Mid-State Litho is an authorized Formax dealer for hard-drive and media-destruction equipment. We serve print shops, in-plant operations, and IT and records departments across Michigan and the Great Lakes, and we started in 1984. Erasing or degaussing a used hard drive does not make it secure. The only certain way to retire a drive is to physically destroy it, and the machines on this page do exactly that.
We carry three Formax media-destruction units. The Formax FD 87HDS Series is a hard-drive shredder with a 3.5" HDD chamber and a 2.5" HDD/SSD chamber, so it physically destroys 3.5" and 2.5" hard drives and 2.5-inch SSDs (not M.2 or other SSD form factors). It comes as the FD 87HDS Standard and the FD 87HDS-R Recycle, which adds material separation for cleaner recycling streams. The Formax FD 87HD is a hard-drive punch that drives a steel pin through the platters. It is a fast and lower-cost option when you need drives unreadable but not reduced to particles.
Which unit fits depends on your volume, the media you destroy, and your plan for the remains. We help you size the right machine. These are heavy floor units, so we deliver, install, and train your team. Then we keep them running with factory-trained technicians. Financing is available.
Is your priority high-security destruction of paper documents instead of drives? See the P-7 models in our high-security paper shredders collection.
Formax FD 87HDS Series hard drive shredders
The Formax FD 87HDS Series physically shreds hard drives. Its 3.5" HDD chamber and 2.5" HDD/SSD chamber destroy hard drives and 2.5-inch SSDs so the data cannot be recovered. It is not built for M.2 or other SSD form factors. It comes in two configurations. The FD 87HDS Standard ($14,749) handles routine drive destruction. The FD 87HDS-R Recycle ($19,799) adds material separation, which keeps your recycling streams cleaner when you process drives in volume. Both are floor machines built for continuous IT-asset and records-retention work.
Formax FD 87HD hard drive punch
The Formax FD 87HD ($5,150) is a hard-drive punch. It drives a steel pin straight through the platters and bends and cracks them, so no one can read the drive. Punching is faster and lower in cost than full shredding. That makes the FD 87HD a practical choice when your goal is unreadable drives, not drives reduced to particles.
Hard drive shredding vs. degaussing vs. punching
Three methods retire a drive, and they are not equal. Degaussing uses a magnetic field to scramble a platter, but it leaves the drive physically intact. You also cannot verify it on an SSD, which stores data in flash memory, not on magnetic media.
Punching drives a pin through the platters and renders the drive unreadable quickly. Shredding reduces the media to particles, which gives the highest assurance and the cleanest recycling. For paper-document destruction at NSA P-7, see our high-security paper shredders instead. Those units are a separate line and are not part of this collection.
Why buy from Mid-State Litho
Mid-State Litho became an authorized Formax dealer in 1984. Our service area covers Michigan and the Great Lakes. Our factory-trained technicians handle delivery, installation, and operator training on these heavy floor units, and we keep them running after the sale. Financing is available. Explore the full paper shredders line or review our service and support. Ask about financing and leasing, or contact us to match the right machine to your media type and volume.
How to choose between punching, shredding, and outsourcing
A hard drive punch and a hard drive shredder are not the same machine class. The right one depends on how many drives leave the building each month and what the retention policy requires.
The Formax FD 87HD punches a hole through the drive platter. It is the low volume answer: one drive at a time, small footprint, and no shred waste to handle. It destroys the drive mechanically, which satisfies most internal disposal policies. It is the practical choice for a shop or in-plant department that retires a handful of drives a quarter.
The Formax FD 87HDS shreds the drive into particles. That is what a regulated environment usually requires, and it produces a waste stream that someone has to collect and haul. At $14,749 it is a capital purchase, so the volume question decides it. If drives pile up in a locked cabinet and wait for a truck, the machine pays for itself in avoided service fees. The drives also never leave the building. The FD 87HDS-R at $19,799 is the second configuration in that series.
The third option is an outside destruction service. That is the right answer for a one time cleanout. It is the wrong answer when the chain of custody itself is the risk. Every truck pickup is a window where the drives are out of your control.
Optical media, tape, and media that will not fit the FD 87HDS feed chamber are a different problem. Mid-State Litho does not sell degaussers or disintegrators. If that is the requirement, call and we will say so. We will not sell you a machine that does not do it.
Paper destruction is a separate lane with its own machine classes. See industrial paper shredders for plant-floor volume and commercial and office paper shredders for department units. The paper shredders hub has the full range.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a hard drive shredder and a hard drive punch?
A shredder like the FD 87HDS Series cuts the drive into particles. A punch like the FD 87HD drives a steel pin through the platters to make the drive unreadable. Shredding gives the highest assurance. Punching is faster and lower in cost.
Do these machines destroy SSDs as well as HDDs?
The FD 87HDS Series physically destroys HDDs and 2.5-inch SSDs: it has a 3.5" HDD chamber and a 2.5" HDD/SSD chamber. It is not built for M.2 or other SSD form factors. Because an SSD stores data in flash memory, physical destruction is the reliable way to retire one.
What is the difference between the FD 87HDS Standard and the FD 87HDS-R Recycle?
The FD 87HDS-R Recycle adds material separation for cleaner recycling streams. The Standard handles routine drive destruction without the separation stage.
Is a degausser enough, or do I need to physically destroy the drive?
Physical destruction is the certain method. Degaussing leaves the drive intact, and you cannot verify it on an SSD. A punch or shredder is the dependable choice.
Do you deliver and install?
Yes. Our factory-trained technicians handle freight, installation, and operator training across Michigan and the Great Lakes, and financing is available.
Does Mid-State Litho sell hard drive shredders?
Yes. We are an authorized Formax dealer. We quote the FD 87HD hard drive punch, the FD 87HDS hard drive shredder at $14,749, and the FD 87HDS-R at $19,799. All three drop ship from Formax with freight quoted separately.
Do you sell degaussers or solid state drive destroyers?
No. Mid-State Litho sells the Formax hard drive punch and shredder line. We do not carry degaussers, disintegrators, or dedicated SSD destroyers. If that is your requirement, we will tell you. We will not quote something that does not meet it.
Do I need a machine, or is a destruction service better?
A service is usually right for a one time cleanout. A machine is usually right when drives accumulate continuously. It is also right when the chain of custody between your building and the destruction site is itself the compliance problem.