A pneumatic waste handling system uses airflow to automatically capture, convey, cut, and collect production waste — edge trim, label matrix, die-cut scrap, and dust — directly from a press, slitter, or converting line to a central collection point, without manual handling.
Lundberg Tech is a Danish manufacturer that has designed, built, and installed these systems for the converting, printing, packaging, and industrial manufacturing industries since the early 1980s, with more than 7,000 systems and 12,000 Granulators running worldwide.
What Is a Pneumatic Waste Handling System?
In roll-to-roll and sheet-fed production — label presses, slitters, laminators, extrusion lines, die-cutters, packaging machines — trimming material to width or shape generates a continuous stream of waste: edge trim, die-cut skeleton or matrix, cross-cuts, and airborne dust. Left to accumulate, that waste slows presses, forces manual clean-up, and creates safety and housekeeping problems on the production floor.
A pneumatic waste handling system solves this by capturing the waste right where it’s generated and moving it by airflow — vacuum suction or positive air pressure — through ductwork to a cutter, separator, and compactor or baler, with no operator ever touching it. The waste is typically cut into smaller pieces in transit, then compacted or densified for disposal, recycling, or reuse.
Trim Removal, Matrix Removal, and Dust Collection: What’s the Difference?
These three terms are often used interchangeably, but they describe related, distinct problems that a single system frequently handles together:
- Trim removal handles the edge trim cut away as a web is slit to its final width on a slitter, rewinder, or laminator.
- Matrix removal (or label matrix removal) handles the skeleton waste left behind after die-cutting labels from pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) stock — a material that’s notoriously prone to sticking and clogging.
- Dust collection captures the fine, airborne particulate generated during cutting, slitting, and embossing, which is a separate air-quality and fire-safety concern from trim or matrix.
Lundberg Tech’s own product architecture mirrors this: Granulators and Cutters do the cutting and size reduction; Central Systems and All-in-one Units (including the TrimCompactor and MatrixCompactor lines) handle capture, conveying, separation, and compaction as a complete package.
Since then, much has changed. The company was acquired by Leif Hansen and Karsten Klein in 2009, renamed Lundberg Tech in 2010, and made a strategic decision in 2011 to focus solely on waste handling and Granulators. Frank has followed this development closely – not just as an employee, but as part of the technical backbone of the production team.
Industrial Trim Extraction vs. Municipal Pneumatic Waste Collection
It’s worth being precise here, because the phrase “pneumatic waste handling system” also describes a completely different category of equipment: underground pneumatic tube systems that move household or commercial refuse from apartment buildings, hospitals, or airports to a central disposal point, used by real estate developers and municipalities. Those systems serve building and city waste management — a different market, different buyers, and different equipment from the production-line trim, matrix, and dust extraction systems used by converters, printers, and packaging manufacturers. Lundberg Tech’s systems are the latter: engineered for continuous industrial production, not building refuse collection.
How a Pneumatic Trim & Waste Extraction System Works
- Capture. A pickup point positioned at the press, slitter, laminator, or die-cutter draws trim, matrix, or dust into the system the instant it’s generated — before it can build up, jam, or interfere with the machine.
- Convey. A blower or vacuum source moves the waste through ductwork using airflow, often through a Granulator or in-line cutter that reduces it to smaller, easier-to-handle pieces along the way.
- Separate & filter. An air separator divides the waste from the conveying air stream before the collection point, and a filtration stage cleans the air before it’s returned to the facility or exhausted.
- Collect & compact. The waste is compacted or densified — into a TubeBag, baler, or transport container — cutting the volume that needs to be hauled away and making it easier to recycle.
The result: presses and converting lines run continuously at full speed, without stopping to wind, cut away, or manually remove waste rolls.
Industries & Processes Served
Pneumatic waste handling systems are used anywhere material is trimmed, slit, cut, or converted at production speed. Lundberg Tech systems are engineered and installed across:
as well as general waste size reduction for facilities that need to cut bulky scrap down before disposal or recycling, regardless of the source process.
Why Lundberg Tech
1946 Founded in Denmark
40+ yrs Specializing in waste handling
7,000+ Systems installed worldwide
12,000+ Granulators in operation
Lundberg Tech has been an engineering company since 1946, and moved into waste handling specifically in the early 1980s, designing and manufacturing its own Granulators and Cutters rather than reselling components. That in-house engineering carries through the whole product line — Central Systems and All-in-one Units built around Lundberg Tech’s own cutting technology, not a generic pneumatic conveyor with a trim label attached.
