Abstract: A chip plow conveyor for conveying abrasive scrap includes an elongated trough having a flat bottom and sides, and a chip-motivating pusher bar. The pusher bar moves longitudinally and floats laterally as the pusher bar reciprocates to move scrap along the trough. Lateral floating of the pusher bar helps overcome binding caused by scrap material wedging between the pusher bar and one of the sides, but wedging still causes the pusher bar to engage the sides with substantial force. The pusher bar includes a bearing component with beveled front corners on a leading end of the pusher bar, with the inclined ramps providing angled engagement with the sides and characteristically providing a longitudinally-angled corner surface arrangement that cannot be sharpened into a knife-simulating edge even after substantial wear against the flat bottom and the sides of the trough.

Abstract: A chip plow conveyor for conveying abrasive scrap includes an elongated trough having a flat bottom and sides, and a chip-motivating pusher bar. The pusher bar moves longitudinally and floats laterally as the pusher bar reciprocates to move scrap along the trough. Lateral floating of the pusher bar helps overcome binding caused by scrap material wedging between the pusher bar and one of the sides, but wedging still causes the pusher bar to engage the sides with substantial force. The pusher bar includes a bearing component with beveled front corners on a leading end of the pusher bar, with the inclined ramps providing angled engagement with the sides and characteristically providing a longitudinally-angled corner surface arrangement that cannot be sharpened into a knife-simulating edge even after substantial wear against the flat bottom and the sides of the trough.

Abstract: A centrifugal device for separating lubricating or other fluid from fluid impregnated scrap, metal shavings or the like, includes a separator bowl disposed within the centrifuge device and a drive mechanism for rotating the separator bowl. The separator bowl includes a bottom wall and an angled side wall. A plurality of blades include bottom flanges and angled side flanges that mateably engage the bottom wall and the side wall, respectively. Threaded fasteners each include a head abutting an exterior surface of the side wall and a shaft that extends through the side wall and threadably into an associated one of the blades. The fastener heads characteristically are positioned in a location where the heads are readily accessible from outside the separator bowl and where the heads will not be worn by the scrap and metal shavings processed through the centrifugal device. A slotted clamp plate clampingly secures the bottom flanges to the bowl bottom to securely retain the blades in place.

Abstract: A chip conveyor has an upwardly open housing defining a U-shaped trough for conveying metal chips from a machining operation. The housing includes a bottom and defines an upper edge. A reciprocatable plow ram is positioned in the housing for motivating the metal chips along the trough. An actuator is located in the housing for reciprocating the ram, the actuator including a cylinder and an extendable rod associated with the cylinder and connected to the ram by an upright bracket that helps position the cylinder and rod above the bottom of the trough. The cylinder is spaced above the bottom and located proximate the upper edge at a location where the cylinder is generally above the metal chips in the trough so that the cylinder does not encounter the metal chips or debris associated therewith, and so that maintenance on the cylinder is made easier. The cylinder and rod are connected to the housing and ram by pull pins for quick release to further facilitate maintenance.

Abstract: A scrap handling system includes a bay having an area for receiving an open-topped roll-off container, a feeder conveyor for conveying non-balling, flowable, metal chip scrap to the bay, and a scrap leveler having an input end positioned to receive metal chip scrap from the feeder conveyor, and further having a screw configured to deposit the metal chip scrap in the container and to engage the metal chip scrap as the scrap is deposited to distribute and level the metal chip scrap in the container. A leveler support pivotally supports the leveler at the input end, and a lift is attached to the other end and is configured to move the scrap leveler between a raised position providing room to remove and replace the container, and a lowered position positioning the leveler parallel a top of the container to level the metal chip scrap as the metal chip scrap is deposited.

