GRANULATORS | MACHINERY


Second pass: innovations in recycling and granulators


Advances in granulators and recycling include new models for medical applications, a grinder for large injection moulded parts and a way of adding predictive maintenance


With companies all along the supply chain under pressure to cut their carbon footprint, it makes sense that injection moulders are incorporating more recycling and regranulation into their operations. The latest Smart Granulator control from Conair, called SG2, adds predictive maintenance to larger Viper granulators used in central size-reduction systems or in-line applications that process continu- ous, high volumes of scrap. The SG2 control made its US debut on a Conair


Viper 1736 granulator at last year’s NPE exhibition. Like its predecessor, the SG1 – offered on Viper 12, 17 and 23 Series granulators – the optional SG2 control shares Conair’s common control interface, housed in a 7in colour touchscreen HMI. It also shares a new PLC platform with power cabinet wiring that simplifies connection and sequential control of shredders, conveyors, evacuation systems and other equipment commonly used in central and in-line size-reduction systems. “The new capabilities of the SG2 control open the door to exacting measurement of the factors that drive granulator maintenance, whether it’s knife changes, bearing lubrication, or screen replacement,” said Dave Miller, general manager of size reduction at Conair. In operation, the SG2 control gathers perfor- mance data from sensors within the granulator – rotor RPM, motor load/amperage, cutting chamber and screen temperatures, and vibration levels. Then, it compares the data to established ‘good’ data reflecting desired equipment perfor- mance. If the live data is outside the desirable range, the SG2 alerts operators. It uses alarms for situations that require immedi-


ate attention (such as a Low RPM or High Amp alarm indicating a possible material jam), or a combination of maintenance trackers, (such as


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knife status display) trend- line displays, or on-screen reminders to indicate upcoming maintenance needs. When linked to SmartServices – Conair’s cloud-based Industry 4.0 platform – Miller says the SG2 control in the Viper granulator can provide trending data about equipment health to the SmartServices dashboard, and send maintenance reminders to the proper personnel. “It means you’re never running with dull knives,


worn bearings, or overloaded motors – all prob- lems that can cause future unplanned downtime if not addressed,” he said.


Digital control Hellweg Maschinenbau has developed a number of digitally controlled grinders that claim to offer efficient, energy-saving plastics recycling. These include: the MDSi 340/150 Smart Control machine-side grinder with fill level monitoring; MDSi 600/300 Smart Control Plus central grinder; and MDSGi 1500/600 – one of a new series of wet


January/February 2025 | INJECTION WORLD 13


Main image: Various sizes of rotor from Herbold Meckesheim granulators were seen at Fakuma


IMAGE: HERBOLD MECKESHEIM


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