Introduction

No matter what type of process is the mainstay of your plastics manufacturing operation – injection molding, thermoforming, extrusion – every floor manager knows that the waste materials generated can be significant. Ideally, those materials are reclaimed back into the process. By grinding the plastic materials down to a size that’s similar to the virgin material, you drastically decrease waste and use less of that new material in the process.

Regardless of the size of your operation or type of manufacturing process, regrinding of plastic components has the potential to create substantial savings. There are multiple types of size reduction equipment including shredders and granulators that can be used to transform the material into a more useable state. The type of machines utilized in a process depend on the material characteristics, size and density. Considering the annual savings over many manufacturing runs, it’s vital that the right type of granulator is chosen based on your unique plastic processing operation, type of materials, labor, floor and storage space, and many other factors.

To help get the most from regrinding, plastics manufacturers typically use one of two types of manufacturing floor configurations and the equipment designed for that workflow – a central granulator or a beside-the-press granulator. (It should be noted that Under-the-Press (UTP) granulators are sometimes categorized with beside-the-press granulators, although they are generally located beneath a plastics thermoforming line) Each approach to regrinding has pros and cons that are unique to each operation, so the burden is on floor managers and manufacturing engineers – with the help of a knowledgeable equipment partner – to determine what works best to meet the company’s unique needs, limitations, and goals.

Although a central granulator configuration offers many benefits for those operations that are well-suited for that equipment, this white paper will focus on beside-the-press granulators (BTP). We’ll explore the top reasons you might want to choose this type of granulator equipment for your plastic component waste, as well as other considerations.