Plastic items comprise much of the solid waste tossed out by individuals and businesses across the nation, and are not biodegradable. As such, recycling is the only option for reducing the amount of plastic waste sent to landfills. Granulators break down plastic and other materials so they can be recycled.

Kirk Winstead, president of Rapid Granulator, said the firm’s 600-series product is the largest of their range of easy-access granulators. “These ‘open-hearted’ products allow cleaning and maintenance times to be reduced by up to 50 percent, without compromising safety or regrind quality. The 600-series uses the same patented technology that’s already been proven highly successful in our 300, 400 and 500-series products. The concept is completely modular and can be tailored to any application within the plastics processing and recycling industries,” Winstead reported.

The term “open-hearted” refers to a product’s ergonomic design that, during a production change, for example, allows the operator to gain complete access to the rotor and cutterhouse at the heart of the machine in just three steps, without the aid of any tools.

“When one considers that apart from initial investment, cleaning and maintenance represent the biggest cost factor over a granulator’s lifecycle, whenever savings can be safely incorporated, it can enhance the processor’s bottom line,” said Winstead. Centrally located or beside-the-press, the 600-series is designed for the high-volume granulation of injection molded, blow molded or extruded plastic parts and waste, and can handle throughputs up to 10,000 PPH.

The series, which has a rotor diameter of 24”/600 mm, is available in 36”/900 mm, 48”/1,200 mm and even 60”/1,500 mm widths. Even greater flexibility is available, as the machines can be equipped with Rapid’s Super Tangential Cutter House to allow the granulation of parts bigger than the rotor diameter.

Rotogran International designs and manufactures a full line of size reduction and auxiliary equipment for the plastics recycling industry. Mike Cyr, vice president of sales, said, “Rotogran’s solid reputation is based on our ability to customize products to meet specific applications while remaining sensitive to today’s economic reality.

“Our granulators can be used as single pass primary units producing up to 8,000 lbs. an hour of regrind, or our products can be paired with a pre-sizing shredder to increase overall production. Metal detecting conveyors with auto reject mechanisms prevent contamination from ferrous, nonferrous and stainless steel. Easily replaceable wear inserts within the solid steel cutting chamber save considerable time and expense normally associated with processing harsh, abrasive material. Hydraulically-assisted hopper and screen operation dramatically decreases down time for routine maintenance.”

In the realm of plastics reclamation, and in specific plastic granulators, John Farney, global technical sales manager, said, “Cumberland Engineering offers a complete product array, the most extensive application knowledge base and the most overall experience of any manufacturer. We offer the highest quality, most durable units available in the industry. Our solutions are based on principles of durability and reliability – a benchmark of the plastics industry.”

According to Farney, Cumberland designs stress attributes such as strength and longevity. Units are fabricated from solid steel, do not employ weldments and include the highest fit and finish possible. Units are assembled using individually fabricated components, which are doweled and bolted in assembly, resulting in an end-product that can be cleaned and maintained through years of service. There are Cumberland units that have been operating regularly since 1958, according to the original owners.

“As the longest operating supplier, we have application experience in all areas of the reclamation of plastics. From tires to PET or post-industrial waste, our units excel, whether the performance level is 500 lbs. per hour, or 12,000 lbs. per hour. From engineering-grade resins to simple polypropylene, we provide solutions to achieve the highest performance, with fantastic return on investment.

“Our X-series granulators, commonly used in recycling, offer key economical attributes such as ease of operation, maintenance and high output with low power consumption. These units provide easy and safe access for maintenance and cleanout, with optimal design for feeding and operation,” Farney said. He claimed that complete machine maintenance, including knife changes, can be accomplished in about 90 minutes. Clean-out or change-over from one resin or color to another requires less than 15 minutes. “Add high energy efficiency, and the lowest operating costs possible, and the units bring the quickest payback possible,” said Farney.

He added, “In an industry where demands for constant improvement and growth in terms of performance are needed, these and other units are adapted for ever-growing and changing achievements. One key enhancement is the addition of an in-feed crammer, designed to augment the feeding of PET bottles and other reclaimed materials, to increase ingestion, reduce feeding time and increase output.

By restricting the bounce and movement of materials fed to the unit, the crammer aids in material feeding, and augments the performance of applications and units suited to its use.”

Farney noted that within industry segments, the prevailing trend is to achieve more performance, without increasing costs and without creating a larger demand on energy resources.