Abstract: A screw conveyer for conveying metal turnings from a machining operation. The chip screw conveyor includes an auger-like screw configured to move metal turnings in a given direction. The conveyor includes a tubular housing and an input chute defining an input opening. A secondary feeder arm is pivoted to the conveyor housing. The arm is pivoted out of the way in direction when agglomerated scraps/chips are dumped threw input opening into the input chute. Once the chips are dumped in place, the arm is allowed to rotate downwardly to press on the top of the agglomerated scraps/chips. This prevents the chips from "bridging" between the sides of the input chute and prevents the scraps from "balling" or rolling on top of the screw in a manner that makes the screw ineffective. The arm creates sufficient force to press the scrap into engagement with the flutes of the screw.

Abstract: A centrifugal chip separator includes a base having a raised platform and a centrifuge device with a centrifuge support plate located below the raised platform. A mount supports the centrifuge support plate on the base for multi-axial movement. A plurality of adjustable biasing devices is extended between the centrifuge support plate and the raised platform for adjustably biasing the centrifuge support plate against the mount. The biasing devices are easily and readily accessible outside of the chip separator, so that they can be adjusted to an optimal pressure for counteracting non-axial forces and vibrations generated, even while the centrifuge device is running. Also, the area under the centrifuge support plate and around the mount is characteristically open and unobstructed, such that inspection, repair, and maintenance is greatly facilitated.

Abstract: A shredder is provided for shredding agglomerated metal scrap from a machining process. The shredder includes a rotatable shredding tool mounted on a drive shaft that is rotated using conventional power transmission devices. The axis of the shredder drive shaft is approximately in-line with the drive shaft of a feed device that delivers metal scrap to be shredded to the rotating shredding tool. The shredding tool is rotated so that the teeth of the shredding tool tear against the leading edge of the agglomerated metal scrap. Optionally, fixed hooks are located on one or both of the feed device and the shredder housing for engaging the agglomerated metal scrap. Where fixed hooks or anchors are used, the rotating tool engages the agglomerated metal scrap and spins the metal scrap against the fixed hooks, thus causing further shredding to occur. The shredding tool may be spring-loaded for axial movement in such a way as to allow it to move away from an object that causes it to jam.

Abstract: In the mechanism for supplying waste metal cuttings from machine operations to a centrifuge having air suction means for separation and recovery of the cutting oils, a driven paddle-wheel type feed gate is provided in an inclined, gravity operated feed conduit for both maintaining a generally uniform rate of feed to the centrifuge and for serving as a barrier against the entry of air through the infeed end of the conduit. An air aspiration port is provided adjacent to and on the centrifuge side of the paddle wheel through which large metal chunks are discharged by gravity while smaller cuttings are entrained by the incoming air stream and transported past the port to the centrifuge. The bottom of the conduit at the feed gate is movably mounted to permit the passage of large, chunky material and means are provided to assure discharge of long pieces of material.

Abstract: A system for processing masses of heterogeneous machining scrap metal through bulk reception, crushing of the ribbon and wire components of the scrap, separation of the chunk components and stripping the rest of the scrap of its cutting oils by centrifuging including metering the rate of feed of the scrap to the crusher and transporting the crushed component of the scrap to the centrifuge without causing it to become ensnarled and formed into balled up masses.

Abstract: A device is disclosed to facilitate the crushing of the metal scrap received from a machine shop as part of a metal and cutting oil recovery system. The device involves the use of a grate ahead of the crusher to separate chunky metal parts or heavies and fines from the enmeshed coils and snarled turnings resulting from machining. The coils and turnings free of the chunk materials are forcibly fed into a crusher designed to automatically eject any chunky material which escapes the separation process.

Abstract: In a device for separating a liquid, as a cutting oil, from a mixture of metal chips and larger pieces of metal, such as bar ends and scrap, there is provided structure for preliminarily separating larger pieces of metal from the entire mass prior to the separation of the oil from the chips. A centrifuge is provided having a drum with an intermediate perforated segment to permit the escape of oil therefrom while the chips move to the upper edge of the drum and thence outwardly to a receiving structure. A chute is provided for feeding the mixture to be separated into the central portion of the drum and a strong stream of air is caused to flow therethrough into the centrifuge. An opening is provided in the bottom of the chute intermediate its ends.