MACHINERY | RECYCLING & GRANULATORS


Granulator upgrades: what to consider


A good granulator can perform for decades. However, there older size reduction equipment can pose perfor- mance and safety concerns. “If a granulator has served you well


– and it’s paid for – it can be easy to overlook rising energy and mainte- nance costs due to accumulated wear and tear on the motor and drivetrain,” said Dave Miller, size reduction general manager at Conair. The lack of modern safety features


on a granulator can be of greater concern, particularly as older experi- enced workers give way to new personnel. Miller recently led a three-year industry review of equipment safety standards used by US size-reduction


equipment makers. This has led to a new standard from ANSI, the Ameri- can Standards National Institute: ANSI/Plastics B151.11 Safety Require- ments for Granulators, Strand Pelletis- ers and Dicers Used for Size Reduction of Plastics, published in April 2021. It sets out a mix of required and optional safety improvements. “Personnel may be used to remov- ing and sharpening rotor knives on older equipment by wedging in blocks of wood,” he said. “The new standard requires newer granulators to offer interlocks that prevent access to the cutting chamber and screen, to prevent access when equipment is on or when blades are moving – a job typically done with the help of use of time-delay


grinding heavy pieces, or simply large quantities of material. The granulators are available in both ‘dry’ and


‘wet’ versions, which combine grinding with pre-washing of the material in a single step, allowing more impurities to be removed. A third range, HF, is a one-step system for large diameter, high thickness pipes and profiles – without the need for pre-shredding.


Single shaft shredder Neue Herbold showed its HZR single shaft shredder at K2022. A slow-speed rotor shaft is the key feature of the HZR series. Feed material is hydraulically conveyed to the cutting area of the rotor by a pusher. After reaching the end position, the pusher automatically moves back to the starting position. For strong pulling power, a powerful drive with mounted hydraulic clutch is built-in, says the company.


HZR series machines can be used for a range of


applications, including pre-cutting of bales, and the pre-cutting and shredding of DSD waste. Advantages include: automatic reverse opera-


tion; exchangeable knife supports; and exchange- able cutting heads.


Protec takeover Piovan has acquired selected assets of Germany’s Protec Polymer Processing, which is currently in


18 PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | May/June 2023


safety switches or zero-speed sensors.” The new standard also mandates feed-hopper designs of a size to receive the largest part being granu- lated without the need for pre-cutting, with internal dimensions that prevent operators from reaching an armour hand into the cutting chamber area. It also recommends new procedural safeguards, including guidance for adopting lock-out, tag-out rules to ensure proper shut-off during maintenance and repairs. He added: “Safety conscious


processors may also benefit from sound-dampening and sound-enclo- sure recommendations, as well as recommendations/requirements for the use of dust collection equipment.”


receivership. The transaction involves assets that were part of the materials handling, dosing and recycling divisions – all markets in which Piovan operates. The transaction has three aims: to increase service/post-sale activities; offer customers upgrades and retrofits of old Protec systems with new Piovan solutions; and to support joint custom- ers affected by ProTec’s bankruptcy. “Protec is among the oldest European compa- nies operating in plastics automation and recycling, with a large installed base of unique solutions and a well-established customer base,” said Filippo Zuppichin, CEO of Piovan. “It is a great honour and responsibility for us to continue such an important tradition.”


CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: � www.lindner.com � www.herbold.com � www.coperion.com � www.weima.com � www.pallmannindustries.com � www.dreher-aachen.de � www.erema.com � www.hellweg-maschinenbau.de � www.cmg-granulators.com � www.brunofolcieri.com � www.neue-herbold.com � www.piovan.com � www.conairgroup.com


www.pipeandprofile.com


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