Pulverizing mills can be operated locally and remotely
Pulverizing mills: Powder King’s line of industrial pulverizing mills can be used by compounders, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) recyclers and manufacturers of plastic lumber and vinyl fencing. It includes a number of models, from the PKA-120, which is capable of hourly throughputs ranging from 800 pounds to 1,100 pounds, to the PKA-Super Mega and PKA-Velocity, which have hourly throughputs that top out at 2,200 pounds. The PKA-120 is shown.
What’s new? The use of a new, embedded controller, the EC200, that replaces the need for a programmable logic controller and several other devices formerly required for the operation of the mills. The new controller is available with all new Powder King pulverizing mills, and the company says it is working on a retrofit kit for operating systems on existing mills.
Benefits: Enhanced control functionality. With the EC200, users can operate their mills remotely, as well as locally. The user-friendly controls also monitor as many as 12 variables, providing access to trending machine data. Because all necessary inputs and outputs are built into the EC200, the controller is easy to troubleshoot and maintain.
Powder King LLC, Anthem, Arizona, 623-551-9897, www.powder-king.com
Drum dumper can take on materials that clump together
Tip-Tite: Flexicon’s Tip-Tite drum dumper has been designed for materials that clump together or flow poorly. The dumper uses a hydraulic cylinder to dump containers of materials; it employs a pneumatically actuated slide gate valve to control material flow. According to the company, the product can be used by recyclers to dump drums of pellets or pigments. In one case, a plastics recycler uses it to handle 55-pound sacks of a mineral additive. With the ability to handle loads ranging from 30 gallons to 55 gallons, the dumper has tilting angles of 45 degrees, 60 degrees and 90 degrees.
What’s new? A square outlet through which pellets or other materials can flow. The outlet makes it easy to dump round drums into square flanged openings. Circular outlets also are available.
Benefits: Rapid, dust-free transfer of difficult-to-dump materials.
Flexicon Corp., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 610-814-2400, www.flexicon.com
Robot’s artificial intelligence recognizes, sorts objects
Ecopick: Picvisa Optical Sorting’s delta-style robot uses artificial intelligence, along with visible light and an optional near-infrared light source, to recognize objects, which it sorts using a suction cup.
What’s new? The sorting robot, which hit the U.S. market earlier this year.
Benefits: Cost-effective, efficient sorting. The robot can help recyclers more effectively reclaim salvageable materials while reducing reliance on human labor.
Picvisa Machine Vision Systems SL, Barcelona, Spain, 34-938-68-0845, www.picvisa.com
Filtration media offer expanded filtration area
BKG FlexDisc: When used in extrusion operations, BKG FlexDisc filtration media increase the filtration area of Nordson screen changers. They are especially useful in bottle-to-bottle and PET fiber recycling applications.Compatible with Nordson’s BKG NorCon D-SWE, BKG HiCon K-SWE-4K-75/RS and BKG HiCon V-Type 3G screen changers, they can be retrofitted by replacing the screen changers’ piston with one with a special retainer.
What’s new? Updates to the original BKG FlexDisc, which debuted in 2014. The filtration media now can be added to screen changers in stacks of two to four.
Benefits: Even greater increases in filtration area and improved filtering. With the BKG FlexDisc, users can expand their screen changer’s filtration area and achieve finer filtration, greater throughputs, longer filter service life and reduced backflush volume—all without the need for a bigger screen changer. According to Nordson, the latest version of the BKG FlexDisc creates 25 percent more filtration area than the previous version.
Nordson Corp., Hickory, North Carolina, 828-326-9888, www.nordsonpolymerprocessing.com
Data platform guides users to make decisions based on evidence
Tomra Insight: This cloud-based data platform collects information from connected sorting machines and provides the data to operators through a web interface. Tomra provides data transmission and storage in partnership with Microsoft Azure.
What’s new? The platform, which provides digital metrics about factors such as throughput, material and size distribution and acceptance and rejection rates.
Benefits: Access to near real-time data that can guide better, evidence-based decision-making. This helps users reduce downtime, maximize throughput and optimize sorting machine performance and preventive maintenance plans.
Tomra Sorting Solutions Recycling, West Sacramento, California, 916-388-3900, www.tomra.com
Valves feature precise blade positioning
Diverter valves: Kice’s automatic 67-series diverter valves are used to convey resins and additives, including recycled materials. The heavy-duty, cast-iron valves come in six sizes and are available with air-operated controls, manual controls or electric actuators.
What’s new? Upgrades that allow material flowing through the valves to be diverted in three different directions. Previously only available as two-way valves, the series now includes a version with a three-way valve. Its three outlets provide one straight-through passage and two 30-degree branches. Other improvements include more precise blade positioning, better drive system guards and an engineered square drive shaft.
Benefits: Improved durability. More precise blade positioning reduces wear on the leading edge of the diverter blade. In addition, the new drive shaft helps prolong equipment life and ensures blade alignment. Additionally, the guarding eliminates pinch points and meets American National Standards Institute safety standards.
Kice Industries Inc., Wichita, Kansas, 316-744-7151, www.kice.com
Portable dedusting system is more accessible for maintenance
KSp: This portable dedusting system from Hosokawa Polymer Systems is designed for material throughputs of up to 250 pounds per hour, which makes it suitable for small batches or use in labs. The KSp can be hand-fed, but an optional loader is available. It has a multistage 304 stainless-steel dedusting throat in addition to a mechanism for removing static from material, such as film.
What’s new? The KSp, which was introduced in February at the 2019 Plastics Recycling Conference. The new unit is the smallest of the KS series—the “p” at the end of its name denotes it’s portable. Versions released earlier include the next smallest deduster in the series, with a capacity of 1,000 pounds per hour.
Benefits: Portability, flexibility and accessibility for maintenance. The dedusting system has easy-to-adjust cut points and can handle a variety of materials. It has a small footprint and can be cleaned with ease. An optional stand works with drums, gaylords and bins.
Hosokawa Polymer Systems, Berlin, Connecticut, 860-828-0541, www.polysys.com
Heavy-duty two-ram baler provides on-site option
Reb-X Press: This heavy-duty, two-ram baler from Sierra can handle a wide variety of materials, including plastic bottles. It produces bales measuring 46 inches by 31 inches by 62 inches and weighing from 1,250 to 1,400 pounds, in the case of PET bottle bales. It has a dry-cycle capacity of 12,000 cubic feet per hour and a dry-cycle time of 15 seconds.
What’s new? Portability.
Benefits: Versatility. The baler is suitable for companies that have multiple facilities but don’t have enough volume to justify multiple pieces of equipment. It also can take the place of stationary equipment during maintenance shutdowns. The Reb-X Press also is ideal for locations that have no access to electrical power.
Sierra International Machinery LLC, Bakersfield, California, 661-327-7073, www.sierraintl.com
Explore the June 2019 Plastics Recycling Issue
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