VK 12018 73.8+73.8 HP Channel Baling Press

Twin 73.8 HP motors put this VK 12018 in the middle of HSM's largest channel press range, and the middle is where most high-volume recyclers end up. It cycles in 11.3 seconds against the entry machine's 15.5, moves a published 692 cubic metres an hour at idle, and does it in exactly the same frame producing exactly the same 1,100 x 1,100 mm five-wire bale.

The press is rated at 1,200 kN and 99.2 N/cm², fed through a 970 x 1,800 mm aperture wide enough to take material straight off a full-width sorting belt. Bales run from 600 to 2,000 mm long and weigh 700 to 1,100 kg. HSM rates this drive at 34.6 tonnes an hour on material with a bulk density of 50 kg/m³.

At 12,413 mm long and 38,000 kg, a VK 12018 is a building-scale installation. The choice between the three drives is not about what it makes — that is identical — but about how many hours a day it has to make it.

Key Features

• 1,200 kN at 99.2 N/cm² into an 1,100 x 1,100 mm chamber — the largest bale HSM makes in this class.
• Five-wire automatic tying, which is what it takes to hold a 1,100 kg bale of springy material together.
• 970 x 1,800 mm feed aperture. At 1.8 metres long it takes bulk material straight off a wide belt.
• Gimballed press cylinder that lets the ram find the chamber instead of loading the rod sideways, which is the single biggest wear factor on a press this size.
• Siemens programmable controller with touch panel, so material recipes and fault diagnosis live on one screen.
• Castle-lock safety system on access points.
• Bale length adjustable to 2,000 mm, double what HSM's smaller channel presses offer.
• Optional wear-resistant steel for residual waste, and an optional frequency-regulated drive that HSM says reduces energy consumption by around 40%.
• Fully automatic operation. Material goes in the aperture, the ram cycles on a light barrier, the bale is tied and ejected without an operator at the machine.
• Wire tying as standard, so bales hold their shape under the springback of film and OCC.
• Continuous feeding from a conveyor belt, an air feed or a shredder discharge — this is a machine designed to sit at the end of a line, not to be hand-loaded.

Specifications

What's in the Box

A VK 12018 is a plant installation. HSM publishes no scope-of-delivery list, and the press arrives to be rigged, positioned, levelled, connected to a three-phase supply and commissioned by an HSM engineer. Feed conveyors, sorting cabins, platforms, guarding, dust extraction and bale handling are separate items designed around your building.

Baling wire is not included. The machine applies five wire ties per bale automatically; the wire specification for your press is confirmed at commissioning. On a machine producing tonne bales continuously, wire is a significant consumable line.

Who Should Buy This — and Who Should Not

Buy the 73.8+73.8 HP VK 12018 if you are running a two-shift materials recovery operation and want headroom without paying for the top drive. 34.6 t/h at 50 kg/m³ covers most single-stream and commercial mixed-recycling lines with margin left for a bad day.

Buy the 60.4+60.4 HP version instead if the line is single-shift or the sorting cabin, not the baler, sets the pace. Same bale, same press, 60 kW less installed power, and a 15.5 second cycle that most one-shift operations never saturate.

Buy the 100.6+100.6 HP version instead if you are running around the clock or feeding from a very fast belt. It cycles in 9.4 seconds and is rated at 41.85 t/h — about 21% more than this machine for 36% more installed power, which is a trade worth doing arithmetic on.

Consider a frequency-regulated 55+55 kW machine if energy cost is a live issue. HSM publishes the frequency-controlled version of this drive at an 8.8 second cycle and 887 m³/h — faster than the fixed-speed 75+75 kW press — while claiming around 40% lower consumption. It has to be specified at order.