Ⅰ. Introduction
Cables are widely used in various applications wherever electricity exists, therefore, there are huge amounts of waste cables generated everywhere in the world. These cables contain a high percentage of copper, which makes them valuable for recycling. As a result, waste cables are a common and profitable raw material for recycling centers, scrap yards, and scrap recycling stations.
There are two main kinds of equipment commonly used to recycle waste cables in the market: Wire Stripping Machines and Cable Granulators. They both use advanced physical methods to handle waste cables.
Usually, the copper wire stripping machine is the best choice for thicker and small quantities of scrap cables at lower costs normally under USD10000, and we recommend you invest in a cable granulator for higher working efficiency if you need to process more than 400kg of wires per day. This article will give you a more detailed analysis to help you choose a more suitable one for you in different situations.
Ⅱ. 2 Copper Wire Recycling Solutions and Their Key Features
⭐ Cable Granulator
Cable granulator mainly has two parts: CRUSHING and SEPARATION. Its working principle is that the crushing system first crushes various waste cables into 3~5mm copper and plastic mixed particles, and then the separation system separates copper from these small particles. After being processed by the cable granulator, you can not only sell the recycled copper directly at a high price but also process the plastic into plastic products again to maximize your profit. Cable granulators can efficiently process various waste cables. Different models have different processing capacities, and the largest one can even reach 2T/H.
⭐ Copper Wire Stripping Machine
The working principle of the copper wire stripping machine is very simple. The high-speed rotating blades cut the insulation layer of waste cable to separate the insulation layer and the copper wire. In this process, the shape of the cable will not change, and you will eventually get a complete copper wire. Copper wire stripping machine is suitable for all kinds of thick wires with a diameter larger than 30mm. If you need to process high-hardness waste cables such as armor wires and high-density wires, the wire stripping machine will also be a good choice.
COPPER WIRE STRIPPING MACHINES and CABLE GRANULATORS are both the most suitable equipment for recovering valuable copper from waste cables, so
What Are The Differences Between Them?
In What Cases Is It More Suitable To Use A Cable Granulator?
And Which Customers Are Copper Wire Stripping Machines Suitable For?
Ⅲ. 5 Factors to Help You Choose the Machine that Suits You Best
⭐ Cable Types and Diameter Range
The cable granulator and wire stripper are very different in the types and diameters of cables they are suitable for. The cable granulator is suitable for processing thin wires such as automotive wires and household wires, and its processing diameter range is below 25mm. Using a cable granulator to process cables that are beyond its processing diameter range may result in poor sorting results and reduced efficiency. In severe cases, the machine may get stuck or even damaged.
Copper wire stripping machines are suitable for processing waste cables with a diameter greater than 30mm. Its sharp blades can easily cut the plastic surface of the scrap cable. However, using a copper wire stripping machine to process thin wires with smaller diameters, such as automotive wires, does not produce ideal results. There may be problems such as difficulty in stripping the wire, part of the cable has been damaged, but the other part has not been stripped. However, some special models of copper wire stripping machines can process high-hardness cables that cable granulators cannot handle, such as armor wires.
There is also a situation where you need to use the cable granulator and the copper wire stripping machine together. When processing waste cables such as multi-core cables, which are wrapped with a thick outer insulation layer and multiple thin wires inside, you need to use the copper wire stripping machine to remove the outermost insulation layer first, and then put the multiple thin wires inside into the cable granulator for recycling.
TO SUM UP, if your cables are thin, you can consider choosing a cable granulator. If the diameter of your waste cables is larger than 30mm or the insulation layer has high hardness, then the copper wire stripping machine would be a better choice. If you need to process waste cables such as multi-core wires or mixed cables, copper wire stripping machine and cable granulator are both indispensable.
⭐ The Number of Waste Cables That Need to Be Processed
You can choose according to the amount of cables you need to process. Cable granulator is designed to handle large quantities of waste cables. It can recycle waste cables quickly and efficiently. Even the smallest cable granulator can process 40kg of waste cables per hour, while the largest model can process 2 tons of raw materials per hour.
The processing capacity of the copper wire stripping machine is relatively weaker than cable granulator. Although the wire stripping machine can also quickly recycle waste cables, due to its smaller machine body and the operator’s need to push the waste cables into the machine one by one, the wire stripping machine is more suitable for processing a small number of waste cables.
IF you have a great amount of waste cables and a stable source of waste cables, the cable granulator can make your recycling business more efficient and help you quickly make a profit. If you only need to process a small amount of cables and do not have a stable cable supplier, the copper wire stripping machine can also provide good support for your recycling business.
⭐ Budget
Price is also an important consideration when choosing a copper wire stripping machine or cable granulator. The price range of the cable granulator is USD7,000 ~ USD280,000. Models with larger processing capabilities are more expensive. Although the machine cost is high, it also has a high potential profit. The high efficiency of the cable granulator and the high purity of the processed copper make its high profit very convincing.
Compared to the cable granulator, the price of copper wire stripping machine is lower, generally within USD 10,000, making it a more affordable option. However, when processing the same type of scrap cables that both machines can process, the copper wire stripping machine is often less efficient than the cable granulator, which makes its profit not as high as that of the cable granulator. After your business expands, you still need a cable granulator to improve production efficiency.
IN SUMMARY, if you have sufficient budget and want to make more money by recycling waste cables, we recommend you to buy a cable granulator. If you are just entering the recycling industry or have a limited budget, a copper wire stripping machine can also help you make a profit quickly.
⭐ Space Requirement
Copper wire stripping machine has a small machine body and a compact structure. This compact machine is designed to fit into smaller workspaces. Copper wire stripping machines can be divided into horizontal and vertical types. Small horizontal wire stripping machines can be placed on a table, while large vertical wire stripping machines also take up very little space, helping you save more space.
Although cable granulator also has a compact structure, it still takes up more space than the copper wire stripping machine because it is equipped with conveyor belts, crushers, air separators, vibrating screens, dust collection systems, and other parts. However, if you buy a cable granulator from BSGH Granulator, we will design a reasonable installation plan to help you save space as much as possible.
⭐ Operational Costs
If you attach great importance to the operational cost, a copper wire stripping machine can meet your needs. The simple design and structure allow it to easily strip wires without consuming much electricity, reducing power consumption. In contrast, the cable granulator needs more electricity to maintain the normal operation of each part, especially when processing a large amount of waste cables. Therefore, even though the cable granulator is a kind of energy-efficient device, its energy needs are still higher than copper wire stripping machine. Moreover, the maintenance of the wire stripping machine is simpler, you only need to pay attention to the condition of the blades. In comparison, the cable granulator needs to regularly sharpen the blade, clean the screen, add lubricating oil to the bearing, and check whether each part can operate normally. However, despite the higher operational costs, cable granulator can bring a high and long-term return to your investment.
Ⅳ. Conclusion
COPPER WIRE STRIPPING MACHINES and CABLE GRANULATORS each have their own characteristics. In addition to the different processing diameter ranges, copper wire stripping machines have low processing capacity, low cost, and small space occupation, making them more suitable for small-scale recycling businesses such as home use and small recycling stations, while cable granulators have larger processing capacity, high machine cost, high profit, and large space occupation, making them more suitable for customers with a large number of waste cables.
