How to Recycle Electric Motors

These electric motors generate mechanical energy (force) through the interaction of their windings and magnetic field. Now that we’ve taken a closer look at electric motors themselves, it’s crucial to understand precisely how to recycle them. Electric motors are devices that transform electrical energy into mechanical energy. Various gadgets that utilize an electric motor include:

• Industrial fans
• Blowers
• Pumps
• Disk drives
• Various machine tools

Recycling electric motors is mostly done on a large scale and is very straightforward. Electric motor recycling consists of:

• First, recyclers collecting as many electric motors as possible to increase the change of getting enough copper .
• Then, a hammer or hammering mill breaks the metallic casting of the motor.
• Afterwards, professional recyclers separate the components and categorize them according to their materials.
• Finally, they take the separated components to their different recycling points and recycle them.

Interco specializes in buying and recycling scrap electric motors. Recycling electric motors reuses valuable materials, reduces solid waste, reduces overall pollution and more.
Since the recycling process has been discussed, one must be familiar with the mechanics of an electric motor.

Electric motors have three main categories of size. The categories are:

• Small motors. These motors are range from the size of a basketball to slightly larger than an apple. Even smaller electric motors, like electronic transformers in radio-controlled cars, are less desirable due to their low copper and aluminum content.
• Large motors. Motors like this vary from larger than a basketball to less than 2,000 pounds.
• Over-sized motors. These motors are larger than 2,000 pounds. They vary in demand due to their size and nonferrous metallic content.

The exterior of most electric motors is a strong steel shell that protects the fragile parts within. Also, most motors contain valuable copper and aluminum components. Some motors contain aluminum instead of copper which is still a valuable, reusable material. However, at the end of the day more copper within an electric motor makes it more valuable; behind copper is aluminum. Steel can be recycled but it is not as valuable as copper or aluminum. Consequently, wood and plastic components are seen as a contaminant so the presence of these materials on a motor actually lowers its value.

Electric motors are a very common item to recycle, and almost every electric device with a mechanical movement utilizes an electric motor. In some cases, these devices may even incorporate an AC ( alternating current) or DC (direct current) electric motor. Some common household, industrial and automotive items that use electric motors are…

In summary, electric motors convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. Devices like industrial fans, blowers, pumps and more utilize electric motors. There are small, large and over-sized motors that can be found in everyday items such as microwaves, hand tools, air conditioners and more. “Who recycles scrap electric motors near me?”

When professional recyclers at Interco handle the recycling of electric motors, it not only reuses valuable materials but also significantly reduces solid waste and overall pollution. Moreover, Interco actively buys scrap electric motors to ensure they are recycled properly, promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility.

To learn more about recycling electric motors, click here to request a quote.