Strand pelletizer

Abstract

This invention relates to a wire pelletizing machine for granulating wire materials, such as plastic wire materials, into pellets. The machine includes a cutting mechanism having a rotatably driven cutting rotor and a counter-cutting blade interacting therewith, wherein a cutting gap is formed between the cutting edge of the counter-cutting blade and the rotor tooth tip of the cutting rotor. According to the invention, a cutting gap adjusting device with a cutting gap adjusting actuator is provided for adjusting the gap size of the cutting gap during operation of the cutting mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a wire pelletizing machine for pelletizing wire materials such as plastic wire into pellets, comprising a cutting mechanism having a rotatably driven cutting rotor and a reverse cutter interacting therewith, wherein a cutting gap is formed between the cutting edge of the reverse cutter and the rotor tooth tip of the cutting rotor, wherein the cutting rotor and / or the reverse cutter are adjustablely mounted so that the gap size of the cutting gap can be adjusted. Prior Technology

[0002] This type of wire pelletizer is typically used to granulate plastic wire produced by a continuous casting machine and associated nozzle plates and supplied to the pelletizer via a conveyor trough, see, for example, DE 31 45 613 A1, EP 0 079 609 A1, or US 4,528,157 B1. However, this type of wire pelletizer, which can perform dry cutting, can also granulate other materials such as food or pharmaceutical active material threads in the form of pasta noodles. Higher productivity can be achieved by feeding multiple adjacent wires in parallel to the cutting mechanism.

[0003] In this configuration, the cutting mechanism includes a rotatably driven cutting rotor, which may have rib-like or strip-shaped cutting protrusions or rotor teeth on its circumferential surface. These protrusions or teeth interact with a fixed reverse cutter. The reverse cutter may consist essentially of circumferentially positioned blades adjacent to the cutting rotor, such that the strip-shaped protrusions or rotor teeth passing over the cutting rotor can cut the plastic wire at the reverse cutter.

[0004] In order to supply wire to the working area of ​​the cutting mechanism (i.e., the area between the reverse cutter and the cutting rotor) in a controlled direction and speed, a supply device is connected upstream of the cutting mechanism. This supply device has counter-rotating supply rollers between which the wire is conveyed to feed into the cutting mechanism.

[0005] For example, such a cutting mechanism with a pair of upstream supply rollers or feed rollers is known from documents DE 101 06 677 C1, DE 34 26 316 A1, DE 31 45 613 A1 and DE 26 00 078 A1.

[0006] To achieve high-quality cutting of plastic wire and make the cutting process efficient, the cutting gap between the rotor teeth of the cutting rotor and the cutting edge of the reverse cutter must be set very small and very precisely. Ideally, the cutting gap should also be kept as uniform as possible along the length of the cutting rotor and the reverse cutter. If the cutting gap is too large, viscoplastic or sticky wire will not be cleanly cut and a clean cutting edge cannot be obtained. Furthermore, because wire material is being sheared between the rotor tooth tips and the cutting edge of the reverse cutter, the load on the cutting mechanism increases significantly, which may lead to increased bearing load, vibration, and power requirements.

[0007] Conversely, if the cutting gap is set too small, there is a risk of direct mechanical contact between the rotor tooth tip and the reverse tool, for example, when the cutting gap is initially set very small and further reduced due to thermal load and the resulting deformation.

[0008] As mentioned above, setting the cutting gap of a wire pellet mill is very difficult because the cutting gap should be very small but not too small, and even with extensive experience, it cannot be done perfectly because it is difficult to estimate the effects on the cutting gap that occur during operation (e.g., thermal expansion and different wire materials), especially during the start-up of the wire pellet mill.

[0009] Here, the cutting gap on the wire pellet mill is usually measured manually with the machine stationary using a so-called observation plate (Spionblechen), which has very fine gradations (e.g., one-hundredth of a millimeter in thickness), so that the cutting gap between the cutting rotor and the reverse cutter can be precisely set within a range of 1 / 100 millimeter.

[0010] However, due to the dynamic changes during startup, it is difficult to set the cutting gap correctly. The cutting gap changes during machine startup due to the hot wire and / or the temperature of the process water used in various situations, thus negatively impacting the cutting process. Depending on the process, such as when using cold or hot process water, the gap may increase or decrease, where the process is dynamic. This change continues until a steady state is reached; in extreme cases, the cutting rotor may collide with the reverse tool and cause corresponding damage.

