MACHINERY | RECYCLING AND GRANULATORS
the Polyplex can be used universally and could be useful for in-house recycling as the design allows varied materials to be fed into the machine at the same time.
“Being able to simultaneously feed a wide
variety of plastic waste eliminates the need for pre-sorting or metered material feeding,” said Zöttl.
Single-unit redesign Similarly, Rapid Granulator has developed the Rapid Duo Plus, a redesign of its original Duo model, a one-step solution in which a shredder and granulator are in a single unit. The Rapid Duo series, part of its Raptor series of shredders, enables the production of granulate directly from the size reduction of purgings in one-step, accord- ing to Jim Hoffman, president of Rapid’s US operations. “The Raptor series is primarily targeted at plastics processors for the handling of in-house products,” said Hoffman. The Duo Plus model features the company’s
Right: The Raptor Duo series from Rapid Granula- tor combines a shredder with a granulator
‘open-hearted’ door design for both the shredder and the granulator systems. The front door is hinged on the side, allowing direct and unrestrict- ed access to the shredder and the granulator elements. The screen elements, for both the shredder and the granulator, are mounted in the door – and are reversible for extended use. Contamination becomes immediately visible when the door is open, providing quick access for maintenance operations such as cleaning and servicing, says Hoffmann. The Duo Plus is offered in 36 base configura- tions to handle a variety of applications, in operat- ing widths of 800 mm and 1,350 mm and with a choice of three cutting systems: Quad Cut, Claw and Power Wedge. The series incorpo- rates a double-scissor knife configuration, where both the fixed and rotating knives are angled. This reduces the force needed to cut the plastic and – combined with a large torque approach – means that a smaller motor can be used, which saves energy.
Live feed monitoring At K2022 last year, Rapid introduced a 4.0 solution for granulators and shredders designed specifically for live feed monitoring. The Rapid Connect control system, which can be used with any brand of machinery,
18 FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | October 2023
communicates on a standalone platform based on long range technology, so that multiple machines can connect to one system to provide a complete overview of the production set up. “Connecting your unit with our Rapid Connect
control will give your team instant notification if something is not operating properly,” said Anders Martensson, sales and marketing director at Rapid. “This will save time, resources, and money. When we develop something new, we turn to the customers to see what daily challenges they face and then work on solutions.” With Rapid Connect, users can see the status of the individual unit and use the data feed to calculate power consumption, up time, and other factors – to ensure they are running as profitably as possible. “There are many applications where you need a
large granulator but only for a very limited time,” said Martensson. “Today, energy consumption is a hot topic – and a critical aspect to profitability – so to be in control and make informed decisions is a huge benefit.”
Technical developments Herbold Meckesheim has launched several new technical developments regarding its SB series of granulators. The SML 60/100 SB 2 is suitable for wet opera- tion with horizontal forced feeding by means of screw conveyors, which allows space-saving installations and easy feeding. Another advantage is the high throughput capacity due to a 1m-wide inlet from the hopper and 50cm strong feeding screws transporting material to the rotor. Seven rotor knives and an optional third stator knife allow up to 21 cuts per revolution, meaning the SB mill can process up to 2 tonnes of polyolefins per hour or well over 1 tonne of film.
As well as the high
IMAGE: RAPID GRANULATOR
throughput capacity, SB granulators have uniform load absorption and low energy consumption. In line with market trends, a significant focus was placed on safety aspects and ease of maintenance, with the design ensuring the feeding device and
hopper can be hydraulically
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