Larry G Areaux, 63659 Glenview Cir, Plainwell, MI 49080

4377259, Mar 22, 1983

Mar 21, 1980

6/132519

Larry D. Areaux - Kalamazoo MI
Russell D. Dudley - Vicksburg MI

Reclamet, Inc. - Kalamazoo MI

B02C 408

241 73

A device is disclosed to facilitate the crushing of the metal scrap received from a machine shop as part of a metal and cutting oil recovery system. The device involves the use of a grate ahead of the crusher to separate chunky metal parts or heavies and fines from the enmeshed coils and snarled turnings resulting from machining. The coils and turnings free of the chunk materials are forcibly fed into a crusher designed to automatically eject any chunky material which escapes the separation process.

4424891, Jan 10, 1984

Jun 22, 1981

6/275732

Russell D. Dudley - Kalamazoo MI
Larry D. Areaux - Kalamazoo MI
Robert H. Dudley - Portage MI

Reclamet, Inc. - Kalamazoo MI

B65G 1100

193 2R

A system for processing masses of heterogeneous machining scrap metal through bulk reception, crushing of the ribbon and wire components of the scrap, separation of the chunk components and stripping the rest of the scrap of its cutting oils by centrifuging including metering the rate of feed of the scrap to the crusher and transporting the crushed component of the scrap to the centrifuge without causing it to become ensnarled and formed into balled up masses.

4721457, Jan 26, 1988

May 28, 1987

7/055785

Larry D. Areaux - Portage MI
Robert H. Dudley - Richland MI

Pre-Melt Systems, Inc. - Kalamazoo MI

F27B 1500

432 58

There is disclosed a process for producing dried and cleaned metal chips by entraining metal chips in a gas, introducing the gas into a cyclone separator having a wall heated to fluid-vaporizing temperature by combustion effected in a surrounding chamber, purging fluid from said chips, exhausting hot gases and exiting dried metal chips from said separator, conducting hot gaseous products of combustion from the combustion chamber to a continuous centrifuge, extracting extractable fluid from starting metal chips, which may be previously uncleaned and/or unwashed, in the centrifuge, entraining the chips in the hot gaseous products of combustion introduced into the centrifuge, and conducting the gaseous products with entrained chips from the continuous centrifuge to the cyclone separator, thereby providing an essentially closed system. The combustion chamber may be a part of an afterburner furnace and hot gases entraining vaporized oil exhausted from the cyclone separator may by recycled and employed as fuel for the combustion chamber. This particular disclosure emphasizes provision in the system of hot water and/or steam from either an external source or from a water jacket around the cyclone separator, preferably together with solvent and/or detergent, and a final chip drying step wherein the drying is effected using products of combustion which are enroute back to the continuous centrifuge.

4710126, Dec 1, 1987

May 23, 1986

6/866795

Larry D. Areaux - Portage MI
Robert H. Dudley - Richland MI

Pre-Melt Systems, Inc. - Kalamazoo MI

F27B 1500

432 58

There is disclosed a process for producing dry metal chips by entraining fluid-containing metal chips in a gas, introducing the gas into a cyclone separator having an internal wall heated to fluid-vaporizing temperature by combustion in a surrounding chamber, purging and vaporizing fluid from said chips, exhausting hot gases and exiting dried metal chips from said separator, conducting hot gaseous products of combustion from the combustion chamber to a continuous centrifuge, extracting extractable fluid from starting metal chips in the centrifuge, entraining the chips in the hot gaseous products of combustion introduced into the centrifuge, and conducting the gaseous products with entrained chips from the continuous centrifuge to the cyclone separator, thereby providing an essentially closed system. The combustion chamber may be a part of an afterburner furnace and hot gases entraining vaporized oil exhausted from the cyclone separator may be recycled and employed as fuel for the combustion chamber. Apparatus for carrying out the said process is also disclosed.

4253960, Mar 3, 1981

Dec 7, 1979

6/101996

Robert H. Dudley - Kalamazoo MI
Larry D. Areaux - Kalamazoo MI

Reclamet, Inc. - Kalamazoo MI

B01B 128
B01D 3310

210373

A centrifuge for continuously separating a lubricating liquid from lubrication-impregnated metal chips. A motor having a drive shaft thereon is mounted so that the drive shaft is drivingly coupled to a substantially bell-shaped centrifugal drum having an outwardly widening conical portion. The drum is formed with openings intermediate the top edge and bottom wall for discharge of the liquid therethrough. A metal chip and air inlet is provided adjacent the central portion of the outwardly opening drum. A first collecting structure is provided for collecting the liquid emanating from the lubrication-impregnated chips and for discharging the liquid from the centrifuge. A second annular collecting structure surrounds the peripheral edge of the drum radially outwardly spaced therefrom for collecting shavings discharged by centrifugal action from the drum. An outlet duct is connected to the second collecting structure and has a central axis extending tangential to the second collecting structure and away therefrom and defining a metal chip and air outlet. A plurality of blades may be mounted on the drum adjacent the top edge and are movable therewith for effecting a movement of air into the second annular collecting structure from the air inlet and out through the outlet duct to effect an entrainment of the metal chips in the air movement for discharge out through the outlet duct.