PROCESSING | THERMOFORMING
nance – with new elements that were tailor-made to make thermoforming operations easier to run and more cost-effective. “When we designed the ThermoPro, we wanted to get inside the head of the operator to see how we could help make their life easier, more controlled and more reliable,” said Rimark. “That’s why we have been cooperating with some really big and de- manding players in the field during development.” Several special features make these granulators
attractive to thermoformers. One is the compact designs of the integrated roll feed and dancer bar. Together, these enable the skeleton to be pulled into the machine, which is running constantly, in sync with the production line, which operates discontinuously. The roller feed has a pneumatic pressure control so it can adapt to the thickness of the incoming material. The ThermoPro uses a heavy-duty roller feed as
Above: Rapid’s ThermoPro series is designed
specifically for in-line process- ing of skeletal waste from thermoforming lines
edge-cut tool that was developed for the GN800 thermoformer in collaboration with Gravolab, a toolmaker from Romania. GN ran a meat tray in PET/ PE laminate with a 12-cavity mould while maintain- ing a reduced scrap rate of 18%, said Jerome Romkey, GN’s business development manager.
Right: WM thermoformed gold-coloured plates at Plast
Skeletal recycling At Plast, Rapid Granulator introduced a new range of granulators designed specifically for in-line processing of skeletal waste from sheet and film thermoforming lines. The patent-pending ThermoPro series – based on a previously patented Rapid design – is available in various standard and low-built formats for handling scrap widths from 600 to 1,500mm (24-60in). A ThermoPro 400-90 for granulating webs up to 900mm (35in) in width was on display at the show. “Thermoforming companies live or die
according to how well they handle and recycle their trim,” said Bengt Rimark, Rapid’s CEO. “Skeletal waste can easily account for 30-40% of total throughput, so it is critical that trimmed material is returned to the process as cost-effec- tively as possible. When everything works the way it should, the savings that the converter can make are enormous.” ThermoPro machines use some features from
previous Rapid granulators – such as double-scis- sor cutting action, and an ‘open hearted’ design for fast production changeovers and ease of mainte-
28 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | June 2018
standard, enabling problem-free handling of skeletal waste. This makes it possible to run several webs into the granulator at the same time. It also facilitates granulation at the start-up of a thermo- forming line, when the parts are not stamped out of the sheet, meaning that the entire web, trim and parts together, needs to be fed into the granulator. Also at Plast,WM Thermoforming Machines of Switzerland exhibited its FC 780 E IM2 Plus thermoforming machine at Plast – producing gold-coloured plates. The plates, made from PET, were 230 x 230mm square and made from 0.4mm thick film. They were made in a six-cavity mould at a rate of around 13,700 plates per hour. The machine itself has a
forming area of 780 x 570mm, which allows forming and cutting of the product in the same forming
station – or allows the cutting in a second inline station with subsequent stacking and discharging of the piles of counted products on a conveyor belt.
CLICK ON THE LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION: �
www.orpic.om �
www.milliken.com �
www.braskem.com �
www.kiefel.com �
www.tekni-plex.com/tekni-films �
www.cmtmaterials.com �
www.econcore.com �
www.gncanada.com �
www.rapidgranulator.com �
www.wm-thermoforming.com
www.filmandsheet.com
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