[0011] If the cutting gap increases during startup, it may not be possible to set the cutting gap optimally, because it may not be possible to set the cutting gap small enough at the beginning of startup to reliably prevent the cutting rotor from hitting the reverse tool, while also taking into account the increase in gap that occurs during startup.

[0012] To understand these dynamic changes, attempts were made to measure the cutting gap at short intervals to identify variations under given process conditions. However, this was both time-consuming and relatively inaccurate because the machine cools rapidly after shutdown or the temperature changes again, necessitating quick measurements. In fact, the gap changes again once the machine stops and the cutting head opens. Summary of the Invention

[0013] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved wire pelletizer of the above type, which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art and further develops the prior art in an advantageous manner. In particular, an improved cutting gap setting should be achieved, so that dynamic changes caused by, for example, temperature variations can be better taken into account.

[0014] Therefore, it is proposed to appropriately set or readjust the cutting gap during machine operation, and for this purpose, to move the cutting rotor and / or the reverse tool transversely to the longitudinal axis of the cutting rotor. According to the invention, a cutting gap adjusting device with a cutting gap adjusting actuator is provided for adjusting the gap size of the cutting mechanism during operation. By means of this online adjustment of the cutting rotor, or possibly the reverse tool, changes in the gap size can be responded to, for example, during startup, and the gap size can be optimally adjusted for the operation of the cutting mechanism even under constantly changing conditions.

[0015] Preferably, the cutting rotor is moved while the reverse tool is held in a fixed position. This allows for a more stable design of the cutting mechanism and avoids undesirable deformation of the reverse tool, which typically has poor rigidity. Simultaneously, the scraper gap, initially set relative to the feed rollers of the upstream feed device of the cutting mechanism, can remain constant, and this scraper gap does not need to be readjusted when adjusting or readjusting the cutting gap between the cutting rotor and the reverse tool.

[0016] In an improved example of the invention, the cutting gap adjusting device may have a feeding device for feeding the cutting rotor toward and away from the reverse tool, wherein a retainer for fixing the position of the reverse tool may be provided, which can fix the reverse tool even when adjusting the cutting rotor.

[0017] The feed device can move the cutting rotor laterally toward and away from the reverse tool along its rotor axis in order to set the gap size of the cutting gap.

[0018] In an improved example of the invention, the feeding device can be configured to move the two ends of the cutting rotor synchronously with each other, such that the cutting rotor moves entirely or only translationally without a rotational component, particularly moving completely perpendicular to its rotor axis. Therefore, the gap size increases or decreases uniformly over the length of the cutting gap.

[0019] However, in another improved example of the invention, the feed device may also be configured to optionally move the cutting rotor translationally only in the manner described above, i.e., translational displacement occurring synchronously at both ends, or to superimpose rotational motion on the translational displacement, i.e., rotational motion about a rotational axis substantially perpendicular to the translational displacement motion and the rotor axis, such that the two ends of the cutting rotor move toward or away from the reverse tool to different degrees. Therefore, for example, the cutting gap at the right end can be reduced or increased to a greater extent compared to the cutting gap at the opposite left edge of the cutting rotor. This asymmetrical feed allows for a response to possible asymmetrical wear or asymmetrical temperature loads with corresponding thermal expansion, and in particular, to set the cutting gap to the same size at the right and left edges of the cutting rotor even in the presence of such asymmetrical effects.

[0020] In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the adjusting actuator of the cutting gap adjusting device may have an electric stepper motor that allows for precise adjustment of the cutting gap and also allows for easy and accurate control of the adjustment.

[0021] To allow for the precise conversion of the drive motion of the adjusting actuator into the desired displacement of the cutting rotor or corresponding cutting mechanism element, the cutting gap adjusting device may have one or more worm gear stages. These worm gear stages are particularly capable of converting the rotational motion of the adjusting actuator into the translational displacement of the cutting rotor with sufficient accuracy, so that the cutting gap can be precisely set within a range of 1 / 100 mm. Specifically, such worm gear stages can operate without backlash.

