Plastic Granulator

As plastic is not biodegradable like other items that are thrown away on a daily basis, landfills often accumulate large amounts of plastic jugs, bottles, and bags. In order to reduce the amount of plastic material in these landfills, a plastic granulator is used to shred the plastic into tiny flakes called granules. The plastic granules are then resold to industrial facilities as raw material to be reshaped into new plastic products. To better illustrate the design and process of plastic granulators, this article will describe how they work and list the various parts of this machine.

How Does A Plastic Granulator Work
A plastic granulator consists of an electric motor that spins a rotor. Blades attached to the rotor spin very quickly and cut pieces of plastic into extremely tiny pieces called granules. A screen beneath the blades ensure that the plastic is cut into small enough pieces to be resold to plastic manufacturers. When plastic waste is inserted into the device's chamber, it is shredded and collected in a large reservoir beneath the blades and screen. This is done because smaller pieces of plastic are easier to mold by the manufacturer than larger pieces. Plastic granulators are made for specific work loads and are available in several varieties.

Maintanence
Plastic granulators require a rather large amount of maintanence in order to keep the device working properly. For example, the device must be cleaned after every use in order to remove any plastic buildup. Likewise, the blades and rotor of the device must be properly oiled on a regular basis. The screen must also be wiped periodically in order to remove debris. Small children and inexperienced users should avoid contact with the plastic granulator as the device could cause harm to the user if not treated with care.

Purchasing A Plastic Granulator
A plastic granulator can be purchased by any company that buys and/or sells industrial supplies or machinery. Organizations that are likely to have a plastic granulator include companies that melt plastic and landfills that wish to reduce the amount of plastic waste on the premises. Plastic granulators come in various sizes depending on the work load needed. For example, there are large plastic granulators reserved for industrial purposes while smaller models are available for workshops. Naturally, prices for these machines vary also, ranging from $500 to over $50,000.

Similar Machinery
 Aside from plastic granulators, there are two other devices that are able to break down plastic materials: plastic shredders and plastic ring mills. A plastic shredder converts the plastic material in the chamber into thin, rectangular or square strips and collects them in a reservoir beneath the blade. A ring mill, on the other hand, uses a cylindrical blade to cut the plastic into rolled chunks and dumps the chunks into a hole at the bottom of the chamber. All of these machines are capable of breaking down plastic but a plastic granulator is able to break the plastic down much more efficiently than either of these devices.