# Processing SMDs using shaker table



## kjavanb123 (Jul 11, 2014)

All,

I have collected almost 2lbs of mixture of SMD resisotrs and capacitors, along with Ta caps, can one grind them to fine powder run them through a shaker table? So all the heavy ones suoh as Pd, Ag, and Ta, Ru end up in the concentrate, all the medium denstiy ones such as nickel and tin in the middle section, and alumina or ceramic with density of 3 something ends up in the tailing? Since most of the tin is dissolved during hcl leach, I am assuming only nickel is going to be in middle section.
Any ideas which shaker table is good? There is ones made by global mining equipments and other companies, any review on which one has the highest recovery rate?

Thanks 
Kevin


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## hokeypokey (Jul 11, 2014)

I have no experience with the material you are wanting to run on a shaker table but I do have some experience with the RP-4 by global mining. It's my opinion that the RP-4 is good for running large amounts of material. I have seen It turn 5 gallons of -100 mesh material into 1 cup of concentrate in the first port and a 1/2 gallon in the second port on the first run but this also depends on the type of material. I have found that running small batches doesn't work very well on the RP-4 because it appears to need material behind it to push it along the table. I have run cups alone but had to use a spray bottle to push it along the table. I hear that wave tables are better suited for small batches but I admit that I have never seen one in action.


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## 924T (Jul 12, 2014)

From what the Action Mining company has told me, you can run virtually any material on their wave tables
as long as the particle size is consistent,

but the degree of separation of the different elements or compounds depends on how large the difference is
in their respective specific gravities.

The only specific gravity figures I've found so far for SMD capacitors is 2.4-2.9, and for SMD resistors is 2.15,
which is pretty tightly grouped, and might not yield a clearly defined separation on a wave table.

I'm wondering if Rusty has ever milled and run this type of material through his centrifuge?

Cheers,

Mike


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## kjavanb123 (Jul 12, 2014)

Hokeypokey,

Thanks for your review on RP4 shaker table.

Mike,
My objective here is not to separate resistors and capacitors, but to grind mixture of them including the Tantalium capacitors, after everything incinerated, screen them to make sure their sizes is consistent, then run them through a shaker table.
If my assunption is correct, all Pd, Ru or Ag and Ta used in capacitors and resistors are in their solid metallic forms, and their specific density is above 10 g/cm3, then any Sn, Ni that is the major metals used in construction of SMD resistors and capacitors have specific density of 7.3 and almost 9 g/cm3, which might end up in the midelings of shaker table, and alumina and ceramics the major components of ceramic SMDs with specific gravity 3 or something will fall into tailing.
I believe rusty is no longer a member here.

Thanks and regards
Kevin


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## 924T (Jul 17, 2014)

Kevin,

If you want to find out for sure that a shaker/wave table will get the job done for you,
grind some up, and send it to Action Mining, and they will run it on the wave table they
use in their lab, shoot digital pictures of the results, and send them to you (fee based,
of course).

Ask for Jessica if you call them-----she can quote you the rates for material testing.

Cheers,

Mike


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## patnor1011 (Jul 17, 2014)

kjavanb123 said:


> Hokeypokey,
> 
> Thanks for your review on RP4 shaker table.
> 
> ...



I dont think so. I may be wrong but from what I know while silver may be in metallic form Pd is applied as some sort of paste sandwiched in layers of ceramic substrate. Tantalum is also in form of metal and also pellets which you will have hard time to mill or crush.


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## GotTheBug (Jul 18, 2014)

924T said:


> Kevin,
> 
> If you want to find out for sure that a shaker/wave table will get the job done for you,
> grind some up, and send it to Action Mining, and they will run it on the wave table they
> ...




Jessica is awesome, and a great sense of humor. After I told her what I was doing, she immediately added, "Let me go ahead and email a liability waiver while I'm at it." Lol.


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## kjavanb123 (Jul 18, 2014)

924T, gotthebug,

Thanks for your recommendation, I have to ask my brother to prepare and ship th sample of grinded SMDs since from UAE is a little bit expensive to send samples to the US of a.

Patnor101,
According to this article that breaks up the structure of a SMD resistors, it mentions as Pd or Ag-Pd, does not mention anything about they are being in paste form, I am still waiting for my grinder to arrive so I run few tests on the MLCCs I got.

http://www.esr.info/pdf/products/SMDC.pdf

Regards,
Kevin


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## etack (Jul 19, 2014)

After incinerating the Ta will Oxide and break apart. You will lose what you will be after.

This is why I no longer suggest people burn them.

ERic


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## kjavanb123 (Jul 19, 2014)

All,

I proposed grinding without incineration to get the metals in their metallic forms.

I will give this a try soon and post pictures

Regards
Kevin


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## Anonymous (Jul 19, 2014)

Kevin why don't you ask the salient question which is:

"how much more would I get for my MLC and Ta caps if I spend all this time and effort and money either incinerating them and or grinding them and using a shaker table?"

or:

"is it worth all this extra work?"

The answer to both questions is most likely NO.


Jon


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## kjavanb123 (Jul 19, 2014)

So basically you suggestion, buying cheap and sell them on ebay or pass it on with profit? If it works I like to run the cost analysis for grinding then using shaker table to clean out any ceramics and plastics used in SMDs resistors and capacitors, then collect and melt the concentrate, middle section, and assay both.
Me for one thing according to my contract can not buy escrap and sell it to someone, therefore I have to do something with them.

Regards
Kevin


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## Anonymous (Jul 20, 2014)

kjavanb123 said:


> Me for one thing according to my contract can not buy escrap and sell it to someone, therefore I have to do something with them.
> 
> Regards
> Kevin



Kevin thanks that explains your approach to all these things. I appreciate that. Maybe there's a halfway house on your processing that makes more money overall with less effort?

For example component sales are not classed as escrap. Maybe you could harvest? also frankly with the restrictions placed upon you I would be holding out for a better price.

Jon


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## nickvc (Jul 20, 2014)

Kevin maybe look at shredding,granulating, assaying and shipping, if you have volumes it will make sense. Much e scrap is a base metal refining operation with the values been a byproduct, similar to the gold and silver from copper refining or the PGMs from nickel refining.
You can't beat the reality of this material, cherry pick and refine and ship the rest or lose fortunes trying to re invent the wheel, spending a thousand dollars to recover five hundred dollars worth of values is a losing proposition, cheap labour can only carry the cost so far.
I admire your persistence but at some point you are going to hit that brickwall of the actual value against cost, many members do this as a none profitable hobby to acquire gold, silver and PGMs to keep but in the business world it just can't pay it's way.


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