[0022] To further refine the adjustment or achieve very fine adjustment while stably mounting the cutting rotor, the cutting gap adjustment device may include a cutting rotor bearing with an eccentrically designed bearing housing. The cutting rotor bearing supports the cutting rotor itself, enabling it to rotate about its longitudinal axis or rotor axis. The bearing housing is designed to be eccentric and rotatable about the rotor axis, such that rotation of the bearing housing about the rotor axis causes a translational displacement of the rotor axis toward or away from the reverse tool.

[0023] Preferably, the cutting rotor is supported at its opposite ends by two such cutting rotor bearings with eccentrically designed bearing housings, so that translational displacement can be provided at the two rotor ends by the corresponding rotation of the eccentric bearing housings.

[0024] Advantageously, the regulating actuator can be designed to adjust the two eccentric bearing housings on opposite ends of the cutting rotor synchronously to achieve the same degree of increase or decrease in the clearance dimension at both ends.

[0025] Specifically, the eccentric bearing housing of the cutting rotor bearing can be rotated via the aforementioned worm gear drive stage, wherein advantageously, each rotatable bearing housing can have external teeth that mesh with the teeth of the adjusting actuator worm, such that the rotational motion of the worm shaft causes the bearing housing to rotate about the rotor axis of the cutting rotor. Due to the eccentricity, the rotational motion of the bearing housing is converted into the displacement of the cutting rotor.

[0026] To facilitate maintenance of the cutting mechanism, the eccentric bearing housing can be designed as a half-shell, which essentially surrounds or closely fits the bearing housing with which it interacts only within an angle range of approximately 180°. This is sufficient for moving the cutting rotor by rotating the eccentric bearing housing, while on the other hand, the cutting rotor can be removed from the half-shell or the half-bearing housing, thus simplifying maintenance.

[0027] In particular, the eccentric half-bearing housing can have a zero position in which the bearing housing opens upwards, so that the cutting rotor can be said to be located in the eccentric bearing housing and can be removed upwards.

[0028] During the operation of the cutting mechanism, the relative positions of the cutting rotor and the reverse cutter can be advantageously adjusted semi-automatically or fully automatically. For example, the machine operator can be shown on a display device such as a monitor that one or more feed steps are useful for optimally setting the cutting gap, allowing the operator to then initiate the corresponding feed under their control, for example, by activating an input device, such as a touchscreen button on a touchscreen display, on which prompts can also be displayed. For example, such semi-automatic control operation can be set for the start-up process so that a predetermined readjustment of the cutting gap can be initiated, for example, near the end of the start-up process or when a stable operating state is reached.

[0029] However, in an advantageous improvement of the invention, the cutting gap can also be set automatically without operator intervention. For this purpose, a sensor system for detecting at least one machine operation and / or particle parameter related to the cutting gap can be provided, along with a control device for controlling the adjusting actuator of the cutting gap adjusting device based on signals from the sensor system.

[0030] The sensor system can advantageously detect machine operation and / or particle parameters during machine operation or when the cutting mechanism is running, and continuously or periodically provide signals for currently characterizing the machine operation and / or particle parameters during machine operation, so that the control device can readjust the cutting gap based on the current sensor system signals.

[0031] Specifically, if the machine operation and / or particle parameters detected by the sensor cause the stepper motor to start, the control device can control the stepper motor.

[0032] As machine operating parameters or particle parameters, sensors can, in principle, monitor various variables and use them to set the cutting gap. For example, a sensor system can use one or more temperature sensors to sense one or more relevant machine or process temperatures, such as detecting the water temperature in the feed and / or return material of a wire pellet mill, and / or detecting the melt temperature of the supplied material and / or the particle temperature of the granules, so that the control device can readjust the cutting gap according to the temperature.

[0033] Alternatively or additionally, the sensing system may also include, for example, one or more vibration sensors to detect vibrations on granulator components (e.g., cutting mechanisms) in order to initiate regulation based on sensor signals that characterize the intensity of the vibration.

[0034] However, in particular, the sensor system can first detect the cutting gap itself in relation to the current gap size, and provide signals for indicating the gap size and / or characterizing changes in the gap size.

