GRANULATORS | TECHNOLOGY
The Rapid Connect control system from Rapid Granulator can be used in conjunction with any brand of machinery
introduced its take on a new 4.0 solution for granu- lators and shredders designed specifically for live feed monitoring. The Rapid Connect control system, which can be used in conjunction with any brand of machinery, communicates on a stan- dalone platform based on long range technology, meaning that multiple machines can connect to one system providing a complete overview of the production set up.
“By connecting your unit with our Rapid Connect
control, your team will get instant notification that something is not operating properly,” says Anders Martensson, Rapid Group Sales & Marketing Director. “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 not only see the
status of the individual unit, but more importantly use the data feed to calculate the power consump- tion, up time, and various other factors, to ensure they are running the most profitable production operation possible. “There are many applications where you need a
large granulator but only for a very limited time,” explains Martensson. “Today energy consumption is really a hot topic and a critical aspect to profit- ability, so to be in control and make informed decisions is a huge benefit.” He continues: “Many customers are running a
preventive maintenance program, but the issue is it’s offline. They don´t know if the machine has been in production all that time it was scheduled to be [and] when they later discover that the unit is not in need for service, they have already lost valuable time. By connecting your unit and setting your own standards for notification you will be able to increase the efficiency and utilising machines and operators in a much more proficient way. We are
www.plasticsrecyclingworld.com
constantly looking at ways to improve the overall process, the efficiency, and the performance of recycling equipment.” German firm Weima produces over 1,200 industrial shredders, granulators, cutting mills, briquetting machines and drainage presses a year for customers all over the world generating a revenue of €70m. Sales Director Patrick Henzler says: “The importance of recycling is increasing, as environmen- tal awareness is increasing. Resources are limited and plastics [are] a necessity. This means that more and more recyclate must be used. Our machines are at the beginning of the recycling chain and make an important contribution. In post-consumer recycling, we have seen a trend of steadily increasing process- ing volumes over the past few years.” In its machinery development, Weima aims to
strike a balance between environmental needs and customers’ frugality. “We have adapted our machines to enable higher throughputs and still be cost-efficient,” Henzler says. “Weima shredders are characterised by high accessibility for maintenance purposes and variable drive technologies, and the majority can be equipped with three different drive concepts. The hydraulic drive, as well as the high-torque drive, are particularly powerful, energy-efficient, and robust [while] the electrome- chanical drive is characterised by low investment and maintenance costs.” He continues: “Of course, all relevant machines have the connectivity features commonly found on the market for networked production. For particu- larly demanding applications such as heavily contaminated material (for example sand, soil, or metallic residues), Weima offers special options for wear and corrosion protection [which] significantly extends the service life of the components.”
Two-in-one An indication of growing versatility in size reduc- tion machinery is the integration of shredding and granulating. With the Polyplex PPC 50/120, Hosokawa Alpine combines a shredder and granulator in a single machine featuring a vertically arranged rotor with an upper shredding zone and a granulator zone below. The vertical orientation of the mill allows for good accessibility to the rotor and cutting blade, facilitating quick cleaning, and significantly reducing downtimes. “With our combination grinder, granulator fineness levels are achieved in just one step,” says Josef Zöttl, Senior Sales Manager in the company’s Recycling & Granulator Mills Division. “The shared drive for the two functions makes shredding even more energy-efficient.”
� September 2023 | PLASTICS RECYCLING WORLD 41
Above: Weima’s Sales Director Patrick Henzler says the company’s technology offers higher throughputs and cost efficiency
IMAGE: RAPID GRANULATOR
IMAGE: WEIMA
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