Material to be sorted is fed from the top into the machine. Inside the ballistic separator a set of inclined screen elements (paddles) form the screen surface. The paddles are positioned next to each other mounted to two synchronously rotating crankshafts. This leads each paddle to perform a circular movement with different angle phase. Some models have the shaft-paddle assembly fixed to a pivoting frame in order to adapt the inclination without tilting the complete machine. Three fractions are being produced: “Three-dimensional or hard”, “Fines” and “Two dimensional and soft”.
The multi paddle design produces a higher transport speed of the “Two-dimensional and soft” fraction than a one paddle design. Another advantage of the multi paddle design is the better dynamic behaviour of the machine. Depending on the input material (wrappings, abrasive material, humidity) a focus should be on maintenance (cleaning and lubrication). In plant design, the access, static and dynamic loads have to be considered.