[0035] Specifically, in an improved example of the invention, the cutting gap between the cutting rotor and the reverse cutter can be measured during operation (i.e., when the cutting rotor is running and / or when cutting wire) as an operating parameter of the wire pelletizer, and a sensor system suitable for this purpose can be used. Advantageously, at least one sensor for determining the cutting gap during operation of the cutting mechanism is provided on the fixed reverse cutter. By means of at least one sensor operating during the cutting operation, changes in the cutting gap during operation can be detected or monitored, particularly dynamic changes in the cutting gap during the start-up process. Understanding the dynamic characteristics of the cutting gap allows the gap size to be set to an optimal value that ensures high-quality cutting on the one hand, and avoids the risk of the cutting rotor colliding with the reverse cutter on the other.

[0036] In an improved example of the invention, the at least one sensor is positioned close to or adjacent to the cutting edge of the reverse tool so as to detect changes in the cutting clearance as directly as possible.

[0037] In particular, the at least one sensor can be rigidly fastened to the reverse tool, such that the sensor follows or experiences changes in the distance between the reverse tool and the cutting rotor in the same manner as the reverse tool.

[0038] Specifically, the at least one sensor may be arranged to be at least partially embedded in the reverse cutter, and positioned behind or downstream of the cutting edge of the reverse cutter with respect to the rotation direction of the cutting rotor, and thus toward the rotor teeth passing over the reverse cutter. Preferably, the at least one sensor may be located directly below the cutting edge of the reverse cutter, wherein "below" means that the cutting edge itself protrudes slightly toward the cutting rotor above the sensor, for example, in an overhanging manner, and the passing rotor teeth first glide over the cutting edge itself and then over the sensor.

[0039] The sensor can be positioned on the reverse cutting tool, for example, such that when the rotation angle of the rotor teeth of the cutting rotor relative to the following cutting rotor positions is less than 20º, less than 10º, or less than 5º, the sensor is directly opposite the rotor teeth, in which the rotor tooth tips are exactly at the cutting edge of the reverse cutting tool.

[0040] Advantageously, the at least one sensor can be designed to detect the rotor tooth tip that the cutting rotor is passing by, and in particular, to detect the distance from the rotor tooth tip.

[0041] Advantageously, the at least one sensor is a non-contact distance sensor. In particular, the sensor may be designed in the form of an eddy current sensor.

[0042] This eddy current sensor can determine the distance to conductive rotor teeth, which can be made of, for example, steel or other conductive alloys. Advantageously, in this eddy current sensor, non-conductive media such as water or coolant, as well as materials such as thermoplastic wire, do not affect the measurement results.

[0043] In order to detect rotor tooth tips that typically pass very quickly with sufficient accuracy, the at least one sensor can operate at a relatively high sampling frequency. In an improved example of the invention, the sampling frequency can be greater than 2 kHz, greater than 5 kHz, greater than 10 kHz, or even greater than 20 kHz or greater than 50 kHz, or even greater than 100 kHz.

[0044] In an advantageous improvement of the invention, multiple sensors are distributed along the cutting gap so that the cutting gap can be measured in different parts of the cutting mechanism. Therefore, uneven dynamic changes in the cutting gap can also be accurately detected over the entire width; for example, the central portion may experience greater variations because the supply amount is greater at the left and right edges of the cutting mechanism than at the central portion. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0045] The present invention will now be described in more detail with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments and related figures. [Figure 1] shows a partially cut side perspective view of a wire pellet mill according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, in which the cutting mechanism of the wire pellet mill, including a cutting rotor and a reverse cutter, and a supply device including a pair of counter-rotating supply rollers located upstream of the cutting mechanism can be seen. [Figure 2] shows a partial cross-sectional view of the cutting mechanism and the upstream supply roller, which shows a distance sensor for detecting the cutting gap size located below the blade of the reverse cutter. [Figure 3] shows a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the sensor embedded in the reverse cutter in Figure 2, which shows the position of the sensor in the reverse cutter and relative to the tip of the rotor teeth of the cutting rotor. [Figure 4] shows a perspective view of a cutting rotor bearing with an eccentric bearing housing that can be adjusted by an adjusting actuator via a worm gear drive stage so that the cutting rotor can be moved toward or away from the reverse tool. Implementation

[0046] As shown in the figure, the wire pelletizing machine 1 includes a cutting mechanism 2, which has a rotatable cutting rotor 3. The cutting rotor 3 is equipped with a reverse blade 4, so that the cutting rotor 3 can cut or shear the wire material, such as thermoplastic wire material, that enters the cutting mechanism 2 at the reverse blade 4.

