Why Briquette Your Metal Machining Scrap

When it comes to loose scrap and briquettes, the briquettes are easier to store, leave little residual oil, and can bring more money than loose chips. But, there are still many shops that use a centrifuge/wringer to spin fluid from chips as opposed to briquetting. This is because when a shop’s goal is solely reclaiming and saving on cutting fluid, a wringer is most likely the best solution. These systems quickly turn wet chips into dry ones.

However, when saving on cutting fluid is not the main goal, but volume of scrap is high and transportation cost is an issue due to hauling longer distances, then minimizing the size of the machining waste through briquetting would bring maximum value. Depending on the briquetter manufacturer, the average aluminum puck is nearly ten times denser than loose chips, saving substantial amounts of storage- optimizing container fill.

• Increases metal chip value and ultimately the revenue stream.
  Based upon current prices and the density of the test briquettes, we get $0.17 per pound more for our briquetted material over loose chips. In addition to the increased revenue from the briquetted material, the coolant we recover and recycle from this process saves us about $5,000 per year. – Jack Rovan, Martin-Baker Johnstown
• Decreases potential cross contamination with other materials.
• Briquettes are up to 99% dry so they do not leak cutting fluids when being transported around the factory and when they are hauled away.
• Removes expensive handling processes by eliminating the need for drying racks or centrifugal dryers.
• Compact chips reduce loose chip volume making them easier to transport, handle, and store.
• Swarf briquetting leads to more centralized and tidy storage of metal scrap which reduces occupational health and safety risks.