MACHINERY | RECYCLING & GRANULATORS


Right: Conair launched its Viper series of granulators at NPE 2018


tray for basic hand feeding, to conveyor infeed — which includes an option with feed rollers that draw film from large rolls — and an angled side feed chute for long pipes and profiles. Several discharge options are also available, including self-powered vacuum motor loaders that draw granulate out of the catch bin and deposit into a Gaylord or bin. Compressed air


evacuation is another option and multiple granulators can be emptied by a central vacuum system to a common collection bin or box.


Reclaiming scrap US-based Cumberland has developed two new systems – the Versatile FRV, and Edge Trim FRE feedrolls – for reclaiming thermoforming scrap. Versatile FRV feedrolls are used in combination


with a granulator to process sheet, film, web, and part-embedded sheet. The system is available in two versions, allowing the flexibility to run thin film or large draw parts up to 8in tall. The system features a broad opening (up to 56in wides) to handle the most challenging scrap associated with large thermoforming applications. This new design helps eliminate jamming or misfeeds when processing bulky scrap during start-up, says the company. The enhanced feedroll has a number of benefits, including: n Standardised feedrolls, made from carbon steel with knurled surfaces, have an interchangeable feed roll design that is cost-effective while main- taining strength and balance; n Self-adjusting strippers, which aid in sheet removal and help prevent material from wrapping around the roll – while the design also features


replaceable stripper blades to ease maintenance; n Drive system – including a 3hp C-Frame motor drive for a top speed of 125 fpm for faster scrap process- ing. The drive system also includes an adjustable duplex chain capable of reverse running to facilitate clearing scrap, and a spring-loaded tensioner allowing the chain to stretch by 3% – ensuring proper operations at all times; and, n Adjustable air cylinders – built-in adjusters that allow users to set the minimum


roll gap to prevent the two feed rolls from contacting one another.


Meanwhile, Edge Trim FRE feedrolls, when combined with a granula-


tor, are used to process narrow strips of sheet. They can be used inline or offline from the thermoform- ing press, with the option to add multiple assem- blies on a single granulator if the process creates more than one edge trim.


US investments Two European companies – Rapid and Piovan – are making a bigger splash in the North American market on the back of investments at US manufac- turing sites. Rapid Granulator — which has its major manu- facturing facility in Sweden — opened a facility in Pittsburgh in mid-2017, marking its return to in- house manufacturing in the US after a nine-year period when its production was outsourced to a supplier. The company’s newest product line is Thermo-


PRO, a granulator series designed specifically for in-line processing of skeletal waste from sheet and film thermoforming lines. “Thermoforming companies live or die accord-


Boosting the use of film waste


Repsol and Saica Natur have signed an agreement to boost the use of low density polyethylene (LDPE) film waste. With the project, they intend to develop new polyolefins that use recycled material, with a special goal to ensure quality consistency for more demanding applications. The agree- ment falls under the Reciclex project,


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a Repsol initiative to promote the recyclability of its materials. “In an environment increasingly oriented to the circularity of resources, film waste recovery is a challenge and a business opportunity,” said Roberto Gómez, circular economy manager at Repsol’s chemicals division. “The aim of this agreement is to offer new


FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | December 2018


materials that meet the demanding requirements of the film market.” The project will combine Saica


Natur’s expertise as a waste manager and a producer of recycled LDPE pellets, with the capabilities of Repsol’s technology centre in Spain. � www.quimica.repsol.com � www.saica.com


www.filmandsheet.com


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