Horizontal Balers For Cardboard, Paper, Plastic, PET and other Post-Production and Packaging Waste

Answer these key questions to determine
which horizontal baler is right for you?

Bramidan offers various types of horizontal balers. How to choose the right model for the needs of your company? The choice depends on several factors.Try to answer these questions to determine what is best, but do not hesitate to contact us for help:

• stopWhat material are you processing?
• stopHow much material are you processing (know in pounds or tons per month or per day). This is called throughput.
• stopAre there other materials you also want to process?
• stopHow much space do you have available?
• stopHow much labor do you want to dedicate to the process?
• stopDo you have the power requirements to run a bigger machine?
• stopWhat is your budget?
• stopWhat are your plans for growth?

All these questions can lead to different suggestions. For instance, if you are on a steep growth curve, it may be better to go with an auto-tie open end baler than a closed end. They are more expensive, but you would transition into the larger volumes without having to replace the equipment. The fact is, the busier you get, the more difficult the swap out becomes.

Feeding your baler by conveyor may take a good deal of planning within a building whereas a tipper may suffice and not require the floor space. However, you will be trading future convenience and speed for price and space.

Beginning with the end in mind is the bast way to approach a baler purchase. Know what you want to accomplish within a 24–36-month period and then project out 5 years. These are machines that last a long time but are also ones that can be updated when your business changes. It is not unlike buying or designing a home – you really should think about the little things as well as the big things. Buying the wrong machine can be a pain. Buying the right one will feel like a smart investment.

Knowing what your options are is the best course of action and like any big purchase, there are professionals who can help. You can always count on your Bramidan dealer to steer you in the right direction.

Closed end vs. open end - what is the difference?

The fist distinction is “closed end” or “closed-door” balers vs open end balers, sometimes also called extrusion balers.

Closed end balers

Closed end balers are usually used for medium volumes of material and the press forces are typically making bales in the 1,000 lbs to 1,500 lbs range depending on the length and chamber size, cylinder size and other factors.

Additionally, closed end balers are often used when the facility has multiple types of materials to bale, as it is fairly easy to change between materials – for instance cardboard, PET, aluminum cans etc.  This is more difficult with an open end baler.

The closed end baler normally pushes out the bales from either the end or the side and generally uses one or two (in a scissor design) cylinder(s).

Open end balers

An open end baler can be a single or dual cylinder and does not typically push against a door, but rather uses a longer chamber with separate hydraulic cylinders that squeeze on the material as it gets pushed through. 

Open end balers are also usually auto-tying balers that will tie the bales together automatically; whereas bales made in a closed door baler typically have to be tied manually, by hand.

How does a closed end (door) baler work?

Think of a vertical baler on its back and that is pretty much a horizontal baler.

• stopMaterial is fed into an open hopper or funnel that drops the material into a chamber. 
• stopBehind that chamber is a cylinder and ram that pushes forward and against the end of the baler which is typically a steel gate or solid door.
• stopWhen the desired size is achieved the baler will reach a predetermined pressure which sets off a signal to light up a finished bale made light. 
• stopWhen this occurs, the ram stays forward and the material is tied-off by hand with baling wire.

Some models tie vertically and others horizontally depending on the manufacturer and model.

When the bale has been tied, the front gate or door is opened. This can be done manually or with a hydraulic assist, again depending on options chosen and make and model. The bale is pushed out either by an extending cylinder or by the ram retracting and more material being added until the bale is pushed out.

On average, a closed-end baler generates up to 3 bales per hour and is recommended for processing and compacting low to moderate volumes of cardboard or paper waste, as well as aluminum cans, PET bottles, stretch wrap etc.

The way the door is configured, how it opens and closes and the way the bale is tied off (which direction – horizontally or vertically) is often different depending on the manufacturer and model. There are manual doors and hydraulically assisted doors.

How is an open-end baler different and when is it used?

Open end balers, sometimes called extrusion balers are uniquely designed to allow for material to be held in place from the sides (squeeze cylinders) rather than by the end of the machine as material passes trough a tensioned channel.

Open end balers are ideal for bulkier materials as well as higher volumes, the open-end baler provides a better flow of materials.

The front of the material bale is pressed up against the previous bale in the chamber, thus acting kind of like a door does in the closed end baler. This process is faster than closed-end balers and also can eliminates the need for other parts such as ejection rams and separation doors.

Other assisting options can also be employed to keep the bales from deforming or loading unevenly. This is often dependent on the type of material being processed as well as the speed.

Single ram or two-ram?

Horizontal balers are usually a single ram (press plate) or twin ram (two press plates). A single ram baler is equipped with one cylinder and a two-ram baler has two cylinders.

Why invest in horizontal balers for cardboard, soft plastic, stretch wrap and other post-production and packaging waste?

Every horizontal baler in our range is robust and capable of handling heavy loads. Investing in balers for cardboard, PET bottles or compacting other types of recyclables can bring companies many benefits. Our horizontal balers:

• stopcontribute to reducing the amount of space needed to store post-production and packaging waste
• stopare simple operation, time saving
• stopallows you to increase revenue from the sale of recyclable materials - compressed into bales, they are ready for collection by the waste collectors - their transport is cheaper and easier  

What are the main alternatives to horizontal balers?

Since the idea behind a horizontal baler is to allow for more material to be gathered and reduced in size with less labor, auger compactors are sometimes used instead of a horizontal baler.

Auger compactors will compact about 60% more than a standard plunger type of compactor but will be installed outside of the building instead of inside like a baler typically would. This makes the material being recycled worth less money than the baled version since it is less dense and needs to be “hauled” to a site to be recovered and processed.

Auger compactors usually can get 8 – 10 ton of cardboard in a standard 40yard receiver box. With standard heavy duty compactors it can be very difficult to get the material out of the box as the material tends to get jammed. With an auger compactor the material is broken down much better and it will be easier to get the material out.