Comparison of technologies: repelletizing vs. grinding

Different technologies are used in recycling depending on the plastic material. Injection molding materials with glass fiber content present a special challenge. The most common method of recycling them is grinding. Increasingly, however, users have been impressed by the advantages of the repelletizing process. The reasons for this are explained in the following blog.

Processing with grinders

Grinders are often used to grind injection molding materials containing fiberglass. The problem with this method is that it produces fiberglass particles that are released into the air people breathe.
This poses an enormous health and safety problem.

• That is because if the glass fiber particles are inhaled, they remain in the lungs for life.
• To prevent this health risk, extraction systems need to be purchased.

This, of course, means an additional cost for the processor. Another disadvantage is that grinding often causes problems in the downstream process:

Variations in bulk density and pourability

Regrind material has a different bulk density and pourability than recycled pellets.

If the two materials are combined and used in an injection molding machine, the mold filling characteristics will deteriorate. The reason for this is that the combination of components does not ensure effective mixing. The result is a higher number of rejects.

And if the regrind material contains metal parts, they can damage the mold during re-injection. The reason for this is that there is no safety filter in the grinder system.

High dust content due to grinding

Suction intake and transport are more difficult because of the dust content.

• Dust and fine particles adhere to the intake duct of the injection molding machine.
• There they overheat and turn into soot particles.
• These cause black particles in the injection molded parts.
• As a consequence, the injection molded parts have surface defects.
• In addition, these particles frequently block the suction and transport lines.

Repelletizing instead of grinding

A better method for processing injection molding materials that contain glass fibers is repelletizing. Using this method has several advantages.

The advantages of repelletizing

The following points highlight the advantages of repelletizing:

• Using recycled pellets increases the quality of the injection molded parts.
• Rejects are reduced by 20 - 30%.
• Lower costs relating to quality on the assembly line if the parts produced are semi-finished products used in the automotive or electrical industries, for example.
• The higher investment costs of the repelletizing system compared to the grinder are therefore amortized more quickly.
  
  

Repelletizing vs. grinding: The advantages and disadvantages at a glance