MACHINERY | PELLETISING
The latest pelletiser introductions are engineered for better and more efficient performance with simplified maintenance. Jennifer Markarian reports
Pelletiser innovations target quality gains
Pellet quality is not simply a cosmetic issue; irregular pellets can lead to melt quality issues and feeding problems. So taking steps to ensure pelletisers run at their best and produce pellets of optimal quality makes sound sense. The first step towards optimising pellet quality is to understand the material being processed. According to Martin Baumann, Vice-President and General Manager of Maag Americas, both the type of resin being processed and the additives it contains play a part in selection of the best pelletis- ing equipment. Speaking at the Compounding World Expo in Cleveland, Ohio, US last year, he said strand pelletising can be better for abrasive materials while underwater pelletising has a reduced sticking tendency. “In our lab, we can test customer compounds to help choose the optimal system for their product,” he said. A common problem in underwater pelletising is that some polymers tend to build up tails during
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the cutting process, and these tails can easily break off to generate fines. Meanwhile, in strand pelletisers fines are created not by cutting but rather through the die drool phenomenon on the die plate, Baumann explains. A recent Maag development for strand pelletising equipment is its Hot-Air Knife, which eliminates die drool using compressed and heated air. “It is a small change with a big impact,” says Baumann. The Hot-Air Knife can be equipped as an add-on to all MAAG strand die heads or as a stand-alone machine. Maag’s EBG dry-cut belt conveyor pelletising system also uses the Hot-Air- Knife technology. This system can be used for water-sensitive or soluble polymers as well as for highly filled compounds. EBG systems can also re-feed broken strands to efficiently reduce downtime and production interruptions. Choosing a melt filtration system that is able to keep contaminants out of the pelletiser is also
Main image: Improved
pellet quality is one of the key aims in pelletiser development
January 2023 | COMPOUNDING WORLD 31
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
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