MACHINERY | PELLETISING SYSTEMS
Maag’s PEARLO underwater pelletiser has been specifically designed to process spherical pellets efficiently at high capacities. The machine is suitable for use with virgin materials, compounds, masterbatches, engineering plastics, wood and natural fibre-filled polymer composites, and thermoplastics elastomers, as well as for recycling applications, and can reach production rates of up to 36,000 kg/hr. Since its introduction, more than 150 machines have been supplied to the plastics industry. According to the company, the integration of
moveable and flexible components of the PEARLO on a single frame helps ensure increased uptime, efficiency and low waste generation. Plastic melt is transferred to the die plate via the hydraulic start-up valve and from there extruded through the ring-shaped die into the cutting chamber, which is flooded with process water. Cut pellets are carried to the dryer in the process water, where they are separated. The pellets go onto packaging while the process water is filtered, tempered and returned to the cutting chamber.
Maag says the PEARLO’s
narrow face-width die plate designs and the use of wear resistant surface
materials, along with a turbine-style flexible
Above: The latest genera- tion of strand pelletisers from Coperion Pelletizing Technology include no-tool cutting gap adjustment
cutter hub and standard single-sided long blade, allows one cutter hub to be used for multiple jobs. This results in a cost advantage of up to a factor of eight. Heat losses have also been reduced by 25%. The PEARLO is available in top-mounted and
rail-type configurations with automated and manual blade-advance capabilities and can be easily upgraded at any time. The fully automated EAC version provides precise blade advance during operation and is suitable for continuous, as well as batch, operation.
Automation demand Pelletising systems for recycling applications are also identified as an area of increased interest by Coperion Pelletizing Technology, which reports growing demand across the entire market for increased automation, improved cleaning and shorter shutdown times. “Pelletisers are also now required to handle a wide range of different recipes, such as hard, soft, abrasive and coloured com- pounds,” says Raphael Strehle, Head of Sales at the company. “Improvements for easier cleaning, for example smooth surfaces, have been necessary, as
44 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | January/February 2021
well as rapid maintenance through quick couplings and centric pins, to minimise downtime that results in higher profitability of the complete production system. Other important issues at present include easy handling, improved cutting performance, high efficiency and noise reduction.” To meet these needs, Coperion has improved its SP series dual bearing strand pelletisers. The SP140, SP240 and SP340 models have been equipped with a variety of enhanced features to provide rapid handling and optimised pellet quality. The company says it has also developed a new cutting gap adjustment technology. The re-engineered strand pelletisers feature a
more compact design with an integrated operation panel and redesigned interior space arrangement. The cutting tools have been installed closer to one another, enabling a shorter unguided strand length that is said to ensure optimal cutting results, particularly with soft materials. This new construction results in reduced dead space in the interior which, together fewer free surfaces, is said to improve cleanability. The new quick-change cutting chamber system is also accessible without tools and the cutting unit can be exchanged quickly and easily to minimise machine servicing times and downtime. The company has also reworked the intake area.
The previous conical construction is now replaced with a straight intake to allow strands to be opti- mally side-fed into the pelletiser. This eliminates deflection while side panels on the intake roller prevent individual strands from breaking free. The operating width has also been increased by 20 mm to support higher throughputs. Noise levels have been reduced as a result of the more compact interior cutting space and smaller sound chamber and location of the motors under base plate.
Recycling interest While the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in projects being postponed or frequently rescheduled, the overall market for pelletising systems is stable, reports Nordson Corporation, which like other key suppliers sees strong interest from the recycling sector worldwide. “In particular, there is a boom in PET recycling and huge investments in China for SAN/ ABS,” says Frank Asmuss, Business Development Manager Pelletising at the company. “In general, the trend of moving from strand pelletising to underwater pelletising (UWP) continues steadily,” he says. “In addition, water-ring pelletisers are a good, easy-to-handle alternative to strand pelletisers, especially for commodities like polyolefin and styrenic compounds. The market for recycled materials is also continuously growing,
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
IMAGE: COPERION
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