Packing a Punch

The waste material from the quilting machines at Silentnight, one of the countries leading bed manufacturers, is used for an interesting application. A proportion of the waste, once it has been baled using the newly installed HSM VL500 vertical baler, is collected and used in the manufacture of punch bags and boxing rings.

Silentnight has previously baled their fabric waste but their existing baler was worn out. Also, it was identified that greater savings in storage space and skip collections could be made with a more efficient machine.

The HSM VL500 was selected, after the evaluation of competitive models, because of its ease of operation and particularly because of the large and easily accessible feed hopper. Another factor that swung the decision was the ability to tie the bales with steel wire, so improving security and durability of the finished bale.

As the HSM VL500 replaced a somewhat elderly baler that had been used previously, the new machine has also brought the benefit of producing larger, mill sized bales that are easier to transport and store. In addition, with a pressing force of 540kN, the VL500 makes much more compact bales, allowing a far greater amount of material to be compressed into a smaller amount of space.

Whilst the manufacturer of the punch bags and boxing rings takes a good proportion of the waste material, Silentnight still have to dispose of the balance. Because of the more compact bales, less skips are required, so saving on disposal costs. However, Alison Kendall, the Materials Controller, advises that they would be interested to hear from anyone with another application for their trimmings and off-cuts.

For further information about the HSM VL500 vertical baler and other machines in their portfolio, including high capacity shredders and combinations systems, please contact HSM UK