E-Waste Recycling Machines: What Each Machine Does
An e-waste recycling plant is a chain of machines and manual stations, each with one job. This guide walks through the stages, names the machine used at each, and shows which of them Raj Electricals builds: the shredders and grinders for the plastic side of e-waste.
How e-waste recycling works, stage by stage
Electronic waste combines metals, circuit boards, glass, batteries and plastics in one product. No single e-waste machine recycles all of it. A working plant takes products apart, sends each fraction to its own process and keeps records at every step.
- Collection E-waste reaches the recycler from collection centres, businesses and producers
- Dismantling Products are taken apart by hand, with batteries, refrigerant gases and other hazardous parts removed first
- Sorting Boards, cables, metal parts, glass and plastics go into separate streams
- Shredding Plastic housings and other bulky parts are shredded into pieces
- Separation Magnets and other separators pull metal out of the shredded material
- Recovery Refiners recover metals from boards, and compounders buy sorted plastic regrind
The e-waste machine at each stage
Here is what each stage runs on, and which of those machines Raj Electricals makes.
| Stage | Machines used | Made by Raj Electricals? |
|---|---|---|
| Dismantling | Workbenches, hand and power tools, dust extraction | No |
| Shredding | Dual shaft and single shaft shredders | Yes, for the plastic fraction |
| Separation | Magnetic, eddy current and density separators | No |
| Grinding | Plastic grinders (granulators) with a screen | Yes |
| Metal recovery | Smelting and refining plants for boards and metals | No |
| Cables | Cable granulators that separate copper from insulation | No |
Raj Electricals builds the shredders and grinders for the plastic fraction. We do not make dismantling stations, separators, cable granulators or refining plants. For those stages you need specialist suppliers and refiners.
What the separation and recovery machines do
Raj Electricals does not build these machines, but you need to know what they do to plan the whole line.
- Magnetic separators lift iron and steel out of shredded material, from screws to brackets.
- Eddy current separators throw aluminium and copper pieces off a moving belt, away from plastics and other non-metals.
- Density and air separators split materials by density: plastics from metals, and one plastic from another.
- Cable granulators chop cable and separate the copper from its insulation.
- Refining recovers copper, gold, silver and palladium from circuit boards. It is specialist work for refiners.
- Dust collection keeps dismantling and shredding areas clean.
The plastic side of e-waste
A large share of many electronic products is plastic: TV and monitor cabinets, printer and appliance housings, keyboards and casings. Most of it is ABS, HIPS, polycarbonate blends and polypropylene. Sorted and free of metal, it becomes regrind that compounders turn back into moulded products. Mixed with screws and other polymers, it sells for much less.
Three rules decide what e-waste plastic is worth:
- Take the metal out. Strip screws, inserts and shielding at dismantling, and pass shredded material over a magnet before any grinder. Metal breaks grinder blades and lowers the value of the regrind.
- Keep polymers apart. ABS, HIPS and polycarbonate sell better as separate lots than as a mix.
- Keep flame-retardant grades separate. Buyers treat plastics with flame retardants as their own grade.
Shredder, grinder or both?
Bulky housings and cabinets go to a shredder first. A dual shaft shredder takes mixed casings and tears them into compact pieces. A single shaft shredder suits large, rigid cabinets and appliance bodies. Where your buyer wants even granules rather than shred, a plastic grinder follows, cutting metal-free pieces until they pass through its screen. Many plants run both: shredder first, then a magnet, then the grinder.
Our guide to shredding plastic for recycling explains the two machines in more detail.
Where Raj Electricals’ machines fit in an e-waste plant
Raj Electricals has been manufacturing since 1985 and has supplied more than 2,100 machines. For the plastic fraction of e-waste we recommend:
- Stripped housings and casings: a twin shaft shredder from our dual shaft range, sized to your daily volume.
- Bulky TV cabinets, monitor shells and appliance bodies: the S3-600 from our single shaft shredder range.
- Even granules for compounders: an RE series plastic scrap grinder, fed only with metal-free shred.
Our electronic waste shredder page sets out this approach for TV cabinets, monitor shells, appliance bodies and printer housings. Hard disks and other data-bearing media are a separate job, covered in our guide to hard disk shredding.
Planning the plastic side of an e-waste plant?
Tell our technical team what you dismantle, your monthly plastic volume and what your buyer wants, and we will recommend the machines.
E-waste machine questions
What does an e-waste machine do?
There is no single e-waste machine. Each machine in a plant does one job: shredders cut housings and bulky parts into pieces, grinders turn plastic pieces into even granules, separators split metal from plastic, and refiners recover metals from circuit boards. Raj Electricals builds the shredders and grinders for the plastic fraction.
Can plastic from e-waste be recycled?
Yes, once it is free of metal and sorted. Housings are mostly ABS, HIPS, polycarbonate blends and polypropylene, which compounders buy as regrind for new moulded products. Mixed or metal-contaminated shred sells for much less, and plastics with flame retardants are kept as a separate lot. See our electronic waste shredder page for the machines.
Which parts of an e-waste line does Raj Electricals supply?
The plastic side: shredders for housings, casings and cabinets, and grinders that turn metal-free shred into even granules. Dismantling stations, separators, cable granulators and refining plants come from specialist suppliers and refiners. Tell us what you dismantle and we will recommend the machines for the plastic side.
What decides the cost of e-waste recycling machines?
For the shredders and grinders we build: the model and its capacity, the material (bulky cabinets need a different machine from small casings), the motor, any options, and the feeding and discharge you need. A complete plant adds dismantling, separation and pollution control equipment from other suppliers. Every machine is quoted to the job. Our page on plastic shredder machine price explains each factor, and you can send us your volumes through our contact page for a quotation.
Get a Free Quote for E-Waste Plastic Machines
Tell us what you dismantle, your monthly plastic volume and the output your buyer wants. Our technical team will recommend the machines and send you a quotation.
Phone: +91 98700 12462
WhatsApp: Chat with our team
Email: rajelectricalsmumbai@gmail.com
Hours: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, all seven days