TECHNOLOGY | SIZE REDUCTION
Above: Hosokawa Alpine has developed the Polymer-Line PL-XS 45/100, a compact granulator for the economic size reduction of large-volume and bulky plastic products
materials and run at a speed of 200-250 rpm, processors of brittle materials such as glass-fibre reinforced plastics primarily rely on slow speed granulators. These processors have, until now, been limited to running their granulators at 25 rpm, regardless of the specific material that they are processing. Running the new machine at a lower speed of 15 rpm helps to improve the quality of ground highly brittle materials through minimising dust generation. There are noise reduction advan- tages as well, because noise levels correlate closely with cutting speed. By reducing rotation speeds from 25 rpm to 15 rpm, noise levels can be reduced in many applications by 3-5 dba. This means around a 50% reduction in actual noise pressure on workers. A further advantage for low speed operation is the energy saving boost, where there is an almost 100% correlation between speed and energy consumption. If speed is reduced by 40%, then energy consumption is lower by up to 30%. For operators wishing to run the machine at a higher speed, moving from 25 rpm to 35 rpm allows an increase in capacity of 30-40%. Zerma has updated its line of GSL slow speed
Right: Hosokawa Alpine’s Polyplex has been integrated into the production process of MG Plast
granulators with the GSL 180 and 300 series. The company says that the redesigned GSL 180 series retains the advantages of previous generations such as low noise, easy maintenance and cleaning. The redesigned hoppers are well suited for manual and automated feeding. Multi-layer construction makes the hoppers lightweight, yet sturdy with good sound insulation. The modular design of the redesigned GSL 180 series introduces new drive options. The granulators can be driven by either belt drive or geared motor. The slow speed granulators in the GSL 300
range feature a staggered 300 mm diameter rotor with widths ranging from 400 to 800 mm. The rotor is directly driven by a geared motor. The low rotor speed reduces the noise level of the machine and creates less dust while grinding. The GSL 300 series granulators use the same type of multi-layer hopper as the smaller machine series. Depending on the requirements, the machines can be fitted with different hoppers. Different base frame
22 PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD | November/December 2020
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heights and designs allow the machines to be tailored for specific applications. The GSL granulators are equipped with ultra- light multi-layer sound insulating hoppers built with materials and components from the aviation industry. This provides good noise insulation while maintaining a low weight. The standard hoppers are designed for manual and robot feeding. For specific applications, the hoppers can be tailored to customer requirements. Hosokawa Alpine has developed the Polymer-
Line PL-XS 45/100, a compact granulator for the economic size reduction of large-volume and bulky plastic products. The company says that due to its special cutting chamber geometry, the granulator has good product intake and size reduction properties. The cutting chamber design also ensures quiet machine operation, as the result of which the instances of feed product being ejected from the machine are reduced to almost zero. The Polymer Line also has a hydraulic opening mecha- nism for optimum access to the cutting chamber. The cross-scissor-cut rotor guarantees energy-effi- cient and low-dust comminution. Optional sound insulation also reduces the noise emission during operation. The PL-XS product line can be used both as ancillary and central mills. The machine’s mani- fold allows it be adapted for different feeds. The company has also developed the Combi- Grinder Polyplex PPC 50/120, which has a vertically arranged rotor with a top-mounted shredder and the granulator section underneath. An intake unit feeds material automatically dosed and charged to the shredder-granulator combi. The feed rate can be adjusted to suit the application. After passing through the shredder, the pre-comminuted material falls into the granulator and is comminut- ed to granulator fineness. The Polyplex is especially suitable for in-house recycling. Due to its design,
IMAGE: HOSOKAWA ALPINE
IMAGE: HOSOKAWA ALPINE
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