The S:GRAN recycling machine series (shredder-feeder-extruder combination) for processing plastic waste, which began production in 1996, and has since achieved the successful installation of over 1,000 units, was replaced by the new NXT:GRAN series and presented as a world first to an international audience at the K 2019 in Düsseldorf. The revolutionary design gives up to 40% higher throughput rate, simplified control and operation, and updated safety concepts.
Plastic waste is not only generated at the end of the life cycle, but also in the product manufacturing process – e.g. pipes, films, fibers or blow molded parts. For understandable economic reasons, plastics processors are trying to reduce this waste, but "ZERO WASTE production" can only be achieved with appropriate recycling machines.
For over two decades, S:GRAN's "territory" has precisely been the so-called "post-industrial" waste. Equipped with a large shredder, a feeder and an extruder, it repelletizes internal scrap for seamless re-use in the primary production process - as with virgin material.
While in the 1990s very few processors relied on internal recycling to minimize costs, today - in times of the circular economy - recycling equipment is a necessity to maximize the value in production scrap. As a result, the demands placed on in-house recycling are increasing towards higher production output, lower energy consumption and higher levels of safety. The very simple operation of the S:GRAN has been improved in the new NXT:GRAN model - as has overall maintenance accessibility to the machine components. What remains is the automatic STARTSTOP function, which readies the system for operation in only a few minutes and does not require any supervision when stopping. A new safety feature, the “sliding hopper”, removes the confined space requirement and makes the NXT:GRAN the safest recycling machine available.
"The still revolutionary concept of the shredder-feeder-extruder combination could be retained with its advantages, but despite all the evolutionary steps over the years, we had to "rethink" the machine concept from scratch and separate ourselves from established paths in order to make substantial progress in machine development. With the new NXT:GRAN, we are convinced that we can continue the success of the S:GRAN," says Thomas Pichler, Technical Director and co-ownerof NGR.
