Auto Feeding Paper Shredders

Auto feeding paper shredders, sometimes referred to self-feeding paper shredders are not new. In fact, the first attempts to bring auto feeding auto shredders to the market date back almost 30 years with the release of the REXEL 415, 425 and 435 series. These REXEL models were large and expensive machines and the belt style feeder didn’t work anywhere near as successfully as today’s generation of auto feeding paper shredders.

Some of the latest models of auto feed shredders can also shred paper by hand feed, however, most cannot auto feed and be manually fed simultaneously like some hybrid shredders on the market. 

When shredding fastened sheets, the thickness of the pile increases due to protruding of the fastener, which actually makes the pile thicker. This added thickness may also reduce the auto feed tray capacity.

The ability of shredders to auto feed documents that are fastened by a staple or paper clip can also vary the auto feed performance. Generally stapled documents auto feed at a slower rate than unstapled documents, as fasteners can slow down the document progressing to the blades. A stack of stapled documents takes longer to complete shredding in comparison to the same quantity of unstapled sheets. However the user should not be concerned about this, as long as the shredding is completed without any user intervention, that’s the point of auto feed shredders right?

Speaking of shredding documents with staples and paper clips, some manufacturers state the cutter blades will be worn progressively as a result of shredding fastened sheets eg: staples and paper clips and may not be covered under the terms of their warranty due to this fact. In addition, shredding excessive credit cards and CD’s (optical media) can also void the manufacturer’s cutter warranty.