Boerger has pioneered a new macerating concept to better protect pump systems in wastewater applications.
With 35 years of maceration and pumping esteem, Boerger has continually honed its product portfolio based on extensive field experience.
The company intimately understands how solids behave in different processes, prompting its next evolution.
Inspired by an orbit from space travel and astronomy, the OrbitGrinder is based on a completely new macerating concept, where star-shaped cutting blades rotate inside a round cutting basket.
This achieves a constant cutting speed, with pivoted cutting blades automatically adjusting to variations in solids content.
The OrbitGrinder excels in comparison to shear-plate macerators.
“Shear-plate macerators involve a rotational cutting blade operating on a stationery shear-plate or a rotational shear-plate rotating against stationery blades,” Dominik Straetling, managing director of Boerger Pumps Asia, Singapore, told Pump Industry.
“The disadvantage of this is that they generate different circumferential speeds. At the outer edge of the cutting plate, the circumferential speed is significantly higher than in the centre, resulting in excessive wear and different cutting torques.
“With identical circumferential speeds at every point of its blades, the OrbitGrinder delivers uniform macerating results and protects the system from blockages, which is essential for demanding wastewater, sludge, and anaerobic digestion applications.”
The OrbitGrinder is compact and designed for easy retrofitting into existing installations. The machine is positioned directly upstream of the pump, enabling solids-laden media to pass through before heading further downstream.
“A macerator cuts and chops larger solids into smaller particles,” Straetling said. “This includes real solids, fine rags, fibres and wet wipes.
“The OrbitGrinder takes the headache out of this process, leveraging precise maceration to elongate the meantime between failure (MTBF) of downstream pumps and other equipment.
“It acts as an important intermediary in process applications.”
Operators can adjust the maceration degree by selecting cutting baskets with different hole patterns, combined with flow speed and rotational adjustments. Inlet and outlet connections can be positioned at multiple angles, making the unit adaptable to diverse plant layouts.
Maintenance is fast and convenient thanks to Maintenance-in-Place (MIP) design, which is available on all Boerger macerators and pumps. A gas-strut-assisted quick-release cover provides rapid access to wear parts, while a debris collector efficiently captures impurities.
“Maintenance-in-Place enables all maintenance work to be done quickly and easily where the OrbitGrinder is installed – there are typically just four nuts or eyebolts between you and the wet-end,” Straetling said.
“All critical wear components can be accessed and replaced in just a few minutes, minimising downtime. Maintenance is safer, cleaner, and faster with MIP – allowing operators to focus on core processes.”
By combining precision engineering, uniform cutting performance, and service-focused design, the OrbitGrinder sets a new benchmark in maceration technology.
The first machines are already installed or in commissioning in Australia, demonstrating the initial interest in this solution. Boerger works closely with its customers to ensure each OrbitGrinder is tailored to the specific needs of an application.
“We typically don’t supply a pump or a macerator off the shelf; customers get a specific solution to their problem, which is adjusted if challenges appear,” Straetling said.
Boerger will be showcasing the OrbitGrinder at Ozwater’26 next week. See it in the flesh at booth M09.
This feature appeared in the Autumn edition of Pump Industry.
