Whether it is better to chip or grind is a key question asked by many contractors who produce wood fuel. According to CBI, the trend is towards the latter but fear not, the company will be demonstrating both alternatives at Elmia Wood.
Each to his or her own and both chipping and grinding have own advantages but according to Ulf Österroos, Sales Manager for CBI Scandinavia, the market is moving towards using more grinders for several reasons.
Continental Biomass Industries (CBI), a brand within the global material lifting and handling equipment manufacturer Terex Corporation, is a US-headed manufacturer of both chippers and grinders for forestry, recycling and biomass industries.
A grinder copes better with stones, sand and other foreign materials. It can also be used to do other tasks, explained Ulf Österroos.
Foreign materials are a problem when the biomass source being processed is harvesting residue. If the landing site was not pre-cleared there is a risk that young trees and bushes with roots and soil also end up in the machine, possibly causing a stoppage.
Grinders are also more versatile and lengthen the working season for the contractor, who can then also grind other things like recycled wood and household waste.
New model straight from the factory
CBI entered the European market 20 years ago and did so at Elmia Wood. At that time the huge American machines were a sensation. Now the market has caught up in terms of machine size and CBI is a well-established supplier in the Nordic region. As demand grows for biomass, the capacity requirements are also increasing.
CBI will demonstrate two machines at Elmia Wood. The first is a truck-mounted chipper, the ChipMax 484 VR is mounted on a Volvo FMX 8 x 4. The second is the CBI 6400 grinder, a new model that is coming directly to Elmia Wood from the factory in the USA.
It weighs 40 tonnes, is self-propelled on tracks and is operated by remote control, revealed Österroos.
