Pelletizers and dicers.

PRODUCT LINES REVIEWED

AEC, INC.

Offers two series of strand pelletizers: slant-cut ER series for engineering resins and Standard series with advanced sound control.

BERLYN EXTRUDERS INC.

Strand pelletizers with capacities to 5000 lb/hr and underwater pelletizers with cooling and dewatering devices. Hot-face cutters with capacities to 5000 lb/hr.

BERSTORFF

Water-ring pelletizers from 50 to 16,000 lb/hr; underwater pelletizers from 6600 to 100,000 lb/hr featuring unique design for soft, difficult-to-cut, products such as PP; and hot die-face and water-spray pelletizers for PVC to 8800 lb/hr.

BLACK CLAWSON CONVERTING MACHINERY

See Davis-Standard LLC.

C.W. BRABENDER INSTRUMENTS INC.

Laboratory pelletizer with a revolving helical rotor capable of cutting 1-4 strands 0.125-in. long. Unit has a variable strand speed of 1.5 to 49 fl/min with digital display and potentiometer, and d-c motor with electronic speed control. Mounted on casters with foot brake.

CALIFORNIA PELLET MILL CO.

Pellet mills from 2 to 500 hp for repelletizing scrap thermoplastics. Units operate by compressing fluff between two rotating steel rollers and a multiple-hole die. Frictional heat softens material so it coheres. Pellets are cut to length by adjustable knives. Bulk density of original fluff increases four to eight times. Pellet lengths and diameters can vary. Capacities from 500 to 18,000 lb/hr.

CDL TECHNOLOGY INC. CROWN MACHINE DIV.

Offers Crown underwater pelletizers.

COFIT AMERICA, LLC

Builds underwater pelletizers and also offers gear pumps and screen changers.

COPERION CORP.

Hot die-face pelletizers including water-ring, underwater, and air-cooled systems to fit extrusion equipment supplied by Werner & Pfleiderer and Buss.

CUMBERLAND ENGINEERING CORP.

Represents strand pelletizers from Accrapak Systems of the U.K.

DAVIS-STANDARD LLC

Underwater pelletizer systems from 500 to 10,000 lb/hr. Melt flow is directed through a die plate with cutting blades rotating in a vertical plane. Blades are driven by d-c scr drive. Drive shaft is aligned to maintain the blades squarely against the die-plate surface. Blades easily removed for sharpening or replacement. When reassembled, precise alignment of blades against the cutting face is said to be preserved. Complete assembly includes pelletizer and drive, spin dryer, water filtering and tempering system, and, if necessary, hot-oil system for die plates.

Also six models of underwater pelletizers and three models of water-ring pelletizers handle rates from 50 to 120,000 lb/ hr for all types of polymer materials. Small systems for reclaim, product development, and testing. Ultra-high concentrations of pigments and very high or broad range melt indexes can be handled.

Accessories include heated and nonheated die plates, cleanable pellet dryers, temperature-control panels, water-recirculation systems, and pelletizer heating systems. Modular construction for alternate setups, rapid disassembly and simple maintenance.

ECON GMDH 

Austrian firm offers a pelletizer with a ceramic die used for the pelletizing die plate for high abrasion resistance and nonsticking operation.

FARREL CORP.

C Series underwater pelletizers from 1000 to 100,000 lb/hr process full range of polymers including LDPE, HDPE, PP and PS. Options include standard, heat-channel, and heat-exchanger pellet plates with steam or oil heating. Electric or hydraulic cutter motor. Also dry-face pelletizer for temperature-sensitive materials or polymers where water contact is to be avoided.

GALA INDUSTRIES, INC.

Underwater pelletizers produce 20 to 30,000 lb/hr. Pelletizing systems include die plate, dryer, tempered-water system, control/ power panel and produce up to 12,000 lb/hr. Centrifugal dryers, sold as part of a system and separately, can dry 20 to 150,000 lb/ hr. System options include polymer diverter valves, water box by-pass systems, dies (including micropellet dies), crystallization/ cooling systems, self-aligning cutter hubs, quick-opening clamps, and fines removal sieves.

