Swarf are the shavings of metal debris produced during machining. These chips or filings can also be produced during woodworking, grinding and other manufacturing processes. Metal, wood, plastic and stone can all produce this debris which is often called “swarf”.
At S-5 Manufacturing, the small chips and shavings created during the cutting, milling or drilling of stainless steel, aluminum and brass parts could be called “swarf”, but we commonly call them “saw chips” or “turnings” and produce tons of them each month. In that case, they are automatically collected at their source by special equipment and recycled regularly. We recycle approximately 40 Cu. Yd. or 14,450 lb. of aluminum chips every month. That amounts to over 7 tons per month of “swarf”. There are additional shavings produced when machining our brass and stainless steel clamps and brackets, but that volume is much lower than the aluminum.