Alligator shears look like big pairs of scissors, and recyclers use them like scissors-for cutting scrap material to shorter lengths or cutting off less-valuable materials to get a higher price for the scrap. These aren't complicated processes, but they can be dangerous. Kickback is a main danger when cutting long goods. "You're holding a piece that is 10 feet long and feeding it through the shear. It might be copper pipe, which is smooth, easy-like butter," and most likely poses no problems, says Bob Bedard, president and general manager of NASCO-OP in New Philadelphia, Ohio. "But generally as the metal's hardness and thickness increases, the tendency to kick back increases, too. When the blade completes its cut and finally fractures the metal, the release of that pressure can make the cut pieces violently kick back toward the shear operator. Some metals, such as titanium, fracture with such force that flying pieces become a hazard. Or take 6061, an aluminum alloy that can bite back if you're not paying attention." The force of the kickback "can throw people on the ground or deliver a surprise undercut to your chin if you are not careful," Bedard says.
展开▼
