Global Case Studies: Effective Use of Hydraulic Briquetting Press Equipment

In the industrial heartland of Bavaria, Germany, a family-owned metal fabrication company, Schmidt Metall GmbH , had long struggled with a common problem: loose metal shavings. For decades, the company produced precision machine parts for automotive clients, generating over 50 tons of aluminum, steel, and copper shavings monthly. These shavings—light, fluffy, and prone to scattering—were a logistical nightmare. Storing them required massive bins that took up valuable factory space, and transporting them to a metal melting furnace 100 km away was costly: loose shavings filled trucks inefficiently, leading to 12-15 trips per month and exorbitant fuel bills. Worse, when the shavings reached the furnace, their low density meant they burned unevenly, wasting energy and reducing the furnace's output.

In 2022, Schmidt Metall invested in a hydraulic briquetter machine—a 150-ton hydraulic press with an automatic feeding system. The results were immediate. The machine compressed 50 tons of loose shavings into 25 tons of dense briquettes (each measuring 10cm x 10cm x 20cm) in just 8 hours per day. Suddenly, the company's storage needs dropped by 50%: one small bin now held what once required two large ones. Transportation trips plummeted to 6-7 per month, slashing fuel costs by €12,000 annually. At the metal melting furnace, the briquettes' high density improved heat transfer, reducing melting time by 20% and cutting the furnace's energy consumption by 15%. "We used to see shavings as waste," says plant manager Klaus Schmidt. "Now, they're a revenue stream. The briquetter paid for itself in 11 months."

In Chennai, India, GreenCycle Energy Pvt. Ltd. operates one of the country's largest lead acid battery recycling plants, processing 1,200 tons of used batteries monthly. Lead acid battery recycling equipment is complex: batteries are first shredded in a lead battery cutter, then separated into plastic casings, lead grids, and lead paste (a toxic mixture of lead sulfate and sulfuric acid). For years, GreenCycle struggled with the lead paste and scrap lead grids: the paste was messy and prone to leakage, while loose lead grids were bulky and difficult to handle. Both required specialized containers to prevent lead dust from escaping—a major health hazard—and transporting them to the lead refinery furnace was risky and inefficient.

In 2021, the company upgraded its facility with a hydraulic briquetter specifically designed for lead materials. The machine compacts lead grids and dried lead paste into 5kg briquettes, each wrapped in a thin steel casing to contain dust. The impact was transformative. First, safety improved dramatically: lead dust emissions dropped by 90%, eliminating the need for workers to wear heavy respiratory gear during handling. Second, transportation to the lead refinery furnace became streamlined: the briquettes stacked neatly, allowing the company to fit 30% more lead per truck. At the refinery, the briquettes melted evenly in the medium frequency electricity furnace, reducing processing time by 25% and cutting energy use by 18%. "Before the briquetter, lead paste was our biggest headache—it stained floors, corroded equipment, and scared workers," says plant director Meera Krishnan. "Now, it's just another product line. We even sell excess briquettes to other refineries for a premium."

On the sunny coast of California, EcoPlast Recycling Inc. specializes in recycling post-consumer plastic waste—think water bottles, food containers, and packaging films—turning them into raw material for new plastic products. For years, the company relied on a plastic pneumatic conveying system to transport shredded plastic flakes from its sorting line to a storage silo. But the flakes, light and airy, often clogged the conveying pipes and took up massive silo space: a single silo could hold only 15 tons of flakes, requiring frequent off-site transportation to a granulation facility. The process was inefficient, costly, and generated unnecessary carbon emissions from trucking.

In 2023, EcoPlast added a hydraulic briquetter to its line. After shredding and washing, plastic flakes are fed into the press, which compresses them into 2kg briquettes at 200 bar pressure. The change was game-changing. The briquettes, dense and uniform, no longer clogged the pneumatic system—reducing maintenance downtime by 40%. Storage capacity in the silo jumped from 15 tons to 45 tons, cutting transportation trips to the granulator by two-thirds. At the granulation facility, the briquettes fed smoothly into a compact granulator with dry separator equipment, increasing granulation speed by 30% and reducing energy use by 22%. "We used to spend $30,000 a month just moving plastic flakes around," says CEO Maria Gonzalez. "Now, we're shipping 3x more material per truck, and our carbon footprint is down 45% for transportation. The briquettes even have a higher resale value—manufacturers prefer them because they melt more evenly than loose flakes."

In the manufacturing hub of Dongguan, China, Golden Cable Recycling Co. processes over 200 tons of scrap cables monthly—old power lines, data cables, and electrical wires—extracting copper and plastic for reuse. The company's workflow is meticulous: first, scrap cable stripper equipment removes the plastic insulation, leaving behind copper wires. These wires are then shredded into small pieces, but the resulting copper scraps are loose and irregular, making them difficult to transport to the metal melting furnace. Golden Cable was losing money: loose scraps took up too much truck space, and at the furnace, their low density caused uneven melting, wasting fuel.

In 2022, the company installed a hydraulic briquetter with a 200-ton pressing force. The shredded copper scraps—now mixed with small plastic residues—are fed into the press, which squeezes them into 8kg briquettes. The impact was immediate. Truckloads that once carried 8 tons of loose scraps now haul 20 tons of briquettes, cutting transportation costs by 60%. At the metal melting furnace, the briquettes' high density allowed for faster, more uniform heating: melting time dropped from 4 hours to 2.5 hours per batch, and fuel consumption fell by 28%. "Copper is a precious resource, but loose scraps made it feel like we were throwing money away," says operations manager Chen Wei. "Now, every briquette is a little gold mine. We've even started processing scrap from neighboring factories because our briquettes are so efficient."

In Seoul, South Korea, LiCycle Tech is at the forefront of lithium battery recycling, processing 500 tons of used li-ion batteries monthly from electric vehicles and consumer electronics. The process involves shredding batteries in a li-ion battery breaking and separating equipment, then separating lithium, cobalt, and nickel from plastic and metal casings. But the lithium-rich powder generated in this process is fine, dusty, and highly reactive—posing fire risks during transportation and making it difficult to feed into lithium crude ore processing plants for further extraction.

In 2023, LiCycle added a specialized hydraulic briquetting machine designed for lithium materials. The machine compacts the lithium powder into 5kg briquettes under inert gas (to prevent combustion), binding them with a biodegradable binder. The result? Safer, denser briquettes that are easy to transport and handle. Fire incidents during transportation dropped to zero, and the briquettes fed smoothly into the lithium crude ore processing plant, increasing extraction efficiency by 22%. Additionally, the company's air pollution control system for li battery recycling plant recorded a 75% reduction in lithium dust emissions, improving workplace safety. "Lithium powder was our biggest operational risk," says chief technology officer Dr. Kim Soo-jin. "The briquetter turned a hazard into an asset. We now produce briquettes with 99.5% pure lithium content, which sells for a premium to battery manufacturers."