It uses frictional heat to shrink and densify low-density soft plastics such as film, bags and netting, turning them into granules (agglomerate) that feed steadily into the extruder.
When thin, lightweight film/bag materials are fed directly into the extruder, air pockets and irregular flow cause losses in efficiency. The agglomerator rotates these materials at high speed inside a chamber, softening them with the frictional heat that builds up, and then suddenly shrinks them by shocking them with water. The result is a denser, granular material that flows steadily into the extruder.
Blades rotating inside the chamber keep the material in constant motion; the mechanical friction softens the material without bringing it close to its melting point. Water introduced at the right moment shock-cools the material and turns it into small granules. The granulated material is then transferred to the next stage by a screw conveyor. Agglomerate noticeably improves feeding stability before extrusion, especially in film and LDPE recycling lines.
