What’s a Plastic Granulator?

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Plastic granulators break down plastic products for recycling. Plastic waste accounts for up to 40% of solid waste, and recycling is the only option to reduce landfill waste. Granulators turn plastic into flakes or granules, which can be sold to manufacturers. They consist of a motor, rotor, cutting blades, and a screen. Granulators can be dangerous and require regular maintenance.

A plastic granulator is a machine used to break down plastic products so they can be recycled. Recent surveys report that discarded bottles, bags, packaging and other plastic products account for up to 40 percent of the solid waste thrown away by residents in communities across the nation. Unfortunately plastic is not biodegradable. Therefore, it does not break down naturally to become part of the earth. This means that recycling is the only option to reduce the amount of plastic in landfills.

A plastic granulator works much like a large shredder. Transform full-sized bottles, jugs and other plastic products into flakes or granules. The material produced by the plastic granulator is subsequently sold to molders and plastic product manufacturers as recycled raw material. The recycled raw material can be used to make new plastic items. Aside from aluminum and glass, plastic is the only material capable of being reworked into new items of the same quality as the original.

A plastic granulator consists of a large electric motor that turns a rotor. The cutting blades are attached to the rotor and enclosed in a closed chamber. These blades and chambers come in numerous shapes and sizes. When the plastic material used is placed inside the chamber, the rotating blades grind it into granules.

There is also a screen inside the chamber. It acts as a sieve, ensuring the plastic is small enough to be resold. If the plastic pieces are larger than 125-375 inches (0.318-0.953 centimeters), they are reworked until they are small enough.

A plastic granulator is rated in pounds per hour, which refers to how much it can shred in an hour. For industrial recyclers, the plastic granulator chamber needs to be large. However, you can purchase a plastic granulator for home or small business use. It’s important to note that these machines can be dangerous, no matter how small. Therefore, it is important to follow the precautions provided by the manufacturer.

To properly maintain a plastic granulator, the user must keep it clean. Otherwise, it will not produce the desired small plastic granules. The plastic granulator blades need to be oiled periodically. Also, the inside of the chamber needs to be cleaned, including the screen. In fact, it’s best to remove and clean the screen after every large job the machine completes.




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