Conical Refiner Cleaning Bodies for Plastic Flake Decontamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for recycling plastic waste, particularly plastic flakes, often fail to adequately clean the interior surfaces of flat plastic scraps, leading to incomplete removal of contaminants and mechanical stress that can cause wrinkling and interlocking, making it difficult to achieve high-quality sorting and recycling standards.
Innovation Solution
A device with conical or cylindrical cleaning bodies featuring inclined or curved cleaning ribs and transverse cleaning webs that rotate to create a cone or drum refiner configuration, reducing mechanical stress and allowing for thorough cleaning without compression or deformation, thus ensuring all surfaces are accessible for removal of contaminants.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional cleaning methods are used on flat plastic scraps, then the exterior surfaces are cleaned, but the interior surfaces remain dirty and wrinkling occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a drum-shaped cleaning body with circumferential cleaning ribs that create a curved, rotating cleaning surface. This cylindrical geometry allows the plastic scraps to be tumbled and rotated during cleaning, ensuring that both exterior and interior surfaces are exposed to and cleaned by the cleaning ribs, while the gentle rotational motion avoids wrinkling and deformation
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning body rotates dynamically during operation, creating a moving cleaning surface that continuously changes its position relative to the plastic scraps. This dynamic rotation ensures that all surfaces of the flat plastic scraps are periodically exposed to the cleaning ribs, achieving thorough cleaning without applying static compression forces that cause wrinkling
2Manufacturing precision
If mechanical compression is applied to clean plastic flakes, then cleaning effectiveness improves, but mechanical stress causes folding and tangling
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces harsh mechanical compression with a gentler mechanical action based on friction and abrasion. The cleaning ribs on the rotating drum create friction-based cleaning that effectively removes contaminants without applying the compressive forces that cause folding and tangling of plastic flakes
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple washing lines are operated to clean different fractions, then thorough cleaning is achieved, but device complexity and operational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The drum-shaped cleaning body with circumferential cleaning ribs performs a universal cleaning function that effectively handles all types of plastic scraps regardless of their initial condition or contamination level. This single multi-functional cleaning device replaces the need for multiple specialized washing lines, achieving thorough cleaning while reducing device complexity and operational cost
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device effectively cleans plastic snippets by minimizing mechanical stress, preventing folding and tangling, and achieving uniformity in plastic chips, which improves their bulk density, conveyability, and optical sorting capabilities, while eliminating the need for additional chemicals and comminution processes.
Implementation Method 1
The cleaning surfaces lying opposite one another and delimiting a cleaning gap between them... at least one flank of the cleaning ribs being inclined or curved... a plurality of cleaning webs running transversely
Implementation Method 2
The device effectively cleans plastic snippets by minimizing mechanical stress... achieving uniformity in plastic chips
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device (a cylindrical refiner or conical refiner) for removing impurities from shredded plastic, comprising at least one first cleaning body with an outer surface, which forms a first cleaning surface and which is conical and/or cylindrical at least in some sections, and at least one second cleaning body with an inner surface, which forms a second cleaning surface and which is conical and/or cylindrical at least in some sections. The second cleaning body is designed to receive the first cleaning body, said cleaning surfaces lying opposite one another and delimiting a cleaning gap between one another. The device further comprises a drive device, with which at least one of the cleaning bodies can be rotated about the cleaning body longitudinal axis, and a supply device, with which shredded plastic can be supplied into the cleaning gap. Each of the cleaning surfaces of the cleaning bodies has a plurality of cleaning ribs which extend over the cleaning surfaces, at least one flank of the cleaning ribs being inclined or curved, and multiple cleaning webs which run transversely to the direction of extension of the cleaning ribs are arranged between at least some adjacent cleaning ribs. The invention further relates to a corresponding method.