VK 12018 60.4+60.4 HP Channel Baling Press

The HSM VK 12018 60.4+60.4 HP is the entry-power version of HSM's biggest automatic channel baling press, pairing two 45 kW motors with a 1,200 kN ram that makes 43.3 x 43.3 in (1,100 x 1,100 mm) bales of up to 2,425 lb (1,100 kg), tied with five wires. It is aimed at recycling and materials recovery plants that need the largest bale format but run one shift, or whose sorting line sets a pace a 15.5 second cycle can absorb.

VK 12018 60.4+60.4 HP at a glance

• Two 60.4 HP (45 kW) motors, 90 kW installed in total
• 1,200 kN ram force, 99.2 N/cm² on the bale face
• Idle cycle of 15.5 s; 25.3 t/h at a bulk density of 50 kg/m³
• Bales 23.6 to 78.7 in long, 1,543 to 2,425 lb, five wire ties

Same bale as the faster drives, at the lowest connected load

All three fixed-speed VK 12018 versions share the frame, chamber, ram force and wire tying, so this one produces exactly the bale the 73.8+73.8 HP and 100.6+100.6 HP machines do. What it gives up is pace: the ram needs 15.5 seconds per idle stroke against 11.3 and 9.4 seconds on the larger drives. If your belt delivers well under the rated tonnage, the slower stroke costs nothing, and the electrics are sized for 90 kW rather than 150 kW.

How the press runs without an operator

A light barrier triggers the ram as material builds up, so the press cycles on its own at the end of a conveyor, air duct or shredder outfeed, then wires and ejects each bale. A gimbal-mounted press cylinder keeps side load off the ram rod, a Siemens PLC with a touch screen stores material programs and shows faults, and a castle-lock system guards the access points. Wear-resistant chamber steel for residual waste and a frequency-regulated drive are factory options; HSM says the latter trims energy use by about 40%.

Long bales and the cost of wire

Bale length on the VK 12018 is adjustable up to 78.7 in (2,000 mm), where HSM's smaller channel presses stop at 1,200 mm. Wire is not supplied with the machine; the correct specification is set at commissioning, and on tonne-sized bales it becomes a real running cost.

VK 12018 60.4+60.4 HP specifications

Comparing the 60.4+60.4 HP with its siblings

• VK 12018 73.8+73.8 HP: 11.3 s idle cycle and 692 m³/h, in the same 38,000 kg frame.
• VK 12018 100.6+100.6 HP: 9.4 s and 837 m³/h for multi-shift, high-volume single-stream work.
• Frequency-regulated 45+45 kW VK 12018: HSM publishes it at a 10 s cycle and 786 m³/h, close to the top fixed-speed drive.
• VK 5012: if a 1,100 x 750 mm bale is acceptable to your recycler, this smaller press is 3.4 meters shorter and under half the weight.

Who this drive is right for

Choose it for a one-shift plant that needs mill-size, five-wire bales fed from a wide belt. Look elsewhere if your feed is intermittent, if the VK 5012's smaller bale would do, or if a multi-shift line will keep the chamber full all day.