[0047] In a manner known per se, the cutting rotor 3 may have circumferential cutting protrusions or rotor teeth 5, which may be designed as strips and extend substantially along the entire length of the cutting rotor 3. Here, the cutting protrusions or rotor teeth 5 may be arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal roller axis of the cutting rotor 3, but may also extend at an angle relative to the longitudinal roller axis or extend slightly helically along the cylindrical envelope of the cutting rotor 3. Referring to Figures 2 and 3, in cross-section, the rotor teeth may taper gradually overall and / or be arranged at an angle relative to the radial direction, such that the tooth tips are slightly tilted forward with respect to the rotation direction 7 of the cutting rotor 3, so as to be able to "bite" into the wire.

[0048] The reverse cutter is arranged on the envelope of the cutting rotor 3 and can be designed as a strip or form a plate-shaped blade, with the rotor teeth 5 of the cutting rotor 3 passing beside the blade. In particular, the reverse cutter 4 can have a cutting edge 8 that extends along the envelope of the cutting rotor 3, specifically parallel to the axis of rotation of the cutting rotor 3, and referring to Figure 2, the cutting edge can be cut or "sharpened" at a slightly acute angle.

[0049] A cutting gap is defined between the cutting edge 8 of the reverse cutter 4 and the tooth tip 6 of the rotor tooth 5 of the cutting rotor 3. The size of this cutting gap can be in the range of a few percent of a millimeter.

[0050] To supply the wire (e.g., thermoplastic or food-grade wire) to the cutting mechanism 2 at a controlled speed and direction, a supply device 10 is connected upstream of the cutting mechanism 2. This supply device 10 includes two counter-rotating supply rollers 11 and 12 to transport the wire between them and to the cutting mechanism 2. As shown in Figure 2, a counter-rotating cutter 4 is located in the transport area of ​​the supply rollers 11 and 12 and is arranged between the supply rollers 11 and 12 and the cutting rotor 3.

[0051] As is known, referring to Figure 1, the wire material to be granulated from the continuous casting machine can reach the supply device 2 via a conveying device such as the conveyor trough 9.

[0052] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, in order to determine the gap size of the cutting gap between the cutting edge 8 of the reverse cutter 4 and the tooth tip 6 of the cutting rotor 3 even during operation of the cutting mechanism 2, the cutting mechanism 2 is equipped with a sensor system having at least one sensor 13 disposed on the fixed reverse cutter 4. Advantageously, multiple sensors 13 can be distributed along the length of the cutting gap so that the gap size can be determined in different parts of the cutting mechanism 2.

[0053] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the sensor 13 is advantageously mounted on the reverse cutter 4 and directly adjacent to the cutting edge 8, such that the sensor 13 follows the change in distance of the reverse cutter 4 from the cutting rotor 3. In particular, the at least one sensor 13 is located directly behind or downstream of the cutting edge 8 with respect to the rotation direction 7 of the cutting rotor 3, and is positioned at the portion of the reverse cutter 4 reached by each rotor tooth 5 after passing the cutting edge 8.

[0054] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, sensor 13 can be advantageously arranged to be at least partially embedded in the reverse cutter 4, wherein the reverse cutter 4 may have a hole (e.g., in the form of a blind hole) opening towards the cutting rotor 3, and the sensor can be arranged to be embedded in the hole. If the sensor is equipped with a data cable, a through hole or lateral hole can also be provided on the reverse cutter to lead out the data cable. However, the sensor may also have a wireless data transmission module, such as Bluetooth or a radio interface.

[0055] The sensor head of the sensor 13 can be oriented toward the passing rotor tooth 5, wherein, referring to Figures 2 and 3, the sensor head can be arranged to be exposed to or flush with the side of the reverse cutter facing the cutting rotor 3.

[0056] The sensor 13 is advantageously designed as a non-contact distance sensor, particularly in the form of an eddy current sensor, which can detect the distance between the sensor head and the tip 6 of the rotor tooth 5 that is passing by, and thus the distance between the reverse cutter 4 and the tip 6 of the rotor tooth 5 that is passing by. The sensor head of the sensor 13 generates an eddy current field pointing towards the rotor tooth 5, which is influenced by the ferromagnetic rotor tooth according to the distance between the ferromagnetic rotor tooth and the sensor head, so that the sensor 13 can provide a sensing signal for characterizing the distance.

