MACHINERY | PELLETISERS
Above: The Automatik Scheer HAK uses heated pressurised air to minimise interruptions caused by build-up at the die plate
around the die holes of the die plate when produc- ing strands for pelletising. These remains will degrade and burn due to the high temperatures of the die plate and accumulate over time. “With excess build-up comes the risk that the burnt remains may be collected by the strands them- selves and thus contaminate the end product,” he says. “Such occurrences will most likely cause complaints from the end user and in worst case result in return of material.”
Cutting interruptions
Right: Close-up of BPM’s new AXM12 micro pelletiser cutter. The company says yield is increased by 40% without loss of pellet quality
Helm says while many companies have introduced solutions to circumvent the problems created by deposit build-up on the die plate – by way of mechanical cleaning or burning off with an open flame, for example – these require halting produc- tion. The new Automatik Scheer solution uses heated and pressurised air to eliminate most of the deposits immediately. “That avoids the build-up of such deposits that are causing contamination and allows its customers to conduct operations safely but also increase the profitability of the plant without the need to interrupt production,” he claims. “The HAK has been specially designed to reduce the deposits to an absolute minimum.” The HAK series can be placed completely independently from the strand die on its own movable telescopic stand with its air nozzle directly at the die plate to clean up any drool. It is suitable for die head sizes from 100 mm up to 900 mm and can be run by a standalone control system. “This means maximum flexibility regardless of the type of die head or other downstream equipment,” Helm says. Trials under production conditions at custom- ers are said to have shown that risk of product contamination can be reduced by 90%. US-based Bay Plastics Machinery (BPM) says it
saw record growth in new machine and system sales last year, which it attributes to the strong economy in North America, progress in establish- ing a customer base in Asia, and a better-than-
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expected launch into the European market. According to the company’s Vice President of Manufacturing, A G Fath, it has been expanding technical resources to support this growth. New developments from the company include the CXP large capacity pelletiser, the AXM12 micro pel- letiser, and a new pellet evacuation system (launched last summer). The expansion of BPM’s large capacity pelletising line to include 600, 800 and 1000mm units is now complete. These large capacity systems are not only offered for standard pelletising, but also for highly demanding long fibre thermoplastics (LFTs). “This pelletiser’s rotor shaft is mounted to an isolation coupler which not only helps eliminate deflection from motor vibrations, but also creates a nearly zero gap between the rotor and bed knife,” says Jim Forgash, Vice President of Sales at the company.
Micro developments
Having successfully completed beta testing at several customer sites, the AXM12 (300mm) micro pelletiser is now available to the market. “Initial tests resulted in an increase of over 40% in overall yield,” says Forgash. He explains that the key factor in this new pelletiser’s effectiveness is the reduced distance from the feed rolls to the cutting edge, which creates greater strand control. “Another advantage over the other so-called micro pelletis- ers is that this machine will accommodate a much higher line speed while still producing quality pellets,” he says. BPM will be running the micro pelletiser and the new pellet evacuation system in one line at its booth at the NPE plastics trade fair in Orlando in the US in May. BPM has also introduced a redesign of its AXP16 (400mm) pelletiser. “This modified medium-pro- duction machine has added robust features for customers that are not able to take the next step to the large capacity BX series, which is typically more expensive,” says Forgash.
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PHOTO: MAAG
PHOTO: BAY PLASTICS MACHINERY
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