Tag: disintegrator

Maybe Paper Isn’t the Only Thing You Should Be Shredding

June 13, 2018 at 4:27 pm by SEM

SIGNAL CONNECTIONS E-newsletter August 15, 2005

Hard drive disposal has become a hot topic over the past few years for both the defense community and the private sector. As personal computers advance and older units become obsolete, disposal of sensitive information still left on the hard drive is of serious concern. For most companies simply throwing the computers or drives away is not an option. Some choose to “erase” the drive with either software or degaussing equipment, but experts agree that the process is not always 100% effective. The best way to be certain that important information is not accessible after disposal is to physically destroy the hard drive. Current methods for destruction or defacing prior to disposal can be effective but are often primitive and labor intensive. They include everything from drilling, crushing or removing the platter for sanding or grinding. Recently, at the request of several customers, SEM began developing machines to destroy entire hard drives, by turning them into an unrecognizable pile of shredded material.

Through testing several combinations, exploring alternate materials and working out safety concerns, we enhanced two of our current disintegrators (industrial shredders) to successfully destroy hard drives. The process is actually very simple. Drives are placed into one of our disintegrators and are continually shredded until the particles are small enough to pass through a waste disposal screen. The unrecognizable, unreconstructable waste can then be disposed without fear of information theft. This type of one-step destruction is viable and cost-effective for many companies. However, as in all forms of destruction, understanding the process and knowing the requirements is the key to success.

Limitations/Maintenance – One-step destruction does have limitations and maintenance associated with it. There are limitations on drive size (1 ½ lbs. case weight), volume (drives fed per hour) and collection capacity depending on the method chosen. Maintenance includes periodic blade sharpening, lubrication and replacement of consumable items, all determined by amount of use and volume. None of these items alone or combined are deterrents but must be factored into the cost and overall maintenance budget.

Understanding How the Disintegrator Works – The disintegrator or industrial shredder is a rotary knife mill, which uses a number of rotating and stationary knives working in unison to create a scissor-type cutting action. The level to which the product is cut or broken up is determined by an interchangeable sizing screen. Screens are available with various hole sizes, which allows the end user to tailor the final particle size to their requirements of security. Once the product is destroyed and passed through the sizing screen, it falls into a tote bin or larger collection device (drum, cart, or dumpster).

Going Beyond the Hard Drive – Once we had perfected hard drive destruction, we in the destruction community were faced with another challenge. It seems the process of opening all the computer cases and removing all the hard drives was becoming a burden to the folks charged with sending us the drives. It may seem like a small thing, but many older tower computers may require as many as 10 screws to be removed before a drive can be taken out. The procedure could take several minutes. In response to demands to simplify the process, we have developed a machine that will destroy an entire tower or desktop CPU with no need to open the case or remove any items. The dual-shaft design machine literally shreds them into 2” wide pieces at random lengths. The 2” particle size can be reduced even further, if desired, by running it through a disintegrator.

What About Cost? – The decision to purchase a system should not be based on cost, but on potential risk. For lower volumes, destruction services are an option. Even so, many companies simply cannot afford to purchase this equipment for the relatively small number of computers that need to be destroyed. In these cases, we recommend investigating a destruction service. At SEM we not only sell the equipment, but we maintain and operate a full-scale destruction facility. So, if you have old computers to dispose of, stop and think about the best way to do it. Destruction, specifically shredding, just might be the answer.

About the Author – Leonard Rosen is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Security Engineered Machinery. He has over 40 years of experience in the field of information security and destruction.

Security Engineered Machinery Turns 50

June 11, 2018 at 5:15 pm by SEM

Security Engineered Machinery Co. Inc. (SEM), global leader in high security end-of-life solutions, is celebrating 50 years of protecting corporate and national security interests through continuous innovations in the field of document and media sanitization technology.

Through a combination of in-house engineering and design as well as direct manufacturing in our Westboro, MA facility, SEM has consistently produced innovative data sanitization products and services for the intelligence organizations of the U.S. Federal Government, including our military, embassies and other government entities, in addition to a wide commercial market.

Founded in 1967 by Korean War veteran, Leonard Rosen, the company’s initial product was a paper disintegrator that allowed users to reduce large volumes of top-secret documents down to unreadable particles in a quick and secure manner. SEM’s disintegration was a vast improvement over incineration in speed, convenience, and environmental impact and was quickly accepted as the primary destruction method of the U.S. Government. In the mid 1970s SEM introduced a full line of office paper shredders to allow users to destroy documents closer to their source.

As record storage transitioned from paper to electronic media, the company continued to innovate to meet the new sanitization demands created by this new technology including computer tape, optical media, hard drives and solid-state media. Today, SEM holds several patents and is the global industry leader for multiple forms of sanitization and destruction including degaussing, crushing, shredding, and disintegration of any type of electronic media such as hard drives, optical media and solid state storage systems.

