A knife for attachment to auger flighting for a bulk mixer is provided. The knife comprises an exterior cutting side, a leading end defined as the front end during rotation of the auger, a trailing end opposite the leading end. The knife includes an inboard side adapted for attachment to the auger flighting. The exterior cutting side comprises a blade edge therealong for engaging material to be cut; an angled section along a portion of the blade edge, angled upward from horizontal (angled upward from the longitudinal plane of the knife) by X°. A base knife for attachment directly or indirectly to a bottom flight of an auger flighting in also provided.

Systems, devices, apparatus and methods for cleaning contaminated tanks without introducing large amounts of free water or liquefier into the tanks. A gathering arm assembly and a bucket assembly is used to remove and break up waste debris from a contaminated tank.

A novel material size reducing and storage device system comprising of at least one material size reducing unit which is capable of shredding, grinding, cutting or using other similar methods for the purpose of recycling plastic, metal, paper, and other materials; a storage unit; an apparatus that analyzes and detects the type or recyclable; a heating system that facilitates further size reduction of recyclable; a cooling system that maintains cool temperatures for food waste; a computer system having self-monitoring analysis and reporting technology (SMART); and a cleaning system that removes contamination from material so that said material is ready to be upcycled in a recycling facility.

A paper shredder includes a chassis on which an automatic paper feeding opening is defined, a paper shredding mechanism, a paper separating mechanism located adjacent to the automatic paper feeding opening, and a paper pickup mechanism located between the paper separating mechanism and paper shredding mechanism. The paper separating mechanism includes a first paper supporting board on which a fastening mechanism is provided and a paper separating board cooperating with the fastening mechanism. The paper pickup mechanism includes a holding bracket, a paper pickup roller axe, a plurality of paper pickup rollers sleeved on the axe, a second paper supporting board located below the plurality of rollers and secured onto the second paper supporting board, and a third paper supporting board located above a distal end of the second paper supporting board and connected with the paper separating mechanism.

A paper shredder with counter-rotating shredder blades coupled to a shredder motor, including a paper tray having a floor and being shaped to receive paper. The floor has an offset slot therein adjacent to the counter-rotating shredder blades. The engagement wheels partly protrude through floor, adjacent to the offset slot. The engagement wheels frictionally engage paper and turn towards the offset slot to force paper into the shredder blades. Also, a dentate catch disposed in each corner of the paper tray temporarily holds an affixment while a sheet of paper held by the affixment is being frictionally engaged by the engagement wheels to enter the slot for comminution. A PAPER FULL sensor, a DOOR OPEN sensor, an OVERLOAD sensor, an OVERHEAT sensor, a paper-in-tray sensor, a paper-at-entry sensor, a SAFETY LOCK sensor, and a cover door open/closed sensor are provided, as are AUTO and MANUAL modes of operation.

A paper shredder motor cooling assembly having a paper shredder motor coupled to a fan shaft, an enclosure surrounding the paper shredder motor and having selected input and selected output vents to control airflow to the paper shredder motor, a fan coupled to the fan shaft, communicating with the selected input vents or the selected output vents; when the paper shredder motor is operating, the rotor shaft turns the fan to generate a differential air pressure between the selected input vents and the selected output vents, removing heat from the motor. A duty cycle of greater than 50% is obtained. The fan can be coupled to the motor by speed increasing gearing, attached to the cutter blade assembly, such that the fan turns faster than the motor. The fan also can be attached to the motor shaft. An input fan and an output fan can be used.

A food waste processor including a food waste inlet; a grinding station located downstream of the inlet, wherein the grinding station includes a grinding apparatus which grinds the food waste and increases pressure on the food waste; a liquid exit path from the grinding station, wherein the liquid exit path includes a filter; and a solid exit path from the grinding station, wherein a liquid component of the ground food waste is forced through the filter and exits the grinding station via the liquid exit path and a solid organic component of the ground food waste exits the grinding station via the solid exit path; the liquid exit path is in communication with a separator; the solid exit path is in communication with a compressed food waste collector; the separator separates the liquid component into water and an organic component which includes entrained food particles; the separator including a water exit path in communication with a water treatment station, and an organic component exit path in communication with an organic processing station; the organic processing station includes a storage chamber, a heater, a pump having an inlet and an outlet and an organic conduit, wherein the heater heats the storage chamber, the inlet of the pump is in communication with the storage chamber, the outlet of the pump is in communication with an inlet end of the conduit, and an outlet end of the conduit defines an organic component outlet port disposed downstream of the food waste inlet and upstream of the grinding station.

A locking system in an industrial machine is provided. The locking system includes a lock-ring positioned in a lock-ring recess in a rotational shaft, a spacing plate axially interfacing with the lock-ring, and a compression plate with a threaded opening. The locking system further includes a bolt threadingly engaged with the threaded opening in the compression plate and a spring axially interposed between the spacing plate and the compression plate.

Baffles for food waste disposers, systems employing such baffles, and methods of assembling, manufacturing, fabricating, or operating such baffles or baffle systems are disclosed herein. In one example embodiment, a baffle for implementation in connection with a food waste disposer includes a rim portion, a plurality of flaps, and a plurality of living hinges, wherein the rim portion, living hinges, and flaps constitute a single integrally-formed structure. The respective living hinges permit the respective flaps to be rotatable about respective axes that respectively are substantially tangent to respective locations along or proximate to the rim portion, so that the respective flaps can be rotated to respective closed positions. Either the living hinges or at least one additional component tend to cause the respective flaps to remain at the respective closed positions or to return to the respective closed positions when not at the respective closed positions.

A food recycler can include a housing defining an interior and an access opening to the interior. A mixing bin can be located within the interior and can have an inlet and an outlet. The food recycler can further include an output bin, the output bin having an inlet. The outlet of the mixing bin can couple or connect to the inlet of the output bin. The food recycler further has a transfer assembly for transferring food waste from the mixing bin to the output bin. The transfer assembly includes a chute mounted to the housing and operably coupling the first outlet of the mixing bin to the second inlet of the output bin, and at least one vibration damper positioned between the housing and the chute configured to allow flexibility of the chute to vibrate relative to the housing.