Modular Chip Processing Systems

Written by Paul Montgomery, Marketing Leader at PRAB. Reviewed by [Application Engineering, name/title TBD]. Published [Date]. Last updated [Date]. Quick Answer What is a closed-loop metalworking system? A closed-loop metalworking system is a plant-wide architecture in which metal chips, coolant, and wastewater are continuously captured, processed, and returned to productive use rather than being discharged or hauled away as waste. […]

Written by Paul Montgomery, Marketing Leader at PRAB. Reviewed by [Application Engineering, name/title TBD]. Published [Date]. Last updated [Date]. Quick Answer Does the material being machined affect which metal scrap conveyor or chip processing system I need? Yes, significantly. Chip morphology, bulk density, abrasiveness, and coolant affinity vary widely by material. Aluminum produces fine, stringy chips with high coolant retention […]

Written by Paul Montgomery, Marketing Leader, PRAB, Inc. Reviewed by Mike Proos   |   Published July 2, 2026   |   Last updated July 2, 2026 Quick Answer: A wringer uses centrifugal force to fling cutting fluid off metal chips, recovering fluid that would otherwise leave with the scrap. The recovered fluid is mechanically separated, not chemically cleaned, so it can carry fines […]

PRAB’s Metal Chip Processing Selection Framework is a structured decision tool for metalworking operations selecting between wringers, briquetters, crushers, and centrifuges. The framework aligns three operational variables, scrap volume, metal type, and fluid content, with the equipment configurations that consistently deliver up to 90% scrap volume reduction, up to 98% coolant recovery, and up to 25% increase in scrap resale […]

Metal chip briquetters get a lot of attention, and for good reason. Compressing loose turnings into dense, dry briquettes increases the value of metal scrap, reduces hauling costs, and recovers cutting fluid that would otherwise be lost. Any shop generating significant volumes of aluminum, steel, copper, brass, or cast iron chips should be evaluating briquetting as part of its scrap […]

Brownfield manufacturing plants can modernize scrap handling without major disruption by upgrading existing systems in phases rather than replacing everything at once. For many facilities, aging conveyors, manual chip handling, forklift traffic, coolant loss, and inefficient scrap load-out processes create hidden costs every day. The most effective modernization strategy is one that improves productivity, safety, and recovery value while integrating […]

Stop Leaving Money on the Table – How to Maximize Aluminum Scrap Value with PRAB’s Briquetting and Conveyor Systems Most metalworking operations think about aluminum scrap the same way they’ve always thought about it — as a byproduct to manage, not an asset to optimize. In previous years, that mindset was understandable. Today, with aluminum prices up more than 46% […]

There’s a calculation most manufacturing operations never run. It goes like this: take the machining scrap pounds of copper, brass, or bronze chips your facility generates per week, multiply by the current scrap price ($3.40–$5.10/lb depending on grade and cleanliness), subtract the discount your scrap dealer applies for oil contamination and loose bulk, and compare that to what you’d earn […]

Aluminum has dominated the commodity headlines this spring — but copper prices have been quietly building a more consequential story. While aluminum’s challenge is supply: mines capped, smelters disrupted, capacity maxed — copper’s challenge is something fundamentally different. It’s demand. Demand that no amount of new mine construction can keep up with, demand from industries that didn’t even exist a […]

In industrial manufacturing, the label “systems integrator” sounds like a compliment. And in some contexts, it is. But when that label causes buyers to underestimate a supplier’s depth of technical expertise in specific, high-stakes applications, it becomes a liability — for the buyer. PRAB is frequently positioned as the company that connects the pieces: conveyors, chip processors, fluid recyclers, wastewater […]