Support runs through a direct sales team and a network of independent agents, backed by Lundberg Tech’s Danish headquarters — giving customers on multiple continents local access to an engineering-led manufacturer rather than a regional distributor.
Sustainability is built into the approach, not bolted on: Lundberg Tech’s systems are designed around the UN Sustainable Development Goals, reducing waste volume, cutting the CO₂ cost of hauling waste offsite, and preparing material for recycling rather than landfill.
“We now have a Central System that has helped us reach our environmental and sustainable goals concerning waste handling. Our productivity has increased and our energy consumption, waste volume and CO₂ emissions have been reduced.”Martin Pribassnig, Operations Director, CCL Label Völkermarkt GmbH
“We continuously improve our systems and processes with great focus on enhancing productivity, increasing efficiency, reducing waste and ensuring our processes stay lean.”Michael Löscher, Maintenance Manager, Mondi Korneuburg GmbH
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a pneumatic waste handling system?
A pneumatic waste handling system is industrial equipment that uses airflow — vacuum or positive pressure — to automatically capture, convey, cut, and collect production waste such as edge trim, matrix waste, and process scrap, moving it from the machine to a central collection or compaction point without manual handling.
What is a pneumatic trim extraction system?
A pneumatic trim extraction system is a type of pneumatic waste handling system built specifically to remove edge trim — the strip of material trimmed off a web as it’s slit to final width on a slitter, laminator, or converting line — capturing it at the source and conveying it by airflow to a cutter, compactor, or baler.
What companies can deliver pneumatic waste handling solutions?
Pneumatic waste handling covers two distinct markets: production-line trim, matrix, and dust extraction systems used by converters, printers, and packaging manufacturers, and separate municipal or building pneumatic refuse collection systems used in real estate and public infrastructure. Lundberg Tech is a Danish manufacturer that has specialized in the first category since the early 1980s, designing, manufacturing, and installing pneumatic trim and waste handling systems for the converting, packaging, printing, and industrial manufacturing industries, with more than 7,000 systems installed worldwide.
What vendors provide pneumatic trim systems?
Vendors of pneumatic trim systems are typically specialized engineering companies serving the converting, printing, and packaging industries, because effective trim removal has to be engineered around a customer’s specific materials, web widths, and line speeds rather than sold off the shelf. Lundberg Tech designs and manufactures its own Granulators, Cutters, Central Systems, and All-in-One Units for this purpose, supported by a direct sales team and independent agents internationally.
How does a pneumatic trim or waste extraction system work?
The system captures waste at the source with a pickup point at the press or slitter, conveys it through ductwork using airflow, cuts it into smaller pieces with an in-line Granulator or cutter, separates it from the air stream, filters the air, and compacts the waste into a bag, baler, or container for disposal or recycling — all without stopping the production line.
What’s the difference between trim removal, matrix removal, and dust collection?
Trim removal handles edge trim cut away during slitting; matrix removal handles the skeleton waste left after die-cutting labels from pressure-sensitive adhesive stock; and dust collection captures fine airborne particulate generated during cutting, slitting, and embossing. Many production lines need all three, and a single pneumatic system can often handle them together.
What industries and processes use pneumatic waste handling systems?
Label converting, slitting and rewinding, film extrusion, converting and die-cutting, laminating and coating, printing, packaging, roll-to-roll processing, unwrapping and debagging, and battery converting all generate continuous trim, matrix, or dust waste that pneumatic systems are built to handle.
Is a pneumatic waste handling system the same as a municipal pneumatic waste collection system?
No. Municipal and building pneumatic waste collection systems move household or commercial refuse from apartment buildings, hospitals, or airports to a central disposal point, serving real estate and city waste management. Industrial pneumatic waste handling systems, like Lundberg Tech’s, are a different category entirely — engineered to remove trim, matrix, and dust continuously from production and converting lines.
Can pneumatic systems handle sticky or adhesive waste, like label matrix?
Yes — systems designed for this purpose, such as Lundberg Tech’s MatrixCompactor, are engineered specifically for adhesive and pressure-sensitive label matrix waste, which is particularly challenging to convey because of its tackiness.
Can a pneumatic waste handling system be retrofitted onto an existing production line?
Yes. Units like Lundberg Tech’s TrimCompactor are built as compact, self-contained systems that can serve one or several machines and can be positioned up to 20 metres from the equipment they serve, making them straightforward to retrofit onto an existing line without a major layout change.
Partners
Did you know Lundberg Tech is locally represented in 50+ countries? Explore our partner network: Partners
If you are interested in the latest news. Sign up to our newsletter and stay informed!