Centrifugal chopping and grinding apparatus

Centrifugal chopping and shredding apparatus comprising:

• a housing including an inlet for receiving material to be shredded and an outlet for discharging shredding material;
• a first plate secured within said housing and including a plurality of generally radially extending ribs thereon, each said ribs extending upwardly from a radially outwardly and upwardly inclined surface and having an outer edge surface extending radially outwardly to a substantially continuous peripheral surface of said first plate;
• a chopping and shredding plate mounted within said housing and including a plurality of radially extending knives protruding from one face thereof, said knives directly opposing said ribs and including a radially outer portion directly opposed to said substantially continuous outer surface, said knives further being spaced away from said outer edge surfaces of said ribs and said substantially continuous outer surface by a predetermined gap, and said inlet and said outlet communicating with a space disposed between said first plate and said chopping and shredding plate;
• wherein one of said first plate and said chopping and shredding plate is mounted for rotation within said housing and a motor is operatively coupled to said one plate for rotating said one plate during a chopping and shredding operation.

Apparatus for grinding or shredding material comprising:

• a housing including an inlet and an outlet;
• a first plate secured within said housing and including a cutting surface;
• a surface plate mounted for rotation within said housing, said second plate including a cutting surface, wherein said cutting surfaces of said first and second plates are opposed to one another and a space is defined therebetween, said inlet and said outlet communicating with said space;
• one of said first plate and said second plate being mounted for rotation within said housing;
• a material distributing plate mounted for rotation within said housing and radially disposed between said space and said inlet, said material distributing plate being mounted to said second plate and axially adjustable with respect to said second plate;
• and
• at least one motor operatively coupled to said one plate and said material distributing plate for rotating said one plate and said material distributing plate.

Apparatus for grinding or shredding material comprising:

• a housing including an inlet and an outlet;
• a first plate secured within said housing and including a cutting surface;
• a second plate mounted within said housing, said second plate including a cutting surface, wherein said cutting surfaces of said first and second plates are opposed to one another and a space is defined therebetween, said inlet and said outlet communicating with said space;
• one of said first plate and said second plate being mounted for rotation within said housing and operatively coupled to a motor for rotating said one plate;
• the other of said first and second plates being axially adjustable with respect to said one plate;
• and,
• a control mechanism operatively coupled to said other plate and which moves said other plate axially toward said one plate until said cutting surfaces contact one another and then moves said other plate away from said one plate a predetermined distance.