MMFJ
Well-known member
Haven't seen any definitive 'yield' data on various parts of computers (though a lot of discussion here/there about it...).
Thought with so much interest in scrapping them, it would be interesting to have some and keep it under an easier-to-find heading. I offer "Computer Scrap Yield - " and name of item as such a header, and start the data gathering with this;
COMPUTER SCRAP YIELD - CD DRIVES
Initial segment consisted of 90 'random' CD drives, all from 'white' computers (i.e., older styles - dates on some drives were into the '70s).
All drives came from 'IBM PC' types (i.e., no Apple, Sun or other potentially proprietary drive). Of note is that there were many variations, where some drives had only 4 screws holding them together (very fast scrapping) while others (mostly the very old drives) had several more, which slowed the production slightly (though gave a good cross-section average).
WORK AREA
The tabletop is constructed of 2" x 2" sides, secured to a 1/2" MDF board and then inverted, creating a 'bowl' of sorts in order to capture screws and any other debris (such as plastic frontplates, etc.).
Large boxes were placed in an easy-accessible area near the worktable to collect the material. The work top was positioned at a height comfortable for placing the drive on the edge and allowing strong pressure from a power screwdriver (keeping the screws over the 'bowl', which made the work faster). It was found that assembled 'Dish Pack' cardboard boxes make a strong and acceptable height for the work area and allow for easy moving/storage as needed (in our setup, three were used under a 3' x 3' tabletop).
Three boxes were used for collection - one box for the CD ROM controller boards, one for scrap metal and another for 'breakage' (mixed metal and plastic workings).
TEST DATA
One hour was allotted to scrap out and recover as much resealable material as possible, taking into account safety and maximum weight recovery of target item(s) which included the CD Rom controller board (primary) and 'clean' (5% or less non-metal) metal cases. While the breakage and plastic do have a recoverable value, they are considered minimal for this test.
RESULTS
Total weight of the lot of 90 drives was 180 lbs, creating an average CD Rom drive weight of 2 pounds. This was further verified by weighing several drives separately and weights were found to be consistently between 1.9 and 2.1 pounds.
Within 60 minutes, it was possible (without too much effort) to scrap out a total of 50 CD ROM drives and recover the controllers, carcass metal and breakage - an 'eager' worker could likely average 1 drive disassembled per minute. After completing the disassembly, a short time was needed to clear the plastic scrap (into a generic plastic recycling bin) and the metal screws (using a magnet to pick them up quickly). It was noted that, using the table described, a large amount of debris could be accumulated in the 'bowl' without affecting the progress of the work and as only a few moments of clean-up was necessary to clear the area, it was also not recorded in this test.
MATERIAL RECOVERED
From 50 drives, weighing an average of 2 pounds each (total 100 pounds of CD ROM Drives), we recovered;
- 9.3 pounds of controller cards
- 42 pounds of metal scrap
At a price of $2.55 per pound for controller cards and $.40 per pound for clean metal, the total value of this effort would be;
= 9.3 x $2.55 = $23.71
+ 42 x $.40 = $16.00
===================
$39.71
Presuming the remainder of the weight is breakage at $.15/ lb, we have a total of
= 48.7 pounds of breakage x $.15 = $7.31
GRAND TOTAL VALUE OF 50 DISASSEMBLED CD ROM DRIVES = $47.02
An argument could therefore be created that each CD ROM drive is worth approximately $1 in scrap value (presuming you can find a slightly higher scrap price).
This figure gives a simple number to begin 'backtracking' your costs of acquiring the drives as well as labor to disassemble them, etc.
I found this data to be very useful for my efforts. I trust you will find it useful as well. Comments, as well as conflicting/contrasting/verifying data, are always welcomed and invited!
Thought with so much interest in scrapping them, it would be interesting to have some and keep it under an easier-to-find heading. I offer "Computer Scrap Yield - " and name of item as such a header, and start the data gathering with this;
COMPUTER SCRAP YIELD - CD DRIVES
Initial segment consisted of 90 'random' CD drives, all from 'white' computers (i.e., older styles - dates on some drives were into the '70s).
All drives came from 'IBM PC' types (i.e., no Apple, Sun or other potentially proprietary drive). Of note is that there were many variations, where some drives had only 4 screws holding them together (very fast scrapping) while others (mostly the very old drives) had several more, which slowed the production slightly (though gave a good cross-section average).
WORK AREA
The tabletop is constructed of 2" x 2" sides, secured to a 1/2" MDF board and then inverted, creating a 'bowl' of sorts in order to capture screws and any other debris (such as plastic frontplates, etc.).
Large boxes were placed in an easy-accessible area near the worktable to collect the material. The work top was positioned at a height comfortable for placing the drive on the edge and allowing strong pressure from a power screwdriver (keeping the screws over the 'bowl', which made the work faster). It was found that assembled 'Dish Pack' cardboard boxes make a strong and acceptable height for the work area and allow for easy moving/storage as needed (in our setup, three were used under a 3' x 3' tabletop).
Three boxes were used for collection - one box for the CD ROM controller boards, one for scrap metal and another for 'breakage' (mixed metal and plastic workings).
TEST DATA
One hour was allotted to scrap out and recover as much resealable material as possible, taking into account safety and maximum weight recovery of target item(s) which included the CD Rom controller board (primary) and 'clean' (5% or less non-metal) metal cases. While the breakage and plastic do have a recoverable value, they are considered minimal for this test.
RESULTS
Total weight of the lot of 90 drives was 180 lbs, creating an average CD Rom drive weight of 2 pounds. This was further verified by weighing several drives separately and weights were found to be consistently between 1.9 and 2.1 pounds.
Within 60 minutes, it was possible (without too much effort) to scrap out a total of 50 CD ROM drives and recover the controllers, carcass metal and breakage - an 'eager' worker could likely average 1 drive disassembled per minute. After completing the disassembly, a short time was needed to clear the plastic scrap (into a generic plastic recycling bin) and the metal screws (using a magnet to pick them up quickly). It was noted that, using the table described, a large amount of debris could be accumulated in the 'bowl' without affecting the progress of the work and as only a few moments of clean-up was necessary to clear the area, it was also not recorded in this test.
MATERIAL RECOVERED
From 50 drives, weighing an average of 2 pounds each (total 100 pounds of CD ROM Drives), we recovered;
- 9.3 pounds of controller cards
- 42 pounds of metal scrap
At a price of $2.55 per pound for controller cards and $.40 per pound for clean metal, the total value of this effort would be;
= 9.3 x $2.55 = $23.71
+ 42 x $.40 = $16.00
===================
$39.71
Presuming the remainder of the weight is breakage at $.15/ lb, we have a total of
= 48.7 pounds of breakage x $.15 = $7.31
GRAND TOTAL VALUE OF 50 DISASSEMBLED CD ROM DRIVES = $47.02
An argument could therefore be created that each CD ROM drive is worth approximately $1 in scrap value (presuming you can find a slightly higher scrap price).
This figure gives a simple number to begin 'backtracking' your costs of acquiring the drives as well as labor to disassemble them, etc.
I found this data to be very useful for my efforts. I trust you will find it useful as well. Comments, as well as conflicting/contrasting/verifying data, are always welcomed and invited!
From the pins on the drives ( cd drives,floppy and others ) you should get around 1g of pms per 1lb of pins.
