Shuliy PCB recycling machine turns discarded circuit boards into profit. Our complete PCB recycling line processes waste PCBs into pure metal (copper-rich), resin powder, and plastic granules — achieving 99%+ purity at 100-1500 kg/h.
Every industrial PCB recycling line combines mechanical crushing, airflow gravity separation, and electrostatic separation. PLC programming with equipment interlock control and a 99.5% dust collection rate keeps operations safe and compliant.
What Is a PCB Recycling Machine?
A PCB recycling machine recovers valuable materials from waste printed circuit boards. A full PCB recycling line integrates multiple machines that crush, screen, separate, and purify materials into sellable products.
The core purpose is to separate metal components (primarily copper, with traces of gold, silver, and palladium) from non-metal materials. Modern systems use physical separation, avoiding the environmental hazards of chemical extraction.
Shuliy’s PCB recycling equipment delivers a turnkey solution. Each printed circuit board recycling machine handles a specific function, and when combined, the system produces material ready for smelters or refiners.
Core Components of PCB Recycling Plant
- Shredder (Optional, Large Lines): Shred boards to 5- 10 cm. Required above 500kg/h.
- Primary Crusher: Crush boards to 2- 8 mm.
- Secondary Grinding Mill: Reduce material to 0.06- 2 mm, achieving complete metal-nonmetal separation.
- Water-Cooled Mill: Prevent overheating during fine grinding.
- Vibrating Screen: Classify particles, return oversized material for re-crushing.
- Airflow Gravity Separator: Recover 95-97% of metals by density.
- Electrostatic Separator: Capture the remaining 3-5% fine metal powder.
- Pulse Dust Collector: 99.5% dust collection rate.
- PLC Control System: Automated programming with equipment interlock.
How Does a PCB Recycling Line Work?
The PCB recycling process is physical, not chemical. Two main configurations handle different production capacities.
Large Capacity (500kg/h+)
For large-scale electronic scrap recycling, the PCB recycling machine line includes a dedicated shredder:
- Step 1: Shredding (5- 10 cm): A heavy-duty shredder pre-crushes material. Essential for high-volume waste PCB recycling.
- Step 2: Secondary Crushing (1- 4 mm): Reduce particle size to 1- 2 mm or 3- 4 mm.
- Step 3: Tertiary Crushing: The water-cooled mill ensures complete separation for copper recovery from PCB.
- Step 4: Screening: Multi-stage screening with wind transport classifies particles.
- Step 5: Airflow Gravity Separation: Recover 95-97% of metals.
- Step 6: Electrostatic Separation: Recover residual metals, achieving precious metal recovery.
Small Capacity (100-500kg/h)
For medium and small PCB recycling business operations, a compact configuration delivers the same 99%+ purity at lower throughput:
- Step 1: The belt conveyor feeds boards to the primary crusher.
- Step 2: Primary crushing to 2- 8 mm.
- Step 3: Negative-pressure wind conveyor moves material to the secondary mill.
- Step 4: Secondary grinding to 0.06- 2 mm.
- Step 5: Pipeline magnetic separation removes iron.
- Step 6: Vibrating screen controls size; oversized material returns.
- Step 7: Airflow gravity separator recovers 95-97% of metals.
- Step 8: The electrostatic separator achieves gold recovery from PCB.
A pulse dust collector continuously captures particles at 99.5% efficiency. The PLC system coordinates all equipment for safe, consistent operation.
Technical Specifications of PCB Recycling Machine
| Parameter | Характеристики |
| Емкость | 100-1500 kg/h |
| Metal Purity | 99%+ |
| Dust Collection | 99.5% |
| Final Product Size | ~1mm |
| Metal Recovery | 98-99% |
| Primary Output | 2-8mm |
| Secondary Output | 0.06-2mm |
| Shredder Output | 5-10cm |
| Crushing Stages | 2-3 |
| Разделение | Airflow Gravity + Electrostatic |
| Control | PLC + Interlock |
What Materials Can It Process?
