Page 24 - Plastics News September 2021

FEATURE

Why Granulators Are Said To Be The Best

Andre Adams

Each approach to regrinding has its pros and cons that are specific to each operation, so the burden
is on floor managers and manufacturing engineers to determine what works best to meet the com-
pany’s needs, limitations, and goals.

o matter what type of process so the burden is on floor managers and and type of material. You also want to
Nis the mainstay of your plastics manufacturing engineers—with the help consider the size of the discharge bin: A
manufacturing operation, every floor of a knowledgeable equipment partner— larger bin allows for more uptime, which
manager knows that waste materials to determine what works best to meet the decreases the frequency of bin emptying.
generated can be significant. Ideally, company’s needs, limitations, and goals. When vacuum-takeoff (VTO) is used, a
those materials are reclaimed back into larger bin helps create a buffer for surges
the process. By grinding the plastic in granulator discharge rates.
materials down to a size that’s similar Second, the beside-the-press granulator
to the virgin material, you drastically can reduce material loss due to inefficient
decrease waste and use less of that new material handling and machine cleanout.
material in the process. While central granulators have their place
Regardless of the size of your operation in many operations, BTP granulators
or type of manufacturing process, have the benefit of direct throughput
regrinding of plastic components has from the press, eliminating the need for
the potential to create substantial savings. excessive manual handling and cleanouts
There are multiple types of size-reduction that can result in material waste. BTPs
equipment, including shredders and can be fed by hand or robot at the press.
granulators that can be used to transform Third, regrind materials can be fed
the material into a more useable state. The directly from the granulator takeoff back
type of machines utilized in a process Although a central granulator into the primary process. This might
depend on the material characteristics, configuration offers many benefits for include an equipment configuration with
size and density. Considering the annual those operations that are well-suited for an evacuation system that sends regrind
savings over many manufacturing runs, that equipment, this article will focus material back into the process line. It can
it’s vital that you choose the right type on beside-the-press (BTP) granulators. be completely automated, eliminating
of granulator based on your particular We’ll explore the top reasons you might manual processes and the resulting
processing operation, type of materials, want to choose this type of granulator material losses and leakage.
labor, floor and storage space, and many for your plastic component waste, as well
other factors. as other considerations. A beside-the-
To help get the most from regrinding, press granulator is an ideal solution for
plastics processors typically use one maximizing your floor space.
of two types of manufacturing-floor Material Savings
configurations and equipment designed Depending on your current floor
for that workflow: a central granulator or operations, selecting a beside-the-press
a beside-the-press granulator. (It should configuration may result in substantial
be noted that Under-the-Press [UTP] materials savings for several reasons.
granulators are sometimes categorized First, by their very nature, beside-the-
with beside-the-press granulators, press granulators offer a tailored solution
although they are generally located for the most usable reclaim. It’s vital
beneath a thermoforming line.) Each to work with your equipment supplier
approach to regrinding has pros and to ensure that you determine the best
cons that are specific to each operation, chamber geometry for your applications

24 PLASTICS NEWS SEPTEMBER 2021 25 PLASTICS NEWS SEPTEMBER 2021