PEX (cross-linked polyethylene) pipes are widely used in underfloor radiant heating, building water supply, and plumbing systems. Some heating pipes feature a multi-layer oxygen barrier structure to prevent oxygen permeation.
During manufacturing, installation, and maintenance, significant amounts of waste are generated, including off-cuts, scrap sections, and defective pipes. Due to their high toughness and flexibility, long pipe segments occupy excessive storage and transportation space.
For recycling enterprises, using industrial shredders for volume reduction and size preprocessing improves material handling and facilitates downstream sorting or recycling.
Multi-Layer PEX Oxygen Barrier Pipe Shredding Solutions
Depending on the waste form, processing scale, and recycling goals, three primary configurations are available:
Option 1: Two-Shaft Shredder
Ideal for primary volume reduction and pre-shredding, such as plant scrap and bulk waste collection. It offers a simple footprint for preliminary downsizing.
Option 2: Four-Shaft Shredder
Best for projects requiring consistent output sizing. It is equipped with integrated screens and intermeshing shearing blades, delivering controlled particle sizes in a single pass.
Option 3: Two-Shaft Shredder + Secondary Shredder
Tailored for lines requiring highly uniform, fine-grained end products. Separating the primary shredding and fine crushing stages allows for optimized high-capacity throughput.
Key Factors for Equipment Selection
Before selecting a shredding system, the following material characteristics must be clarified:
- Pipe Structure: Single-layer PEX versus multi-layer composites (with oxygen barriers, EVOH, or adhesive layers).
- Reinforcement Layers: Presence of aluminum layers (PEX-AL-PEX) or metal wiring. Note: Standard shredding reduces size but does not automatically separate metal from plastic. Downstream separation equipment (e.g., magnetic or eddy current separators) may be required.
- Material Dimensions: Pipe diameters, wall thickness, segment lengths, or large coiled bundles.
- Target Output: Rough volume reduction versus specific particle sizes measured in millimeters.
- Downstream Use: Intended for material sorting, pelletizing/extrusion, or other end-of-life disposal methods.
GEP ECOTECH provides industrial solid waste shredding equipment and systems. For PEX oxygen barrier pipes and plastic manufacturing scrap, we design custom configurations based on your specific material structure, throughput demands, and sizing goals.
