Plastic Granulators

Granulators (sometimes referred to as grinders) are machines used to reduce scrap plastic parts or other plastic waste into a reusable form. This material – regrind – is sometimes put right back into the process to create the same parts. Other times it is reprocessed and re-pelletized for reuse. Occasionally material is turned into a new and different product such as handbags, shoes, or anything else you can imagine.

Molders purchase granulators to reduce their carbon footprint, save money, and make a significant contribution to our environmental protection. In the past, waste plastics were generally disposed of by incineration and landfill, but these options can easily damage our ecological environment.

Regrind comes with its own set of challenges, however, because it is not at all uniform in shape and contains varying degrees of dust. The irregular shapes can affect material feed by bridging and clogging flow, and the dust can burn or cause other issues when processed.

The mechanics of a granulator include an open rotor mounted with powerful, rotating knives in a double scissor cut or V-shape. Stationary knives are fixed within the cutting chamber, and the rotor quickly spins while the rotor knives meet the stationary knives, slicing plastic until the pieces are small enough to pass through a screen filter.

You can minimize or entirely eliminate the possible negatives of regrind by choosing the correct grinder. The rotor style and blade configuration are critical because those two details determine the grind quality. Conventional style rotors, such as two and three-blade, are good in general applications, but depending on the material being cut and the configuration of the shape, a staggered cut rotor style may be preferable. Staggered blade configurations provide more cuts per revolution leading to a better quality of regrind, less part bounce in the cutting chamber, and a reduction in noise.

Terms to Know

Grinding is the process of downsizing items made of polypropylene (PP) to a size that can be used in plastic manufacturing.

Shredding refers to taking large components and shredding them down to random, smaller pieces which can be used for diverse applications.

The difference between grinding and shredding is grinding can make much smaller pieces due to its open rotor design. There is more air space for product cooling, which allows for easier processing of lighter materials.

Other factors to be considered in selecting a grinder include whether the scrap is:

• Manually or robotically fed (Hopper Selection)
• The hopper loader empties in the grinder catch pan or is manually emptied (Air Takeoff Port Required)
• You will be grinding at the press or in a central location

All of these details need to be considered when choosing a granulator.

Now that you understand how a granulator works, it’s time to select one which will work for you and your needs. IMS’s plastic granulators are extremely durable and can efficiently and quickly turn your plastic scrap into small, uniform flakes or regrind for recycling, allowing you to reuse every ounce of resin you have on hand.

If at any point in the process, if you’re not sure which of our granulator models is right for you, let IMS guide you along the way.  IMS offers free grind tests to ensure you get the correct granulator for your plastic parts with ease. We will help examine all of the details and get the right unit for your need. That’s what we do best.

With over 70 years of experience, IMS Company is a trusted source of supplies, components, auxiliary machinery, and equipment.

How about giving us a try?

IMS Company

Pat Fox

Acting General Manager

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