# Hammer milling



## marlyn (May 15, 2016)

Hi guys, 

I'm maybe opening thread which was discussed here already, but I have to, because I'm standing in front of investment and I need to be sure, it will work.

Source materials: computer boards and other old electronics, hundreds of kilograms per month for beginning, later maybe tons.

Possible methods of treatment: 
A) HAMMER MILLING: 
- remove big aluminium/steel parts 
- remove BGA's and flatpack chips from boards (gold can stay locked inside), 
- hammer mill the rest, 
- use magnet to remove steel parts

You will end up with mix of metals and silica. Using shaker table (or panning for beginning), you will get rid of mostly all silica parts. Residue looks like this (about 1/3 of weight of boards):


----------



## marlyn (May 15, 2016)

What is your suggestion as next step for this method A and why. 
Putting into electric furnace to make anode to get pure copper (Cu), then process the rest using AR? Please advise.


----------



## marlyn (May 15, 2016)

B) USING FIRE TO REMOVE EVERYTHING FROM BOARDS, THEN SORT PARTS AND PROCESS SEPARATELY?
- remove all big aluminum parts from board, eventually plastic parts as much you can and steel 
- on top of open fire inside a kind of bucket put steel sheet, wait until it's red hot
- on that sheet put board you wish to process and wait few seconds, until you hear crackling sounds, which means board is ready
- take hot board with pliers and hit other bucket's with cold water, board upside down -> as tin holding board parts is melted already, all parts will fall inside bucket with water
- repeat the process until you proceed everything
- use different screen sizes to sort board parts
- you will end up with nice sorts from the biggest to smallest (see pictures below)


----------



## marlyn (May 15, 2016)




----------



## marlyn (May 15, 2016)




----------



## marlyn (May 15, 2016)




----------



## marlyn (May 15, 2016)




----------



## marlyn (May 15, 2016)

Any suggestions how to continue? 

I'll use patnor's method - incineration, to process flatpacks and BGA's. 

For the rest from method B I was thinking about using hammer mill, then remove steel, pan plastic parts and silica and melt the rest to remove Cu using electrolysis and process the rest using AR, or use sulfuric cell to deplate gold?

What about smallest particles? I don't wish to loose tin, palladium and silver if possible...

Thanks for your tips


----------



## marlyn (May 19, 2016)

Okay, let's say that I can buy mother boards (new type) for $3,5/kg, older boards for $5/kg (boards without aluminum heat sinks and without CPU holders).

- Hammer milling cost is about $0,05/kg,
- removing plastic and silica parts using shaker table $0,1/kg, 
- melting into anode $0,10/kg
- electrolysis $0,1 / kg
- processing the rest using chemistry or sending to refinery ?

Expected yeld for mother boards (old type / new type) ???

Does anybody have at least some data about motherboard yeld? Expected cost is, let's say: $3,95 for new mother board type and $5,45 for old mother board types. I have read some threads about prices per ton of material but I'm not sure about the numbers, as they say about revenue $10 from 1kg, which is too much in my opinion. I'm not considering my work and investment in the beginning, as it's my hobby for now...


----------



## Lou (May 19, 2016)

It's over much in cost*, what you're paying.


----------



## Anonymous (May 20, 2016)

In the context of a home refiner trying to squeeze out the values from that kind of product I would agree completely- it is not only high- it's far too high.

(Actually Lou it's a high price even if you're buying tonnes of it and sending it to a refinery. 8) )

Edit: My comments are based upon end refinery yields Marlyn. 

Jon


----------



## marlyn (May 23, 2016)

So what are your buying prices and expected yelds then?

Thing is, that those are prices for which you can buy/sell mother boards and other computer scrap oficially. I don't want to go under those prices, if possible.


----------



## patnor1011 (May 23, 2016)

Most of the people here try to get stuff for free. Buying is complicated, everyone needs to make something and that cost gets bigger with every person involved. 
I do pay only a few euro for the whole laptop. I do consider it as a great deal as many parts are reusable and can be resold. What is left after I sell all that I can do not cost me anything really? Well, apart from emergency peristomal hernia surgery I got last week after too much of wrestling with heatsinks with just pliers separating copper from aluminum. But that was my mistake over the last few months when I just worked too much. :mrgreen:


----------



## ruletero (Jan 28, 2018)

It was a great cuestion and idea, did you get the answer? 

In this moment I have the same cuestion and I am reading and reading to begin to do it at some time.

Sorry for my bad English.

Greetings!


----------

