A paper shredder is a type of mechanical device used to cut paper into strips or fine particles. They are often used by government organizations or businesses, individuals to destroy private, confidential documents or important documents that need to be destroyed immediately.
In addition, the paper shredders also support the management of waste for recycling and other purposes depending on the user. There are many types of shredders on the market, starting from simple structural paper shredders to larger capacity hammer mills and technology shredders.
Small businesses and households will use smaller, simpler shredders, while large corporations or industries and government agencies may choose more complex shredders because They ensure the protection of confidential information and are certain that no one can split it later. Therefore, you should invest in a paper shredder now to bring many benefits to your life and work. Below, I provide some necessary information about each type of paper shredder and you can refer to it.
1. Strip cut paper shredders
Strip shredders are also known as tape shredders, pasta cutters, or straight cutters. The structure of the machine includes a blade to cut paper documents vertically. In particular they are rated as DIN P-1 or P-2, the official DIN 66399 standard. This just assumes that this shredder offers the least amount of data protection.
For the operation, the strip machine cuts the document into long vertical stripes. On average, each standard document is divided into 39 subbands. And these strips can contain readable portions of text and images, graphics, signatures, images. Knowing that, these shredder particles are called landscape. Since then, these shredders have been used mainly for shredding non-confidential documents such as spam.
On the other hand, shredders are also used for personal and commercial purposes. They are fast and low maintenance shredders that are affordable, but they are not used effectively for shredding confidential documents.
Notably, strip shredders use rotating blades to cut documents into long strips. Although this is considered an unsafe method of destroying documents, it is simple to use. Depending on the shredder options, different strip widths from 1/16 inch to 3/4 inch are available. The narrower the strips of paper, the more efficient the shredding will be. Plus, some strip shredders can cut credit cards and CDs. And the length of the strip depends on what you want to shred, like if you cut an A4 paper it will give about 30-50 parallel strips.
2. Cross cut paper shredders
Cross-cut paper shredder (paper flower shredder). They are considered the best shredders for home or small offices. With a special blade design, it can cut paper in many different shapes. Some have designs for shredding paper into small diamond or square shapes. In addition, they have cutting cylinders built directly into the shredders, making it possible to cut paper in 1/32 inch to 3/8 inch width and length. You can also customize small sizes to make sure documents are protected, like an A4 sheet that can cut 300 to 900 small pieces of paper.
In general, the machine can ensure a higher level of security, the size of the crumb bin is compact. They need to make sure the shredder is emptied less often. Indeed, they are the most popular due to their high cutting performance and affordable price. They work mostly going to cut the document diagonally from both directions, which makes the paper particles small. Constructed of cross-sectional technology, they provide a higher level of security at security levels P-3 and /P-4, according to DIN 66399. However, they still need more frequent maintenance. To prevent the machine from running smoothly, the shredder should be oiled regularly.
3. Micro cut paper shredders
Micro shredders have a higher frequency of cutting operations, although they are micro shredders, cross-sectional shredders, but they allow high security when shredding documents. And the micro shredder is the one that classifies as the P-5, P-6 or P-7 shredder, according to DIN 66399. This DIN P-7 ensures high confidentiality of information. As small as an A4 document can cut more than 2,000 particles using the P-5 shredder.
Their advantage is that the waste of the shredder is secure and the information on the paper cannot be read and the shredded waste is very small so it takes up less space in the shredder, you don't need to empty it too often. However, you need to regularly oil and maintain the machine so that the machine can be used longer and note that for this type of machine, the document cutting speed is slow and the paper capacity is also lower.
4. Disintegrators paper shredders
Considered a heavy machine with many blades used to shred paper in large quantities. The wastes then pass through the screen or sizing grid and are completely discarded. For this cutter with two blades attached to the same fixed position, another two to five blades are designed to rotate between the machine and cut paper at different angles and sizes.
In particular, some shredder models can shred through optical media, CDs, DVDs, USB flash drives, and tapes. In general, the digesters have large capacity. This can hold A4 paper up to 1500 sheets. It is very convenient for those who want to use them because the small waste takes up less space, so buy a machine with a cooling system if you want to use it for a long time.
5. Auto feed paper shredders
The auto feed paper shredder can shred large numbers of documents completely automatically and you don't need to shred the output papers. You just need to put the paper or documents to be destroyed into the machine, then the shredder does the shredding. They are mainly used frequently in the office and can shred about 100 sheets, there are expensive automatic feed shredders that can shred 500 sheets per session.
Besides, you can also shred documents manually with automatic shredders, you only use a dedicated slot to shred documents. Note, you want to secure documents when using the machine, you need to choose a machine with a tray to lock for enhanced security with a pin code.
