Core cutting tool materials & compatibility
Alloy Blades Steel Series
A. 65Mn Spring Steel
– Core characteristics: Excellent toughness, strong impact resistance, low processing cost, high cost-effectiveness; moderate wear resistance, suitable for conventional working conditions.
– Suitable plastics: General-purpose low-hardness plastics, such as ordinary PE, PP film, woven bags, foamed plastics, and simple injection molded gate materials.
– Application suggestions: Suitable for small and medium-sized crushers, used for the initial processing of recycled waste plastics, in scenarios with small crushing volume (daily average ≤ 5 tons) and no impurities.
B.9CrSi (Alloy Tool Steel)
– Core characteristics: Superior wear resistance compared to 65Mn, with certain toughness, strong resistance to chipping, and mature heat treatment process.
– Suitable plastics: ABS, PS, HIPS and other general-purpose plastics, thin plates, pipes, plastic bottle caps, and daily necessities casings.
– Application suggestions: Suitable for powerful crushers, capable of processing plastics containing a small amount of minor impurities, with a daily crushing volume of 5-15 tons.
C.SK5/T10 (Carbon Tool Steel)
– Core characteristics: High sharpness, fast cutting response, moderate cost; slightly less tough than 9CrSi, not suitable for high-impact working conditions.
– Suitable plastics: PET bottle flakes, PVC film, non-reinforced nylon, plastic toys and other thin-walled products.
– Application suggestions: Suitable for… Flat-blade shredder, used for the fine crushing of plastic films and sheets; avoid crushing hard, lumpy materials.
D.SKD-11/D2 (Cold Work Tool Steel)
– Core Characteristics: High hardness, high wear resistance, good hardenability, and a service life 2-3 times longer than ordinary tool steel; balanced toughness, combining impact resistance and wear resistance.
– Suitable Plastics: General engineering plastics and medium-hardness modified materials, such as PC, ABS/PC alloy, PP reinforced materials (glass fiber content ≤10%), appliance casings, and automotive interior parts.
– Application Suggestions: A mainstream preferred material, suitable for powerful shredders with claw/blade cutters, with a daily crushing capacity of 15-30 tons, capable of processing plastics containing trace amounts of glass fiber or mineral fillers.
E.Cr12MoV (Cold Work Tool Steel)
– Core Characteristics: Extremely high wear resistance, outstanding deformation resistance, suitable for high-load crushing; slightly higher processing difficulty; often used in China as a substitute for imported Japanese SKD-11, and often directly referred to as domestically produced SKD-11.
– Suitable Plastics: High-hardness modified plastics, thick-walled pipes, profiles, plastic pallets, and large injection molded parts sprue waste.
– Application Suggestions: Used for heavy-duty shredders or granulator rotary cutters, for crushing high-hardness, thick plastics, in large-scale production scenarios with a daily crushing capacity of ≥30 tons.
High-Speed Steel (HSS) Series
1. W6Mo5Cr4V2 (General-Purpose High-Speed Steel)
– Key Characteristics: Excellent red hardness (high temperature resistance ≤600℃), superior wear resistance, maintains sharpness for a long time during cutting, strong fatigue resistance.
– Suitable Plastics: Highly abrasive engineering plastics, such as nylon (PA6/PA66) + glass fiber reinforced materials (glass fiber content 10%-30%), PBT/PC reinforced materials, and modified plastics containing mineral fillers.
– Application Suggestions: Suitable for combined multi-angle blades, used for pelletizing in granulators or crushing highly abrasive plastics, requires a good cooling system.
2. M2 (High-Performance High-Speed Steel)
– Key Characteristics: Superior overall performance compared to ordinary high-speed steel, further improved wear resistance and red hardness, can withstand higher cutting loads.
– Suitable Plastics: Ultra-high wear-resistant plastics, such as PA66 + GF30 and above high glass fiber materials, PEEK modified materials, and special plastics containing ceramic fillers (however, high-speed steel series blades are not suitable for stone panel manufacturing).
– Application Suggestions: High-end customized crushing requirements, used for recycling and processing of special engineering plastics, recommended to be used with carbide tool holders.
Carbide Series
1. Tungsten-Cobalt Carbide (WC-Co)
– Core characteristics: Extremely wear-resistant, hardness close to diamond, service life 5-8 times that of high-speed steel; however, it has low toughness and weak impact resistance, requiring special welding processes.
– Suitable plastics: High-wear, high-hardness materials, such as PET bottle flakes (containing sand impurities), glass fiber reinforced plastics (glass fiber content ≥30%), plastics filled with metal powder, and waste household appliance casings (containing trace metal impurities).
– Application suggestions: Used in flat-blade shredders or dedicated crushers; when crushing high-wear materials, the feed particle size needs to be controlled to avoid severe impact leading to blade chipping.
2. Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) Coated Alloy
– Core characteristics: Ultra-hard and wear-resistant, high temperature resistance (≤1200℃), excellent corrosion resistance; however, it has a high cost and complex processing technology.
– Suitable plastics: Special high-wear, corrosive plastics, such as plastics containing halogenated flame retardants, composite materials containing carbon fiber fillers, and high-temperature cured plastic waste.
– Application suggestions: High-end special crushing scenarios, such as aerospace waste plastic recycling and electronic component plastic casing crushing; requires custom-made blades from professional manufacturers.
Coating Modification Series
1. TiAlN (Titanium Aluminum Nitride) Coating
– Core Characteristics: Improves wear resistance by 30%-50% compared to the base material, while also possessing corrosion resistance and anti-sticking properties, extending the sharpness retention time of the cutting edge.
– Suitable Plastics: Easily sticky and corrosive plastics, such as PVC (containing chlorine), PEEK, PTFE modified materials, and plastics containing flame retardants.
– Application Suggestions: Suitable for upgrading conventional crushers, especially for plastic crushing in humid or corrosive environments, reducing the frequency of blade sharpening.
2. Nitriding Treatment Coating
– Core Characteristics: Improves surface wear resistance and anti-seizing properties, preventing plastic melting and sticking to the blades, without affecting the toughness of the base material.
– Suitable Plastics: Low-melting point and easily melted plastics, such as PE, PP thick-walled products, ABS hot-melt waste, and plastic films (to prevent entanglement and sticking to the blades).
– Application Suggestions: Suitable for crushing scenarios involving films and hot-melt plastics, significantly improving crushing efficiency and reducing the frequency of blade cleaning.
3. Supplementary Information
Basic Knowledge of Cutting Blades
1. Hardness and Toughness Balance: The higher the hardness of the cutting tool material, the stronger the wear resistance, but the toughness is usually weaker. The choice should be based on the impact resistance of the material (e.g., toughness should be prioritized for block materials, while hardness can be emphasized for film materials).
2. Blade Type Matching Suggestions: Claw-type blades are suitable for hard block/tubular plastics, with SKD-11/Cr12MoV being the preferred choice; flat-type blades are suitable for film/sheet materials, with 65Mn/M2 high-speed steel being the preferred choice; combined blade sets are suitable for granulation scenarios, with high-speed steel/coated materials being the preferred choice.
3. Service Life Reference: Under normal working conditions, the service life of 65Mn material is approximately 50-80 tons of plastic, SKD-11 is approximately 150-200 tons, high-speed steel is approximately 300-500 tons, and cemented carbide is approximately 800-1200 tons (this is affected by material characteristics and operating procedures).
4. Maintenance Impact: Materials with higher hardness (such as cemented carbide) are more difficult to sharpen and require professional equipment; ordinary tool steel can be easily sharpened manually, resulting in lower maintenance costs, but requiring more frequent maintenance.
