Blades are the most frequently used as well as the most expensive maintenance item on a granulator machine. Granulator blades play an integral part in the smooth operation of the granulators. The number of blades, their arrangement, tip, angle, speed and sharpness, all have an important impact on the quality of the granulate and efficiency of the granulator. Granulator knives are mostly used in ‘size reduction applications’ in the recycling of plastics, paper/cardboard, rubber/tires, WEEE, wood, and metal.
There are fixed knives and rotary knives in a granulator machine, with a small clearance between them. The material cuts into smooth and uniform granulate using sharp knife edges and precise clearance. However, knives wear down over time, increasing the clearance between the blades. There will be fewer clean cuts, an increase in dust and fines, impact marks, chipping, and shattering when the knives become dull and the clearance expands.
Inadequate feed rate: When you put excess material in the granulator, it starts to float on the radar. As a result, the blades scrape against the material before cutting it and leading to the knives wearing out.
Dust and mixing of materials: It is difficult to optimize the efficiency of your blades when there’s dust or a mix of different materials.
Mediocre blade material selection: Wearing down of the knives can intensify when the blade is made of low-quality steel with low chromium & an inadequate proportion of other important components like molybdenum & vanadium.
Issues caused by dull granulator blades in granulator machines:
Increased heat
Heat will build up within the cutting chamber if the material isn’t being cut properly.
Increased noise
The mobile parts will begin to grind against each other and the rotor will smash material rather than cut it, thereby, resulting in more noise.
Increased energy consumption
When granulator blades become dull, they require more electricity to function.
Excessive vibrations
Dulling knives can result in an excessive amount of vibrations and amp draw. Both rotary and stator knives should be kept sharp, clean and should be rotated regularly to ensure that the granulator’s efficiency remains consistent while also reducing the wear and tear on the machine.
You can increase the life of your granulator blades by implementing the following:
Trained personnel
Ensure that the personnel is adequately trained on how to safely use and service the granulator machines.
Identify the problem quickly
Collect the regrind material and examine its consistency. They should all be roughly of the same size as the pellets you are using.
Check the granulator for dirt
Drop the material back into the container and assess your hand to see how much dust and fines remain. A well-operating granulator should not have much dirt.
Use good quality material
Ensure that the knives are made from good quality tool steel which has apt proportions of tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt and vanadium.
Take precautions while resharpening
Do not resharpen your knives beyond their minimum heights. Dull knives in your granulator machine cause excessive wear and tear on critical components that can lead to high replacement costs. Follow the above-mentioned tips to properly care for your granulator blades and avoid unnecessary costs. Services offered by Industrial Partner to maintain the sharpness of the blades and ensuring that they do not wear off quickly:
Use of high-quality tool steel
Industrial Partner uses high-quality tool steel with 12% chrome, 0.90% molybdenum and 0.90% vanadium content. Molybdenum, like chromium, has an effect on steel corrosion resistance. Steel’s hardenability, toughness, and tensile strength are all improved by molybdenum. Vanadium improves the tempering stability of quenched steel while also causing secondary hardening.
Modern manufacturing facilities
Industrial Partner follows a proper hardening process which is critical for maintaining blade toughness and reducing blade wear. Heat treatment is carried out in state-of-the-art hardening furnaces at 1020 degrees followed by 3 tempering/ stress relieving processes at three different temperatures - 500°, 520°, and 525°, with a minimum soaking time of 3 hours.
Type of granulator knives offered
Industrial Partner offers standard knives for common machines used in recycling industry like LINDNER®, NGR®, UNTHA®, WEIMA®, HERBOLD®, VECOPLAN®, ALPINE®, ELDEN®, PALLMANN® and many more. Industrial partner recognizes that each industry has distinct demands on its cutting edge, therefore aiming to provide high performance and long-lasting industrial machine knives and blades that maximize the life of cutting machinery.
Whatever your industrial needs, we can partner with you.
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