MACHINERY | RECYCLING AND GRANULATORS
for granulators, saying it made the company the first granulator manufacturer to offer connected function- ality and electronic monitoring for such machines. Smart Control measures and stores relevant param- eters, such as power consumption or the service lives of bearings, blades, screens, and V-belts, so enabling application-specific optimisation of energy efficiency and contributing to sustainable production. Data evaluation enables conclusions to be drawn about the energy consumption used in granulation of various plastics down to defined particle sizes and the related service lives of bearings, blades and V-belts, for example. The efficiency of the granula- tion process can be assessed by comparison with stored reference values, enabling potential malfunc- tion and damage to be predicted at an early stage – and then avoided. Hellweg says that a new ‘boost
Right: The SMS series granulators from Herbold are heavy- duty knife granulators designed for challenging applications that require high through- put capacities
operation’ gives a short-term increase in grinding performance, to compensate for production fluctuations. Also, some rotation speed ranges have been defined for various plastics. For example, granulation of low melt-tem- perature plastics can be done continuously without problems arising, meaning that water cooling is not required. Smart control evaluates measured power consumption over longer periods of time. The operator can use a digital Ampere meter in real-time operation and access detailed statistics that have been created over long-term operation. Standardised soft starting of the motor and a new motor brake make the granulators energy-saving and safe. Power consumption can also be reduced with a new ‘eco’ operating mode, which adapts the rotation speed to input quantity. “Detailed, user-friendly ‘step by step’ instructions
are available for changing blades, maintaining V-belts and cleaning the granulator quickly and efficiently,” said the company. The V-belt pre-tensioning force can be checked with a supplied test device. A visible alarm informs an operator of the need to replace a part, due to wear. An active V-belt monitoring system automati- cally switches off the granulator in case of deviation from the nominal value. An automated enquiry system is also integrated within Granumaster smart control, which issues requests for spare parts – such as blades, sieves and V-belts – directly from the manufacturer.
16 PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | April 2021 IMAGE: HERBOLD
Heavy duty system Herbold Meckesheim has developed the SMS series – heavy-duty knife granulators designed for challenging applications that require high through- put capacities. Eight models are available, with throughputs of 200-8,000 kg/h. The company says that a removable deflection wedge is a standard feature on all SMS models. It introduces a third bed knife that improves the granulator’s ability to process heavy lumps, thick-walled pipes, thick sheets and other dense items efficiently. When the deflection wedge is removed there is more space in the feed opening and destruction chamber which facilitates the size reduction of large, bulky items. SMS series granulators feature rotor and bed knives mounted at opposing angles. This configuration gives a uniform cutting gap across the length of the knife, for greater rotational
inertia, reduced energy requirements and regrind with few fines and improved bulk density. An optional complete wear protec- tion package is available for processing abrasive materials. Rotor and bed knives are adjusted in a fixture outside of the machine prior to installation. This reduces downtime due to knife changes. To further simplify routine mainte-
nance and knife changes, SMS
granulators are built in a two-piece, split hinged design. When open, this allows easy access to the cutting chamber, knives and rotor. SMS granulators can be supplied with a variety of accessories including in-feed conveyors and sound dampening enclosures, for example.
Compact performance Hosokawa Alpine has developed the Polymer- Line PL-XS 45/100, a compact granulator that offers economic size reduction of large-volume and bulky plastic products. The company says that a special cutting cham- ber geometry gives the granulator good product intake and size reduction properties. The cutting chamber’s design also ensures quiet machine operation, meaning that instances of feed product being ejected from the machine are reduced to almost zero. The Polymer Line also has a hydraulic opening mechanism for optimum access to the cutting chamber. The cross-scissor-cut rotor
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