For Swift River Associates Inc. of Buffalo, NY, a major challenge of its concrete recycling operations was processing concrete loaded with heavy rebar and wire mesh. With the help of a Lippmann 4248CC impact crusher, Swift River was able to break through the hurdle and move ahead.

Swift River Associates, one of the original concrete recycling operations in Buffalo, recently purchased its Lippmann impact crusher from Joe Sidonio, Upstate Screens & Crushers Inc., and the plant was installed in June.

“We were looking for the best crusher that could be found for processing concrete. Joe took us to Toronto, to visit Constrada Recycling, which uses all Lippmann products to process 1.5 million tons of demolition debris a year. We were quite impressed,” said Carmen Pariso, Swift River vice president.

Suited for Swift River’s crushing demands, the Lippmann 4248CC has a through put capacity of 400 tons (363 t) per hour and processes an average of 250 to 300 tons (227 to 272 t) per hour of 2-in. (5 cm) minus concrete recycle product consistently.

The 42-ft. by 48-in. (12.8 m by 122 cm) Lippmann primary crusher with a 34 by 48-in. (86.4 by 122 cm) feed opening coupled with a 47-in. by 16-ft. (119 cm by 4.9 m) variable speed feeder and a 48- by 78-in. (121 by 198 cm) under crusher pan allows Swift River to attain that level of productivity.

“One of the things that most impresses me about the Lippmann is how it handles rebar. The pan feeder is located underneath the crusher. When the rebar goes in it and hits the pan feeder it actually lays the rebar out on the conveyor. This system nearly eliminates problems with rebar jamming up the system,” said Bob Blasdell, Swift River plant superintendent.

Self-contained and easy to transport, the Lippmann 4800 series impact crushers require minimal set-up. Like larger crushers, the 4248 primary has a big feed opening allowing it to devour concrete full of rebar, large chunks of ripped asphalt and other C & D debris. The Lippmann plant contains a 415-hp (309 kW) Caterpillar C12 diesel engine with a 135-hp (100 kW) generator. For aggregate applications, the 4248 LP offers a greater reduction ratio and produces a high quality, uniform cubical product.

“The Lippmann has a much bigger feed hopper allowing us to make fewer trips with our Komatsu loader from the material pile,” said Blasdell. “The bigger feed opening also allows us to process larger sized material. Our previous crusher could only handle up to a 12-inch size material. The Lippmann allows us to feed up to 24-inch material.”

“Not needing to break the material down as small also saves us some wear and tear on the excavator and hammer. The Lippmann’s capacity of 250 tons per hour has dramatically increased our efficiency and production capabilities,” he noted. “Also, the entire operation can be transported legally down the highway. And once on site, it has a two-hour setup time. We had considered purchasing a portable tracked crusher, but there is not a tracked crusher made that can process concrete at a rate of 250 tons per hour.”

Swift River Associates Inc. opened its doors in 1992 when the land filling of concrete and demolition materials became difficult and expensive. At the same time, New York State began promoting recycling and encouraged, in particular, the recycling of concrete as subbase.

For more information, call 585/755-6238. CEG

This story also appears on Aggregate Equipment Guide.

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