Roto-Grind Becomes Grinder of Choice for Carolina Plastics Recycler: Ability To Perform In Demanding Environment Cited As Reason For Switch

To hear Mark Askew tell it, the secret to becoming one of the more successful recyclers of polyester fiber in the Mid-Atlantic is really no secret at all. Keep abreast of changes in technology and, when necessary, replace existing processing machinery with newer, better performing equipment. It's a strategy that has served his company, Industrial Recovery & Recycling (IRR), well for 29 years and recently resulted in the purchase of four Roto-Grind 110H Grinders from Granutech-Saturn Systems.

IRR, a plastics recycler serving the central South Carolina region, takes in a broad range of material, including film, non-woven, purging, etc. According to Askew, the majority of material coming through his facility of late has been fiber and purge waste, received in every container imaginable.

"We get material from all over the world and it arrives in everything from luggers to bales to gaylord boxes to supersacks. In this business, we really can't be picky, so we take material in whatever form it comes, and simply dump it in to the Roto-Grind for initial downsizing."

Askew says IRR purchased their first Roto-Grind with production increases in mind but quickly became impressed with its ability to stand up under tough conditions.

"Their durability was really what won us over and, in later months, prompted our decision to replace the other manufacturers' units with additional Roto-Grinds. They are extremely heavy-duty and stand up to situations and materials that will damage other units - things you see in the day-to-day operation of a recycling facility.

"Being in the recycling business, the profit structure is such that we work on tight margins," says Askew. "The only real way to ensure success in this business is by ensuring volumes stay at peak levels. The Roto-Grinds have played a major role in helping make that happen for us and, as a result, have helped make us a successful plant."


Roto-Grind Replaces Grinder and Two Shredders - And Outperforms All Three

Question: When is one greater than three?
Answer: When it is the number of pieces of equipment needed to boost production throughputs in a processing operation. That was the situation which Textrude, Inc. found itself facing recently and the one unit in question - a Roto-Grind 100H- did in fact take the place of three alternative pieces of processing equipment.

For Charlie Nettles Jr., the need to make changes in his Channelview, Texas operation didn't appear overnight. Rather, it made itself known over a long period of time. In business since 1952, his company, Textrude, Inc. was already extruding PVC profiles, then expanded that operation to include polyethylene blown film. But, according to Nettles, the need for a more streamlined operation, combined with a desire to lower operational costs, prompted a look at alternative size reduction methods.

"We do between 300,000 and a half million pounds of material annually, the majority of which is polyethylene purgings and chunks. In our operation - particularly in preparation for blown film processing - we encounter a good deal of larger chunks of polyethylene. Those are the result of both our own processing and purchases from outside. Because so much of that is oversized, it needs to be brought down to a manageable size before any pelletizing can be done. That's where we first identified an area that could be improved upon."

Until recently, Textrude's method for getting that oversized material down to size was rudimentary and labor-intensive. As a result it was also inefficient, according to equipment manager John Griffin.

"Typically, on the larger chunks - and we often get chunks as large as 6-foot by 3-foot wide - we would first have a man quarter them using a manual saw. Once quartered, material would go into a guillotine shear or band saw, then into a grinder. Essentially, it was a three man operation just to get it ready."

Once material was sufficiently downsized it was routed to a 200 hp hog grinder then into a pair of 100 hp shredders. To streamline that facet of the operation, Textrude replaced the shredders with a Roto-Grind Model RG 110. The result of doing so has been nothing short of amazing says Nettles.

"The Roto-Grind has been an impressive performer for us," he says. "We have replaced three pieces of equipment with the single Roto-Grind and still upped production. With the old line configuration we were getting throughputs of about 1,000 - 1,500 pounds per hour. The Roto-Grind is giving us steady rates in the 2,000 - 2,500 pph range. That's an upturn of about 1,000 pph - pretty impressive in my book."