HENION DICING PRODUCTS LLC

Helical dicers with all related tooling and services for size-reduction. Units will process PVC (rigid and flexible), ABS, PP, PE, PU nylon, TPR, CA, CAB, CP and highly filled products; and can process a broad spectrum of durometers from 40 Shore A and to the 90s. Testing facilities available to run dicing samples.

IPM ITAL-PLAST MACHINERY

Offers film densifier from Exact srl (Italy). Unit compresses scrap film without heat into small squares.

KREYENBORG INDUSTRIES

Kreyenborg/BKG line of underwater pelletizers, along with melt filters, gear pumps and automation system. Also crystallizing pelletizers for PET.

LCI CORP.

Supplies flat-die pellet presses from Amandus Kahl.

LEISTRITZ

Hot-face pelletizers supplied only as part of complete lines.

MARUBENI JSW COMPOUNDING TECHNICAL CENTER

Underwater, hot-face, and strand pelletizers. Underwater pelletizer has die lined with abrasion-resistant material. Hot-face pelletizer capacities to 6600 lb/hr. Strand pelletizer throughputs to 6200 lb/hr. Strand dies incorporate polymer flow-control device. Also offers centrifugal pellet dryer.

MEISEI AMERICA

Offers its Perfection repellitizer for processing regrind into pellets.

PLASTICS EQUIPMENT MARKETING SERVICES INC.

Production and laboratory pelletizers two in. and larger.

POMINI INC.

Three types of pelletizing heads for use with extruders or gear pumps:

* Underwater pelletizer with outputs from 1000 to 140,000 lb/hr for polyolefins and PS. Options include heat exchanger and heat-channel pellet plates for steam or oil heating.

* Water-ring pelletizer from 1000 to 18,000 lb/hr for any grade of polyolefin-based compound and masterbatch.

* Dry-face pelletizer from 1000 to 13,000 lb/hr for thermally sensitive materials such as cable compounds, PVC, and other non-water-compatible polymers.

Hydraulically actuated slide-plate screen-changers available for any type of pelletizer or die. Turnkey, custom-designed strand or other pelletizing lines with full automation provided.

PTI/PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Trident series CPF (continuous polymer flow) water-ring pelletizers available in Models 1000S, 2000S, 3000S, 4000S and 5000S for extruders from 3.5- to 8-in diam. with throughputs from 1000 to 5000 lb/hr. Fully equipped units use heavy-duty, oversized componentry throughout and are easy to set up, operate and maintain. Systems offer similar design innovations for spare-parts interchangeability.

RANDCASTLE EXTRUSION SYSTEMS, INC.

Strand pelletizers include micro-pelletizer line, which makes pellets 0.02 x 0.02 in. and 0.06 x 0.06 in. for feeding small extruders in the 0.25- to 0.5-in. range. Pelletizer converts to a two-roll puller or torque winder. Cantilever design permits ready access to working components for cleaning and maintenance.

Also larger (two-in.-wide) two-function pelletizer. Both nip rolls have pneumatically adjustable pressure and are mechanically driven for pulling irregular or slippery strands. Quick-change components for fast cleaning or service. Quick-change parts also convert unit to a two-roll puller with both nip rolls driven for pulling rod, strips, tubing and profiles.

REDUCTION ENGINEERING, INC.

Strand pelletizers, which suit material ranging from standard grades to low-viscosity engineering resins and those with glass reinforcement, are available with rotor diam. from 6 to 12 in., widths from 4 to 32 in., and capacities from 500 to 25,000 lb/hr. T-Series and S-Series feature easy-access cutting chambers for simplified maintenance and cleaning. Metric series built with European drives and performance standards.

Waterslide pelletizing systems with throughput rates as high as 30,000 lb/hr use an inclined water conveyor to condition strands prior to dry or wet cutting by a strand pelletizer. Systems improve cut quality and minimize dust and fines. Units include a self-threading feature to ensure fast startup and minimize waste and strand breakage. Strand dies, pellet dryers, classifiers, and transfer systems can be supplied with units. Formerly built pelletizers for Conair.

