machinery feature | Pelletizing systems polycondensation (SSP) unit.
Nordson BKG works closely with sister brands, including Nordson Kreyenborg and Nordson Xaloy. Adam Cowart, global product manager for Nordson BKG says: “One of the advantages of underwater pelletizing, in comparison with strand pelletizing, is that it is highly automated and lends itself to control integration with upstream equipment. We can integrate the controls of the upstream equipment – including the extruder, the screen changer, and the melt pump – with the main control system of our Nordson BKG pelletizer system so that they are accessed from a single operator/HMI panel that we provide.”
Nordson BKG’s CrystallCut pelletizing, drying and crystallizing system for PET delivers big savings in energy costs
“The operation would typically be done by hand, since there was no way to put a strap around the rotor to lift it off the machine,” says Sly. A new rotor change-out device makes this task
much safer. This is an accessory that bolts onto the side of the machine, and enables the operators to detach the worn rotor and slide it onto a support shaft without having to support it themselves. In this position, a strap can be put around it and it can be lifted away safely. The procedure is reversed when putting in the newly sharpened rotor. Sly says it is much safer than before. Nordson BKG reports success with its CrystallCut
Automatik launched its
cost-effective Sphero S underwater
pelletizer last year
integrated underwater pelletizing, drying, and crystal- lizing system for PET operations. It uses the thermal energy of the molten polymer for subsequent crystal- lization, eliminating problems caused by the agglom- eration of amorphous material and reducing energy costs for compounding or recycling. The system can save more than €3,000,000 in annual
energy costs for a typical PET resin plant and nearly €200,000 for an extrusion line recycling PET bottle
fl akes, says Ralf Simon, managing director of Nordson BKG. This fi gure is based on energy costs of 12 cents per kilowatt-hour. The hot PET granulate is transported to the pellet
dryer in hot water (up to 95°C) through closed convey- ing pipes, where pellet cooling and solidifying takes place. The pellets are at a temperature in the 150 to 160 °C range when they exit the dryer onto a vibrating conveyor, which keeps the pellets in constant motion, generates a uniform distribution of thermal energy, and prevents pellets from sticking together. At the completion of the process, the pellets have achieved up to 40% crystallinity, and may be transferred directly to a solid-state
44 COMPOUNDING WORLD | January 2015
www.compoundingworld.com
A new, optional belt fi lter for the Nordson BKG Master temperature-controlled water system for underwater pelletizing provides continuous, automated fi ltration and has a fi ner fi lter mesh (150 µm versus the older 200 µm). The belt is cleaned continuously by spray nozzles, and a belt change takes about 30 minutes. The fi lter can be retrofi tted to older systems. With a
throughput of 30 m3/hour, it can be used with pelletizing
systems of up to 2,000 kg/hour. Automatik Plastics Machinery, which is part of the
Dover Corp’s Pump Solutions Group, unveiled its latest Sphero underwater pelletizing system, the Sphero S, last April. This is intended as a simpler and more cost-effective alternative to larger and more customiz- able systems, and complements existing Sphero models that have capacities of up to as high as 36,000 kg/hour. The Sphero S incorporates a variety of upgrades which the company says make it ideal for masterbatch and recycling applications with medium throughputs, typically between 700 and 3,000 kg/hour. For example,
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