PET size reduction silently

Various sizes of scrap present no problem to a series of horizontally fed granulators for PET container recycling said to be quieter and more efficient than gravity-fed size-reduction equipment.

From Herbold Meckesheim (Smithfield, RI), the SB Series comprises five models that can also handle other plastics types at rates of up to 7 tons/hr. The supplier notes that materials to be size-reduced are often a hodgepodge of sizes and shapes and the many advantages of SB Series granulators stem from their horizontal feeding screws, which force materials from the hopper to an adjacent cutting chamber at a steady, even pace instead of depending on the materials to fall directly into the blades. One result is higher throughput—an improvement of 30%-50% compared with same-size gravity-fed cutting chambers is claimed.

Other benefits include less power consumption, quieter operation, no fly-back, reduced wear to the cutting blades, and reduced fines and dust (since granulated particles spend less time in the cutting chamber). SB Series granulators are suitable for dry or wet operation and can also be used for secondary size reduction of preshredded plastics. —Stephen Moore