When it comes to protecting sensitive physical information, nothing can compete with a paper shredder. These devices are available at seven different levels, from basic commercial paper shredders to ultra-high security paper shredders. This allows companies and institutions to pay for the precise level of protection they need. 2017 saw roughly 16.7 individuals fall prey to identity fraud because they didn’t know how paper shredders work. Shredders help to protect both the employees of a business or agency and the people they serve. Commercial paper shredders protect employees through secure document destruction.
Today, it is rare to find a business without a shredder in the office. However, this is not how the technology was first applied. A deep dive into the history of the paper shredder can help to illuminate how this device achieved its present ubiquity and to answer the question, “how does a paper shredder work?”
Before paper shredders
Before the invention of paper shredders, there were two primary options when it came to destroying sensitive documents: ripping them up by hand or lighting them on fire. With the immense quantity of information which needs to remain private today, it is not practical to shred documents by hand. Not only is this slow and inefficient, but it is physically impossible to manually shred documents to the same degree as higher level shredders. Knowing how paper shredders work can also help the planet. Incineration is both energy-intensive and polluting, making it a terrible option both for the environment and for wallets.
The basic components of a shredder
To use a shredder, you should understand various paper shredder parts. Your average commercial paper shredder has a narrow, paper-sized slit through which documents that need to be destroyed are placed, and a bin that they fall into. Most shredders possess both a sensor to detect when the lid is secured to the bin as well as a sensor to detect when papers are inserted into the lid. This is to ensure that the machine only activates when documents are being inserted for shredding. These shredder components help ensure thorough document destruction and safety during use.
The actual shredding elements
A basic, low-level commercial paper shredder typically possesses just one set of rotating blades that cut documents into several narrow strips. Paper shredder parts on the next level up employ dual sets of blades rotating in opposite directions. This mechanism results in small squares of paper rather than long strips. The highest possible security levels, 6 and 7, create shreds with areas no larger than 10mm and 5mm, respectively. This is accomplished using a highly complex array of blades. These high-security shredders offer the most secure document destruction. Recognizing these shredder components can help answer the question, “how does a paper shredder work?”
Whether you work for a government agency that needs an extremely secure level 6 shredder, or you simply want an easy way to dispose of pieces of paper while reducing their footprint, you can fulfill all your paper shredder needs with Capital Shredder. Now that you’re familiar with the different components and how paper shredders work, you can find the right shredder for your business.