Founder and Chairman Len Rosen is still actively involved in the day-to-day activities of the company, but is quick to deflect credit for success to his management team and entire staff. “It seems like we just started this yesterday” said Rosen. “The growth has been amazing, but I’m most proud of how we continue to adapt as a company, not just to stay relevant, but to lead the industry with innovative solutions.”

Security Engineered Machinery Founder Honored as ASIS Life Member

May 31, 2018 at 5:08 pm by SEM
Leonard Rosen, SEM Founder and Chairman of the Board

Leonard Rosen has been a continuous member of ASIS since 1968

Security Engineered Machinery Co., Inc. is pleased to announce that Leonard Rosen, SEM founder and Chairman of the Board, has been honored with Life Member status by the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS). ASIS grants Life Member status to individuals who have 50 years of continuous membership within the organization. Mr. Rosen founded SEM in 1967 and became a member of ASIS in 1968.

“Receiving ASIS Life Member status was unexpected, and quite an honor,” said Mr. Rosen. “To me, this speaks volumes about the quality and endurance of Security Engineered Machinery, which has enabled me to remain a member of ASIS over the past five decades. SEM has consistently adapted to changing technology while continuing to grow through the years, and I am so proud to be part of this incredible organization. We started by selling paper shredders to the federal government and now manufacture data destruction devices for every type of data and for every type of client. SEM continues to be a robust organization that has helped to protect national security for over 50 years.”

Throughout the years, SEM has supported ASIS through trade show participation as well as advertising in ASIS publications, including Security Management. In addition, SEM team members maintain membership and actively participate in regional chapters of ASIS.

“ASIS is truly the premier security association for security-centric government and commercial entities, and I am thrilled to gain Life Member status in such an upstanding organization,” added Mr. Rosen.

Mr. Rosen founded SEM in 1967 to fill a clear need for high security disintegration equipment for the federal government. He has possessed numerous positions with SEM over the years, including sales and marketing and operations. Prior to founding SEM, Mr. Rosen served in the U.S. Army and is a Korean War Veteran, after which he served in management positions related to sales and marketing roles with various domestic and international manufacturers. A graduate of Boston University, Mr. Rosen continues to be actively involved with SEM day-to-day operations and serves as Chairman of the Board.

“In addition to strategic vision that laid the foundation for SEM’s success, Len possesses exceptional leadership capabilities that are directly responsible for the longevity of SEM employees, whose service can often be counted in decades rather than years,” commented Andrew Kelleher, President of SEM. “He valued and encouraged work-life balance and positive company culture before anyone even knew what they were, and SEM continues to operate in that vein. It is rare to find someone with the vision and integrity of Len Rosen.”

Disintegrator 20 Point Preventative Maintenance

January 30, 2018 at 9:55 am by SEM

Routine disintegrator maintenance is imperative to keeping any disintegrator functioning like a fine tuned machine. Unfortunately, disintegrator preventative maintenance is habitually an afterthought and this oversight can lead to costly repairs and aggravation. The majority of disintegrators are stationed in high security environments where classified or sensitive materials need to be destroyed in a timely, efficient manner. Whether it is a matter of national security or to protect business interests you need your disintegrator to work  and get the job done every single time!

In order to ensure our clients effectively maintain their disintegrator systems, SEM has incorporated a Service Guaranteed 20 Point Preventative Maintenance Service Program (listed below). SEM disintegrator preventative maintenance consists of a scheduled visit(s) by an authorized factory trained SEM service representative who will perform the at-site labor. This scheduled maintenance lineup includes three core areas of focus: The disintegrator system, evacuation system and electrical system. All three of these system operatives are symbiotic; when one is not maintained properly it causes more stress and wear on the rest of the system.

Disintegrator System:

1. Installation of sharpened knives,
2. Calibrate installed knives to application for optimal performance.
3. Remove old knives.
4. Sharpen spare knives.
5. Grease your rotor bearings.
6. Inspect hopper for easy opening and closing to cutting chamber.
7. Inspect rotor for excessive wear.
8. Inspect screen for proper fit and wear.
9. Inspect drive belt for wear.
10. Adjust drive belt tension to factory specifications for maximum efficiency.
11. Check sheave bolt tension and set to factory specifications.

Evacuation System:

12. Inspect fan for proper operation.
13. Inspect evacuation system for leaks.
14. Lubricate and grease air system as required.
15. Adjust flow controls as needed.
16. Inspect filter.
17. Shake filter and empty debris as required.