Shuliy circuit board recycling machine handles nearly all types of waste circuit boards and electronic scrap — making it ideal for diverse electronic waste recycling operations.
Input Materials:
- Computer motherboards (desktop, server, laptop)
- Mobile phone PCBs (smartphone, feature phone, tablet)
- TV and monitor boards (CRT, LCD, LED)
- Household appliance boards (refrigerators, washing machines, AC units)
- Communication equipment (routers, switches, modems)
- Industrial control boards (PLC, frequency converters)
Pre-Processing: Electronic components must be removed using a PCB board dismantling machine, which heats boards to 180-200°C to melt solder joints. The dismantled bare boards then enter the recycling line.
PCB Recycling Process
The complete PCB recycling machine process from waste to finished product has five stages:
Stage 1: Component Removal — A PCB dismantling machine removes components intact. This step is critical for precious metal recovery.
Stage 2: Multi-Stage Crushing — Boards pass through the crusher and mill, reducing material to 0.06- 2 mm for complete metal-nonmetal separation.
Stage 3: Screening — The vibrating screen classifies particles. Oversized material returns for re-crushing.
Stage 4: Two-Stage Separation — Airflow gravity separation recovers 95-97% of metals; electrostatic separation captures the remaining 3-5%. The electrostatic separator produces two outputs: pure resin powder and a plastic+metal mixture. An additional screening pass can separate plastic from metal.
Stage 5: Collection — The metal fraction (99%+ purity) goes to smelters; resin and plastic fractions go to composite manufacturers or further processors.
Precious Metal Recovery with PCB Circuit Board Recycling Line
While copper is the primary metal recovered, modern electronic scrap recycling machine systems also capture gold, silver, and palladium. Understanding precious metal recovery economics maximizes your PCB recycling business revenue.
Metal Content
| Металл | Content | Recovery Method |
| Медь | 15-30% | Mechanical separation |
| Gold | 100-300 g/ton | Captured in metal fraction |
| Silver | 200-500 g/ton | Captured in metal fraction |
| Palladium | 50-100 g/ton | Captured in metal fraction |
| Алюминий | 5-10% | Eddy current or magnetic methods |
Copper Recovery relies on complete dissociation (down to 0.06-2mm), density-based separation (copper at 8.96 g/cm³ vs nonmetals at 1.2-1.5 g/cm³), and fine particle recovery via electrostatic separation.
Gold Recovery concentrates gold-bearing materials (connector pins, IC chips, gold-plated surfaces) into the metal output, which refiners process downstream. Adding our optional tin stripping furnace increases total precious metal yield by 15-20%.
PCB Recycling Machine Price
The total investment for an industrial PCB recycling line depends on capacity, configuration, and optional equipment.
| Емкость | Price Range (USD) | Конфигурация |
| 100-300kg/h | 10, 000 − 50,000 | Small line, no shredder |
| 300-500 кг/ч | 50, 000 − 100,000 | Medium line with magnetic separation |
| 500-1000kg/h | 80, 000 − 150,000 | Large line with shredder |
| 1000-1500 кг/ч | 150,000 − 300,000 | Industrial line, full automation |
Key Price Factors
- Емкость: Higher capacity means a higher price.
- Конфигурация: Shredder, water-cooled mill, and advanced PLC add cost.
- Optional Equipment: Tin stripping furnaces, conveyors, eddy current separators.
- Автоматизация: Fully automatic systems cost more.
- Кастомизация: Voltage (380V/50Hz vs 480V/60Hz) and regional certifications.
- Shipping & Installation: International logistics and on-site service.
ROI Example
For a 500kg/h PCB shredding and sorting line at a $150,000 investment:
- Annual metal revenue: ~$1,560,000
- Операционные затраты: ~40% of revenue
- Annual net profit: ~$936,000
- Payback period: ~2-3 months
How to Choose a PCB Recycling Machine
As an experienced PCB recycling plant manufacturer, Shuliy recommends considering five key factors:
1. Production Capacity: Match the PCB recycling line to your business size:
- Small (100-300kg/h): Startups
- Medium (300-500kg/h): Regional recyclers
- Large (500-1500kg/h): Industrial facilities
2. Material Compatibility: Ensure the circuit board recycling machine handles your inputs: FR-4 boards, aluminum-based PCBs, flexible PCBs, or multi-layer boards.
