Lynn Harville

In today's advanced manufacturing world, plastics are used to produce everything from lawn furniture and automobile dashboards to medical tubing, computers, and children's toys such as Legos. Plastic molding (sometimes spelled moulding) is the process of pouring liquid plastic into a hollow form so that it hardens into that shape when it cools.

There are a variety of different plastic molding processes. The type of molding process put into use depends on the product being manufactured. Regardless of which type of plastic molding process is in use, there are cutting requirements at various points whether it's the pelletizing of virgin material to make plastic pellets, trimming the excess plastic from a finished part, or plastic recycling knives at the end of the line to granulate excess material so it can be used at the beginning of the process.

The following are considered some of the most effective forms of plastic molding manufacturing.

The critical importance of reducing the amount of waste in landfills is more prevalent than ever. As environmental concerns increase, granulating operations globally are growing in number and looking for ways to maximize efficiency by increasing output and reducing costs.

How granulator knives fit and how sharp they are have a significant impact on the efficiency of any granulating operation. Well-maintained knives reduce dust and fine-free, uniform regrinds. Dull blades do the opposite and produce regrinds of various sizes with dust and fines. Granulator blades that are not well-maintained can cause premature wearing of the knives and can make setting the desired gap impossible.

The Gap

The gap between

When the life of your granulating blade is optimized, your entire granulating process is improved. Your production lines experience less downtime, your output is consistent and reliable, and your work environment is safer and more efficient.

Utilizing a precision granulator knife sharpener, establishing an appropriate feed rate, and accurately setting the gap between your granulator blades ensures the highest possible efficiency from your operation.

Pride, precision, and perfect product. “ Tom Buchanan

Precision Sharpening Your Granulator Blades

Granulating requires precision blades. To properly maintain your knives and achieve optimum life and performance, blades must be professionally sharpened by a vendor with precision grinding experience. Many vendors claim to offer granulator

The cutting chamber of a granulator is where the most critical processes occur. It also contains the most essential replacement parts on your granulator, your knives. When the cutting edge of a granulator knife fails, the machine must use more energy cut. A failed knife edge also increases dust and fines, leads to poor regrind quality, and prevents the ability to produce uniform particle-size.

By concentrating on precision, one arrives at technique, but by concentrating on technique, one does not arrive at precision. “ Bruno Walter

A Balance of Toughness and Wear Resistance

The most common reason for premature granulator blade failure is improper blade selection. D2 steel hardened up to 59HRC Rockwell is commonly used to manufacture these knives and is appropriate for many applications. However, since every granulating operation is unique, it is imperative that processors evaluate their blade

As a vital step in many production processes, granulating reduces materials, such as plastics, metals, and films so that it can be repurposed into other products. As the importance of reducing the amount of waste that enters landfills becomes more evident, granulating operations are increasing and facilities are looking for ways to improve efficiency and output.

Granulators with well-fit, sharp knives produce regrinds of a uniform size that are free from dust and fines while dull, ill-fitting blades do just the opposite, producing regrinds of various sizes that are peppered with dust and fines. Ill-fitting granulator blades also cause premature wearing of the knives and make it more difficult to accurately set the gap.

The gap between the rotor knife and the bed knife must be set based on the widest knife in the machine. When knives are not uniformly sized, gap increases cause inefficiencies. For example,

Granulating blades endure some of the most grueling conditions in the size reduction industry. Granulating hard plastics, paper, and other materials dull knives and lead to frequent blade changes. During this maintenance action, the machine is down and production is halted.

However, precision sharpening of these blades dramatically increases both the life of the blade and improves the output of the granulator. Machines that utilize precision sharpened blades operate more efficiently, which increases the overall output of the machine while simultaneously creating more consistency in the output

Precision sharpeners utilize sharpening equipment and processes specifically developed for the maintenance of these type of blades. Blades are returned to the customer in like-new condition, in both straightness and tolerance. This ensures

When it comes to industrial knives and blades, material selection matters. The purchase of industrial machine knives and blades is often driven by price because the decision-maker is unaware of the benefits of using a different and more suitable material. Let's be honest, two knives of different materials look very similar. Sometimes, it's very difficult to tell them apart. But, the fact is that materials behave differently in cutting applications.

Varying factors contribute to the decision to use a different material. Those factors range from a need for better wear resistance, more accurate cutting, or superior slit quality just to name a few. One recurrent customer question across all of the industries we serve is how to get better performance and life out of industrial machines knives and blades. And, our answer is always the same. "It depends on what your goals are for your cut quality and consistency." After that quick answer, we invest the time with our customers

To optimize your granulator production and adequately plan for downtime, understand when your granulator blades are performing as efficiently as possible and when a maintenance action may soon be required. For granulating operations, performing preventative maintenance can save hours of unplanned downtime and increase the safety of the processing environment. However, for many granulators, maintenance is performed just-in-time (JIT), which requires recognizing the early warning signs of a maintenance condition.

Proper preparation prevents poor performance. - Charlie Batch

Is Your Granulator Working Too Hard?

As granulator blades dull, the granulator requires more electricity to perform. Check amp readings of your granulator just after maintenance is performed and note the values.