[0057] Advantageously, sensor 13 operates at a sufficiently high sampling frequency, such as greater than 2 kHz, 5 kHz, or 10 kHz, in order to accurately detect very fast-moving tooth tips 6.

[0058] Advantageously, the gap size of the cutting gap measured online can be used to properly set the gap size by adjusting the position of the cutting rotor 3 and / or the reverse cutter 4. This can also be advantageously done during the operation of the cutting mechanism, but can also be done in a stopped state. In this case, the feed device with the adjusting actuator can be controlled by the control device according to the signal from the sensor 13 to move the cutting rotor 3 closer to or away from the reverse cutter 4, wherein the reverse cutter 4 can also be moved accordingly if necessary.

[0059] As shown in Figure 4, the cutting rotor 3 can be rotatably placed on the cutting mechanism or mounted on the machine frame at its opposite ends by means of two cutting rotor bearings 19, wherein Figure 4(a) shows only one rotor bearing 19 at one end of the cutting rotor 3.

[0060] As shown in Figure 4, the cutting rotor bearing 19 includes an eccentrically designed bearing housing 20, which is eccentrically designed relative to the rotor axis of the cutting rotor and can rotate about a rotation axis parallel to the rotor's rotation axis. This causes the cutting rotor 3 to translate toward or away from the reverse tool 4 due to the eccentric profile of the bearing housing 20. More precisely, each cutting rotor bearing 19, when rotating its eccentric bearing housing 20, causes "its" end of the cutting rotor 3 to move toward or away from the reverse tool 4.

[0061] Here, the eccentric bearing housing 20 can be rotatably mounted on the cutting mechanism frame or machine frame.

[0062] As further shown in Figure 4, the eccentric bearing housing 20 can be advantageously rotated by a worm gear drive stage 21, wherein such a worm gear drive stage 21 can be provided for each of the cutting rotor bearings 19.

[0063] Referring to Figures 4(b) and 4(c), the worm gear drive stage 21 may advantageously have external teeth on the rotatable bearing housing 20 that mesh with the worm drive shaft, such that rotation of the worm drive shaft causes a corresponding rotation of the bearing housing 20. Referring to Figure 4(b), the worm drive shaft may preferably extend parallel to the wall and / or the outer side of the cutting mechanism frame supporting the cutting mechanism 2, and / or extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the cutting rotor.

[0064] The worm gear drive stage 21 at the opposite end of the cutting rotor 3 can be driven by a stepper motor 22, which may rotatably drive the worm drive shaft via an intermediate gear stage.

[0065] The stepper motor 22 is controlled by a control device 17, which may be designed as an electronic control device, such as in the form of a control computer. The electronic control device may use a processor to process control programs or multiple control programs stored in memory in order to set the gap size of the cutting gap according to the relevant machine operation and / or particle parameters, or to readjust it during operation.

[0066] As shown in Figure 4(c), the control device 17 is connected to the sensor system 18, which may include the cutting gap sensor 13 and / or other sensors to move the cutting rotor 3 toward or away from the reverse tool 4 based on sensor signals that characterize the corresponding machine operating parameters and / or particle parameters.

[0067] none

Claims

1. A wire pelletizing machine for granulating wire into pellets, the wire being, for example, plastic wire, the wire pelletizing machine having a cutting mechanism (2) comprising a rotatably driven cutting rotor (3) and a reverse cutting tool (4) interacting with the cutting rotor, wherein, A cutting gap is formed between the cutting edge (8) of the reverse cutter (4) and the rotor tooth tip (6) of the cutting rotor (3). The feature is that a cutting gap adjustment device (14) with a cutting gap adjustment actuator (15) is provided, which is used to adjust the gap size of the cutting gap during the operation of the cutting mechanism.

2. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 1, wherein, The cutting gap adjustment device (14) has a sensor system (18) and a control device (17), the sensor system being used to detect at least one machine operation and / or particle parameter during the operation of the cutting mechanism (2), and the control device being used to control the cutting gap adjustment actuator (15) according to the machine operation and / or particle parameter detected by the sensor.

3. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 2, wherein, The control device (17) is designed to automatically drive the cutting gap adjustment actuator (15) during the operation of the cutting mechanism (2) without the intervention of the machine operator.