RIETER CORP. PELLETIZING MACHINERY

Strand pelletizers (conventional and self-stranding) with capacities from 100 to 40,000 lb/hr.

Conventional Primo Line is a simplified design for low-cost and easy maintenance. Available in cutting widths from 50 to 400 mm and capacities in excess of 10,000 lb/hr.

M-USG lines come in conventional (M-ASG), self-stranding wet cut (M-USG), or self-stranding dry cut (JSG). Machines provide automated strand start-up and rethreading during operation, minimizing waste and optimizing throughput.

Sphero underwater hot-face system is specially designed for low viscosity/difficult applications. Available in sizes from 30 to 350 mm.

SANDVIK PROCESS SYSTEMS LLC

Rotoform Process continuously forms melts at up to 600 F into small drops, which solidify on a steel-belt cooler into uniform, round pastilles in sizes from 0.8 mm to 50 mm. The dust-free process offers no contact between product and cooling water, eliminating need for energy to dry pellets. Cooling water is not contaminated, and cutters are not needed, lowering energy consumption and maintenance. Process can be used for products with melt viscosities up to 80,000 cp at temperatures under 600 F.

SCHEER BAY CO.

Strand pelletizers include SGS-E series with capacities from 2 to 3400 lb/hr and SGS-L series with capacities from 3400 to 16,700 lb/hr. Both series offer lower noise levels, ease of maintenance, improved cleaning capability, quicker changeover and durability.

Waterslide pelletizing systems for producing thermoplastic pellets available in wet- or dry-cut versions. Systems offer automated startup, rethreading of broken strands, dust-free pellets, low noise level and are custom designed. Suitable for operations with reactors, autoclaves and extruders using a strand die.

THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC MATERIAL CHARACTERIZATION

Laboratory pelletizer is supported by a movable, welded frame on which motor control is positioned for accessibility. Bottom steel feed roll is serrated for positive grip of extrudate strands, and top rubber feed roll is adjustable.

Cutting mechanism consists of multiple cutting blades on rotor. Has variable-speed drive motor and can also be controlled and monitored using PolyLab monitoring software.

THERMOPLASTICS ENGINEERING CORP.

Strand pelletizers for lab and small productions come with 2-, 4- or 6-in.-wide rotors. Frames designed to the application. Interchangeable gear sets for varying pellet lengths.

WAYNE MACHINE & DIE CO.

Yellow-Jacket heavy-duty strand pelletizers for laboratory and production applications in two- and three-in, models, which have eight-tooth steel straight or helical rotor. Both models feature a four-sided bed knife, which can be turned four times before requiring replacement. Other features are d-c drives from 1.5 to 5 hp, gear drive on rubber and knurled rollers for positive strand movement, easy clean-out, locking casters on stand, and 45[degrees] dump chute.

An option to the standard pelletizer that allows the pelletizer to produce micro-pellets as small as 0.010 in. and to continuously adjust up to 0.19-in. pellets. This is accomplished by using a master reference ratio drive system that controls the ratio of the cutter speed to the nip roller speed. Pelletizer line speed can be adjusted faster or slower while maintaining constant pellet length. In this case, the drive used on the nip rollers is 0.25 hp, while the drive on the cutter remains 1.5 hp.

XALOY EXTRUSION

Redesigned inline water-ring pelletizers for 10-15% higher throughputs and less noise. Model WRP-12i has throughputs up to 2600 lb/hr and Model WRP-35i up to 7700 lb/hr.

WRP water-ring pelletizing systems feature a hot-cut, water-ring die-face system that minimizes sensitivity to process conditions. Dry die-face cut and water-ring pellet quench do not freeze or slow the flow of polymer through the die. Easy start-up and low energy consumption achieved because knife assembly cuts molten polymer in air instead of cutting a semi-molten extrudate underwater or a hardened strand.

Each cutting blade individually flexes and adjusts to the die-plate surface. Centrifugal dryer removes surface water from pellets. Fast cleanout. Throughput rates from 500 to 5000 lb/hr.

XTRUTEC ENGINEERING

Offers pelletizers manufactured by Labtech Engineering for virtually any polymeric material with capacities from laboratory quantities to 4000 lb/hr.