An aluminum can crushing device is provided to encourage recycling of drink and other cans. The can crushing device employing a handle engaged with a housing, provides significant mechanical advantage to a user during the crushing process. A tilting base automatically ejects crushed cans from an internal cavity into a removably engaged bag.

There is provided an apparatus for compacting metal chips comprising a power screw; a compactor cylinder adapted to receive metal chips from one end and to receive the power screw from another end to compact the metal chips; a worm gear operably connected to the power screw for applying pressure to the compactor cylinder; a motor; a worm screw adapted to be powered by the motor and to be connected to the worm gear for rotating the worm gear when the motor is in operation; a sensor for measuring the velocity of the power screw; and a microcontroller adapted to be connected to the motor and to the sensor; wherein the microcontroller is adapted to power the motor for rotation as long as the velocity of the power screw is above a given velocity threshold and to stop powering the motor when the velocity reaches said given velocity threshold.

A can crusher (102), having: a backing plate (120); a left crush-arm (126) pivotally secured to the backing plate and having a left handle (130) and a left crush surface (128) that faces the backing plate when the can crusher is in a closed configuration (190); a right crush-arm (140) pivotally secured to the backing plate and having a right handle (144) and a right crush surface (142) that faces the backing plate when in the closed configuration; and a support plate (150). In a vertical orientation (152) the backing plate is oriented vertically; the support plate is disposed below horizontal sweeps (154, 156) of the crush surfaces; and the support plate supports a can in between the crush surfaces when the can crusher is in an open configuration (104).

A compression device allows for compressing a carbonated beverage container, for maintaining the container in a compressed state, and for releasing the container from the compressed state when desired. In one embodiment, the compression device (100) includes a first frame (101), a second frame (102), a first linking frame (103) and a second linking frame (104). The frames are joined together by hinge connectors (111, 112, 113, and 114), forming a quadrilateral enclosure or compression assembly that accepts a PET bottle. A hinge controller (119), associated with the first hinge connector (111), is operative to control compression and release of the bottle.

A fully automatic small arms demilitarization system includes individual infeed conveyance systems loaded at a single process initiation location; multiple hydraulic press stations fed by the individual infeed conveyance systems; and the multiple hydraulic press stations configured to crush one section of each weapon per cycle, incrementally crushing an entire length of each weapon, completely distorting each weapon to preclude restoration to a useable condition. The system further including an output system configured to output demilitarized weapons onto a common outfeed conveyance system that delivers the demilitarized weapons to a single recycle bin.

A fully automatic small arms demilitarization system includes individual infeed conveyance systems loaded at a single process initiation location; multiple hydraulic press stations fed by the individual infeed conveyance systems; and the multiple hydraulic press stations configured to crush one section of each weapon per cycle, incrementally crushing an entire length of each weapon, completely distorting each weapon to preclude restoration to a useable condition. The system further including an output system configured to output demilitarized weapons onto a common outfeed conveyance system that delivers the demilitarized weapons to a single recycle bin.

The invention relates to a hand press for pressing a package, the hand press having a housing, which has at least one first opening for the inserting the package and at least one second opening for the disposing of the package. Furthermore, the hand press has a pressing device, which is arranged essentially inside the housing and which has a first pressing surface, and an actuating device, which is connected via a rotary shaft with at least one lever, which is rotatably mounted with the pressing device.

According to various embodiments, a compactor arrangement (202) may have the following: a function module arrangement (1002), which is installed on a support framework (204a) above an empty-container transport device (202t), wherein the function module arrangement (1002) has: a module receptacle (1004) for receiving multiple function modules (1006), the multiple function modules (1006), which are designed to match the module receptacle (1004) such that the multiple function modules (1006) can each be selectively received in multiple configurations (1100c, 1100d, 1100e, 1100f) in the module receptacle (1004), at least one processor (1008) which is configured to ascertain an actual configuration of the multiple configurations (1100c, 1100d, 1100e, 1100f) and to operate the function module arrangement (1002) and/or the compactor arrangement (202) on the basis of the ascertained actual configuration.

A fraud detection system for a reverse vending machine, the system including: a detector adapted to detect at least one container entered into the reverse vending machine; a compactor load sensor adapted to measure load of a compactor of the reverse vending machine during operation, wherein the compactor is adapted to compact entered containers downstream of the detector; and a compactor load sensor monitoring device configured to determine whether the detected at least one container is compacted as expected based on the load measured by the compactor load sensor.

A container deposit return system having a housing, a crushing assembly and a control system. The crushing assembly is positioned within the housing and has a first crushing wall and a second crushing wall spaced apart from the first crushing wall defining a crush cavity, and, a crushing wall movement assembly structurally configured to move the first crushing wall relative to the second crushing wall to direct the first crushing wall toward and away from the second crushing wall. The two crushing walls are configured crush a container that is positioned within the crush cavity. The control system having at least one imaging sensor, the imaging sensor configured to record an image the container before crushing and after crushing.