machinery feature | Pelletizing systems
Gala’s EAC (Electronically Advanced Cutter) units, which have been in the field for several years now. He says that one customer, who evaluated several automated systems, experienced blade life on the EAC that on average was some four days longer than on other systems when operating at 4,000 kg/hour. With fewer interruptions for blade sharpening, the customer could produce around 375,000 kg more compound per year. Fewer stops and starts also resulted in lower product losses during ramp-up, totalling around 50,000 kg/year. Gala’s die plate grinding tool has enabled another
Gala’s die plate grinding tool can help to increase the productivity of its pelletizers
“The ease of cleaning and compact size make it ideal for the manufacturer that requires flexibility without giving up durability,” he says. Gala Kunststoff-und Kautschukmachinen managing
director Michael Eloo points out how small differences in pelletizers can make big differences to the bottom line. Gala has been building up case studies on some of its equipment that has been in the field for several years, as only long-term use can provide really meaningful information. On the die plate, for example, Gala uses coil heaters
rather than ceramic ones. Eloo says that they provide more efficient heating because heat transfer from the source to the die plate is more direct, and they are also easier to install and dismantle. “If a cartridge heater is destroyed, you may end up having to drill it out,” he says, something that won’t happen with coil heaters. The coil heaters also save energy in use, since they heat up faster and the temperature oscillates less around the set point. Eloo says a customer operating a compound- ing operation producing 5,000 kg/hour of polypropylene reports an 18% reduction in its heating requirement, equating to a cost saving of around €2,900/year. Eloo also cites savings reported by customers using
compounder to produce an extra 240,000 kg/year of marketable material when running at 12,000 kg/hour. To use the tool, the processor moves the cutting blades out of the way and inserts the tool to clean the surface of the die plate in-situ; there is no need to remove the die plate for cleaning away from the line. The customer carried out 24 product stops per year instead of 12, but because each stop took 10 minutes rather than two hours, he had an extra 20 hours of production each year.
More information The Compounding World Congress will feature displays from a range of leading pelletizer manufacturers, including Automatik, Gala and Reduction Engineering Scheer. It takes place on 21-23 April 2015 in Cologne, Germany. The full programme, which includes a presentation on melt handling and the pelletizing of plastics compounds, can be downloaded here:
http://bit.ly/CWC15B.
Click on the links for more information: ❙
www.reductionengineering.com ❙
www.nordson-k.com ❙
www.psgdover.com (Automatik) ❙
www.econ.eu ❙
www.pelletizing.de (IPS) ❙
www.bayplasticsmachinery.com ❙
www.gala-industries.com
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