Electrical System:

18. Inspect all safety switches ensuring the function properly.
19. Inspect all starters ensuring proper operation.

Reports:

20. Complete evaluation report with recommendations.

How does this 20 Point Service Program work? At SEM we have several different ways of helping you determine which service arrangement works for you. If you are buying a new disintegrator our industry leading sales representatives will qualify you what type of service plan works for you based on your disintegrator system/model, volume of destruction and budget. If you already have an existing disintegrator we can schedule an immediate service call to get you tuned up and inspect wear mechanisms.

Once you have determined that a disintegrator service plan is sought after, our team will facilitate your scheduled service. Your scheduled service can consist of a onetime service call or an annual PM contract. Our best service option is our annual PM contracts, consisting of multiple service calls and is the most cost effective in the long run.

SEM’s 20 Point Preventative Maintenance is designed to spot small problems before they become big problems and keep your systems performing at peak efficiency with minimum downtime. SEM’s highly skilled service technicians service all major brands of disintegrators and are trained on all system components. Our service network has several locations throughout the United States and the world; there is no location we cannot get to!

Understanding Dual Stage Destruction – Is it Right For You?

December 21, 2010 at 2:34 pm by SEM

SEM DUAL STAGE systems are just that, a two stage destruction system consisting of both a primary and secondary destruction device. A heavy duty bulk pre-shredder serves as the primary stage, allowing for over sized items such as rolled architectural drawings, full burn bags, large manuals, and high volumes of bulky material to be reduced in size. This allows for the secondary stage, consisting of a rotary knife mill disintegrator, to more easily and effectively reduce the waste down to its final NSA evaluated particle size. By utilizing a pre-shredder as the primary stage, a smaller more energy efficient disintegrator can be utilized for the secondary stage. Additionally, the 5 bladed solid rotors achieve more throughput with less HP than open rotor designs through increased cutting inertia and more cuts per rotation.

Why it might be right for you:

Single stage destruction systems require much larger disintegrators and more HP in order to destroy the same volumes and thicknesses of material. As with all single stage systems, many items have to be sorted, resorted, and then reduced in thickness prior to destruction, which can ultimately be unproductive. Dual stage systems can easily handle these applications, and are simply the fastest, most efficient way to destroy classified bulk material. Why spend all the extra work sorting and pre-shredding the items yourself prior to destruction? Let the dual stage system do the work.

Dual stage systems also prevent overfeeding and system jams. Anyone familiar with disintegration knows that misuse of the machine and overfeeding can cause a jam. Instead, using a pre-shredder will allow the material to be greatly reduced with less energy and work for the machine. This also saves disintegrator blade wear at the same time.

A dual stage system is a security solution designed to destroy a high volume of bulk material that is energy efficient and significantly reduces the time your organization spends on destruction. For the less time you have to spend on destruction at any volume, the more time you’ll have to build something else.

SEM dual stage disintegrators have been evaluated by NSA and meet the requirements of NSA/CSS Evaluated Products List for Paper Disintegrators for paper, key tape and CDs.

 

Not Sure What Your Future Destruction Needs Will Be? Consider a Mixed-Media Destruction System.

at 1:09 pm by SEM

What are your future destruction needs?

Most of us at one point or another have owned a paper shredder. In most cases it is sufficient enough for destroying most information that is contained on paper. But today, our information is not only printed on paper, it is stored on magnetic media such as hard drives, thumb drives or optical media such as CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs. Obviously any media other than paper in most cases cannot be destroyed using a paper shredder. We need to use something else to render this information useless.

If you have other forms of media you need to destroy, you will need something larger like a disintegrator. A disintegrator is a form of an industrial paper shredder that can not only destroy paper, but it can destroy a plethora of other optical media and small e-media devices as well. A disintegrator works by using a scissor cutting action where rotating knives are spinning in a destruction chamber where it works with stationary knives to slice the material over and again until the material is small enough to fall through a security screen where it is evacuated into a waste container.

Disintegrators come in several different sizes and can be customized to fit your particular location or destruction requirement. Most disintegrators will require 3-phase power which can range anywhere from 208 volts up to 480 volts. For some, this may be too much machine either physically or financially. However there is a solution.

Perhaps the flexibility of a mixed media destruction system is what you need. A mixed media destruction system consists of a specially designed Model 200 series of office disintegrators.

standalone-disintegrator

A Model 200 disintegrator will not replace a heavy duty classified approved paper shredder or a dedicated optical media destroyer for shredding CD/DVDs. It will however give you the capability to destroy paper, CD/DVDs, thumb drives, audio tapes and key tape with just one machine. This is paramount to a SCIF or small office that needs the convenience of being able to destroy all of these different types of media with one small space saving office machine.

What are your future destruction needs? This is the question many of us ponder from time to time. The only way to answer this is to be prepared with a device that can destroy almost everything we put our important information on. Just like insurance, we never think we will need it until the time comes.