6. Hammermills paper shredders
This is also a heavy duty shredder, almost like a shredder. In particular, they are large-scale office shredders. With a hammer mill structure with a rotating hammer to crush paper or any material through the screen. And these hammers are designed to smash paper through a screen sized to achieve a high degree of destruction. However, hammers also have blunt edges, blades, or a combination of both. You can also resize the screen to fit them. Notably, they are designed to reduce the amount of paper to dust if placed correctly.
7. Industrial paper shredders
Industrial shredders are used to shred everything from thin plastic and paper towels, beverage containers and corrugated boxes. Often these devices take up a lot of space and connect special voltage lines. Mainly used for separate designated areas for safe shredding operations.
In addition, they are built for fast and efficient disposal of large volumes of material, and even compact waste is easily disposed of. With their technologically advanced design they ensure that operation is free from human management. Advantages of industrial shredders make waste disposal environmentally friendly and handle sensitive business information safe. Wide range of industrial shredders from tire recycling shredders to paper shredders.
Two types of the industrial paper shredders:
- The first type has a rather small design and can accommodate a small table with a conveyor belt for document loading. However, you also have the option of attaching the small baler to the shredder. Besides, these small shredders are also used in shredder trucks. And companies can hire on-site document destruction services.
- The second type is the multi-level shredder system. Often professional data shredders will use large and automated hashing systems for on-site shredding. They can cut large volumes of documents at high throughput rates during the cutting phase.
8. Tear and Pierce paper shredders
For industrial applications. The machine will perform the shredding process by punching holes in the material being thrown for shredding with a set of rotating blades. After making the holes, they will shred the material in the machine when all the materials are destroyed. Some companies also use these types of shredders. They use trucks that combine piercing and tearing technology, large containers that can store debris. Mainly destroy cardboard or specialized paper such as newsprint.
9. CDs, DVDs, and credit cards paper shredders
There are several shredders on the market that offer additional shredding features for CDs, DVDs, or credit cards. Usually CD shredders have a dedicated slot for loading CDs that you want to shred and then shred. Note, this type of shredder can only shred one CD or DVD per transfer. Prove that you can't shred an entire stack of CDs at once, but just shred them one at a time.
10. Continuous duty of paper shredders
Timing is the most monitored aspect of a shredder as this indicates how long it takes to run when the motor needs to cool down. For the average household shredder, it only cancels in a few minutes, while the standard office shredder cancels in 15-30 minutes. But if you want to shred paper with a large volume, the shredder requires a high operating time.
And they are called heavy duty shredders, continuous shredders, centralized shredders or partial shredders. And continuous shredders can shred large volumes of documents at once, without needing to take a break. Aside from running time, they also come with large trash bins, with compartments that can hold a lot of scrap paper, so you can also shred documents without emptying the bin. These machines will have an automatic oiling system to help the machine operate smoothly.
11. Wastebasket with paper shredders
Some shredders will have a bin for shredding paper after shredding. Below is a variation of the paper shredder.
- Lift off head: is a basic shredder with the shredder unit located on top of the bin. To enter the bin, simply lift the head out of the bin. The downside is that scraps of paper easily stay in the blade and fall to the floor when the head is removed from the machine. This type of machine is heavy and can easily cause the shredder to tip over.
- Pull-out wastebasket: combined with a pull-out wastebasket can. Often machines come with a separate trash can that can be pulled out of the shredder when emptying is required. However, it is recommended that you use a shredder bag inside the bin, making it easier to empty the trash.
- Separate container: larger shredder sizes including auto-feed shredders or heavy duty shredders, and always come with a separate container located inside the shredder and just below the blades. High capacity containers can be a plastic trash can or a cardboard box. In order to operate the container, a door must first be opened.
12. Wastebasket without paper shredders
A paper shredder without a wastebasket can have a low cost and compact design, making it easy to store in a cabinet or desk drawer. They contain only the top of the motorized shredder, and do not contain compartments or baskets for shredded paper granules.
Therefore, it is imperative that you place the shredder on a container such as a trash can, and shredders all come equipped with an extendable arm to ensure the top fits all trash cans. Note, they only shred randomly and cannot shred large volumes, this machine is also classified as strip cutting so it will not be used for shredding confidential documents. Besides, they are the least safe to use.
13. Manual paper shredders
This is a manual shredder with portable and compact design that makes it easy to fit in a drawer, bookshelf or on a desk. And they work without power, so you can shred them yourself anywhere, just turn a knob or handle to shred documents with a hand shredder. Besides, they can be cut in strips or cut across. Note that you should use a hand shredder to cut across the same trash can to collect the crumbs.
Conclusion
Regardless of households or business organizations large and small, the addition of an industrial paper shredder makes it easier for you to clean your workspace, secure your secrets or paper. sheets become more secure. A paper shredder can help you a lot in life or work. Through the behomemate above types of paper shredders that we have given the necessary information, right now, quickly choose one for yourself to make your life activities more effective.
