Design of an Automatic Briquetting System

The idea of the swarf compactor arises from the need for automatic waste management in highly automated centres that work even during unattended hours. The main purpose of the machine is to reduce the volume of metal shavings coming from the machining by chip removal, with the consequent reduction of the handling of the collection boxes. In this master's thesis work, the product currently in production at OMCR S.r.l., the BSH100, is presented, analysing its construction characteristics, the work cycle and the user interface through which it is possible to vary the operating parameters. Subsequently, the design problems encountered in the early stages of the sale and the related solution proposals are highlighted. Some of these are already being tested on the latest models sold, others are ideas applicable to the new prototype planned for the near future, the BSH120. In particular, the most urgent problems to be solved are related to the management of the chip introduced into the machine. In this regard, a bridge breaker element has been designed to prevent excessively long chips, such as those from lathe machining, from creating a self-supporting bridge structure that prevents conveyance by screw into the compaction chamber. The BSH120 incorporates the same idea of operation of the initial model, but with the aim of achieving higher compression forces. This was necessary since some types of chips do not achieve effective compaction with the current model. Therefore, it was decided to increase the force exerted by the hydraulic compaction cylinder to solve the problem. In order to understand how much to increase the oil pressure and the size of the thrust cylinder, an experimental phase was carried out, useful for the construction of compressibility curves for different types of shavings. Obviously, the structural limitations of the machine were also considered, as well as the cost of a hydraulic system capable of handling very high pressure. For the characterization of the compressibility curves, a structure was created that simulates the compression chamber of the machine, used in a test bench having a high-performance hydraulic press with variable force up to 200 tons. Furthermore, the graphs obtained from the processing of the data acquired in the laboratory have been reported, in order to obtain a specific force value to be applied on the chip briquette to obtain an acceptable result. Once the compaction force has been chosen, the machine is redesigned. In fact, in addition to the modifications to the hydraulic system using pressure multipliers, the structure of the compaction chamber and the movement mechanism of the compaction bulkhead have been modified. All the redesigned parts are accompanied by analytical checks and FEM analyzes. The conclusions reached in this thesis are highlighted by the results of the individual redesigns carried out. In fact, every modification operation that has been made to both machines is the result of a background study. As for the BSH100, the ideas were born from the experience received from the early years of the machine market, while for the BSH120 these are design needs that cannot be implemented on the original model. Therefore, it is concluded that all the suggested changes have resulted in promising results for the upcoming commissioning of the new machines.