3. Environmental Compliance: Look for 99%+ dust collection, enclosed processing, PLC safety interlocks, and low-noise operation.
4. Manufacturer Reputation: Choose a PCB recycling machine manufacturer with decades of experience, global presence, technical support, and warranty coverage.
5. Total Cost of Ownership: Beyond the PCB recycling equipment price, consider energy consumption, maintenance, spare parts availability, and operator training.
Inputs & Outputs of Shuliy PCB Recycling Machine Plant
The complete circuit boards recycling plant processes six categories of input materials and produces three distinct outputs.
Inputs: Computer motherboards, mobile phone PCBs, TV & monitor boards, household appliance boards, communication equipment, industrial control boards.
Outputs:
- Metal (copper-rich, 99%+ purity): Sold to smelters
- Resin powder: Reused in composite materials
- Plastic granules: Recycled or further processed
7 Core Advantages of PCB Shredding and Sorting Line
- High Purity: 99%+ metal purity, 98-99% recovery rate.
- Flexible Capacity: 100-1500 kg/h to match any business size.
- Eco-Compliant: 99.5% dust collection meets international standards.
- PLC Automation: Integrated control ensures safe, consistent operation.
- Complete Separation: Two-stage process (gravity + electrostatic) maximizes recovery.
- Low Maintenance: Robust construction minimizes downtime.
- Turnkey Solution: Complete line, ready to operate upon installation.
Applications of PCB Recycling Line
The Shuliy PCB recycling machine serves across the e-waste value chain:
- E-Waste Recycling Plants processing consumer electronics
- Metal Recovery Facilities extracting copper, gold, silver, and palladium
- Electronics Manufacturers recycling production scrap
- Scrap Yards adding value to collected e-waste
- Environmental Service Providers offering compliant recycling services
FAQs of Shuliy PCB Recycling Machine
What is the processing capacity?
Shuliy PCB recycling machines range from 100kg/h to 1500kg/h. Small lines (100-500kg/h) suit medium operations; large lines (500kg/h+) include a shredder for high-volume processing.
What metal purity does the line achieve?
The PCB recycling line achieves 99%+ metal purity through two-stage separation (airflow gravity recovers 95-97%, electrostatic separator captures the remaining 3-5%).
What circuit boards can it process?
A circuit board recycling machine handles computer motherboards, mobile phone PCBs, TV/monitor boards, communication equipment, and industrial control boards. Materials should be pre-dismantled using a PCB dismantling machine.
How does the dust collection system work?
A pulse dust collector captures 99.5% of particles during crushing and separation, ensuring clean operation and regulatory compliance.
What is the difference between large and small capacity lines?
Large lines (500kg/h+) include a shredder for initial 5-10cm reduction.
Small lines (100-500kg/h) start with 2-8mm primary crushing.
Both include secondary grinding, screening, and dual-stage separation.
How much does a PCB recycling machine cost?
PCB circuit board recycling machine price ranges from $10,000 ( small systems) to $250,000 (large industrial lines), depending on capacity and configuration.
Is the line environmentally friendly?
Yes. Features include 99.5% dust collection, PLC-controlled safety, and clean recyclable outputs. The mechanical process avoids hazardous chemicals.
What precious metals can be recovered?
Copper (15-30%), gold (100-300g/ton), silver (200-500g/ton), palladium (50-100g/ton), and aluminum (5-10%) are recovered and sold to refiners.
Start Your PCB Recycling Business
Ready to launch or expand your PCB recycling business? Shuliy’s PCB recycling machine offers a turnkey solution for processing waste circuit boards into valuable materials. With 100-1500 kg/h capacity, 99%+ metal purity, and 99.5% dust collection, our industrial PCB recycling line delivers strong ROI.
Contact our engineering team today for a free consultation, customized solution, and competitive quote.