4. The wire pelletizing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The cutting gap adjustment device has a feeding device (16) for feeding the cutting rotor (3) toward and away from the reverse tool (4), wherein the reverse tool is fixedly mounted.

5. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 4, wherein, The feeding device (16) has at least one cutting rotor bearing (19) that rotatably supports the cutting rotor (3) and is designed to be adjustable transversely to the longitudinal axis of the cutting rotor, wherein at least two of the cutting rotor bearings (19) are disposed at opposite ends of the cutting rotor (3).

6. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 5, wherein, The at least one cutting rotor bearing (19) has an eccentrically designed bearing housing (20) that is capable of rotating about a rotation axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cutting rotor, and during rotation, the cutting rotor (3) moves toward or away from the reverse tool (4) due to the eccentricity of the bearing housing.

7. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 6, wherein, The eccentric bearing housing (20) is designed as a half-shell and is designed to open to one side, particularly the upward side, for removing the cutting rotor (3).

8. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 5, wherein, The cutting gap adjustment device (14) has a worm gear drive stage (21) for moving the cutting rotor (3) toward and away from the reverse tool (4), and in particular for moving the cutting rotor bearing (19) toward and away from the reverse tool (4).

9. The wire pelletizing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The cutting gap adjustment actuator (15) has an electric stepper motor (22).

10. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 9, wherein, The cutting gap adjustment actuator (15) has a plurality of stepper motors (22) configured to adjust the cutting gap at different portions of the cutting rotor (3).

11. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 10, wherein, Synchronization devices for synchronizing the adjustment of the cutting rotor (3) are provided on different cutting rotor sections, wherein the synchronization devices are advantageously configured electronically and / or provided with electronic synchronization control modules for synchronously controlling multiple stepper motors (22).

12. The wire pelletizing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, At least one sensor (13) is provided on the reverse cutter (4) for determining the gap size of the cutting gap during the operation of the cutting mechanism (2), wherein the at least one sensor (13) is specifically designed as a non-contact distance sensor.

13. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 12, wherein, The at least one sensor (13) is designed as an eddy current sensor.

14. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 12, wherein, The cutting gap adjustment device (14) has a sensor system (18) and a control device (17). The sensor system is used to detect at least one machine operation and / or particle parameter during the operation of the cutting mechanism (2). The control device is used to control the cutting gap adjustment actuator (15) according to the machine operation and / or particle parameter detected by the sensor. The control device (17) has a controller for driving the cutting gap adjustment actuator (15) according to the gap size of the cutting gap determined by the sensor (13) and adjusting the gap size to a target value.

15. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 13, wherein, The at least one sensor (13) is arranged on the reverse cutter (4) and adjacent to the cutting edge (8) of the reverse cutter (4).

16. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 13, wherein, The at least one sensor (13) is directed toward the passing rotor tooth tip (6) of the cutting rotor (3) and / or detects the distance of the passing rotor tooth tip (6) from the sensor head of the sensor (13) and / or from the reverse cutter (4).

17. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 13, wherein, The at least one sensor (13) is arranged to be at least partially embedded in the reverse cutter (4) and to be positioned behind the cutting edge (8) of the reverse cutter (4) and toward the cutting rotor (3) with respect to the rotation direction (7) of the cutting rotor (3).

18. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 13, wherein, The at least one sensor (13) is arranged on the side portion of the reverse cutter (4), and the rotor teeth (5) reach the side portion with a rotation angle of less than 20°, less than 10° or less than 5° relative to the cutting rotor position, in which the rotor tooth tip (6) of the rotor teeth (5) is exactly at the cutting edge (8) of the reverse cutter (4).

19. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 13, wherein, The at least one sensor (13) and / or the controller connected to the sensor (13) and processing the signal of the sensor have a sampling frequency greater than 2 kHz, greater than 5 kHz, greater than 10 kHz or greater than 30 kHz.

20. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 13, wherein, Multiple sensors (13) are distributed along the length of the cutting gap and mounted on the reverse cutter (4).

21. The wire pelletizing machine according to claim 20, wherein, The cutting gap adjustment device (14) is designed to move the cutting rotor (3) individually and possibly to different degrees in different cutting rotor sections based on sensor signals from multiple sensors (13).

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