Breaking your lumps: Crushers and how to select one
This article sizes up crushers, which break material lumps to improve material processing and handling. After discussing applications and benefits, the article covers components and operation of common crusher types, selection factors to consider, how to conduct crusher tests, and how to install and maintain the crusher.
You can use a crusher to reduce large lumps of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, foods, agricultural materials, aggregates, and other materials to a consistent size. Traditionally seen as a slow-speed, coarse-reduction machine, today the crusher is finding application in higher speed operations with finer discharge sizes, such as producing very fine salt for microwave popcorn. What's more, crusher applications have been extended beyond hard, friable materials to rubbery, even sticky lumps.