A step up in pelletising

Soredi S.p.a. is a manufacturer of thermoplastic compounds that was founded by the Ghidini family in 1983 and based in the northern Italian town of Cologne. In three decades, Soredi has transformed itself from a small, family-run operation to a global dynamo that produced more than 16,000 tonnes of thermoplastics compounds in 2012.

“We have a strong presence in several markets, including electrical, automotive, lighting, household items and furniture,” said Giorgio Ghidini, General Manager of Soredi S.p.a. Currently, 65% of its products are used in the domestic Italian market with 35% exported. The company is now expanding its external market. To make this goal a reality, as well as helping to satisfy growing production demands, Soredi has expanded its production facility and completely automated all of its production cycles.

In its operations, Soredi works with a number of polymer-based feedstocks that are used to create specific thermoplastic-compound end-products, such as polypropylene (PP), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), SAN, HIPS PC and PC/ABS blends, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), PA 6 and 66, polyoxymethylene (POM). In all, Soredi produces 15 different thermoplastics products at its manufacturing facility.

One of the more popular products that Soredi makes is polypropylene Niplene, of which it produces 23 different varieties. Polypropylene Niplene is a thermoplastic that contains resins that are used as fillers or reinforcing agents. The injection of these resins, or polymers, which are usually glass fibres, talc or calcium carbonate, or mixed fillings between glass fibre and different mineral  fillers iproduces a techno-polymer that offers greater stiffness, hardness and dimensional stability under heat to the user for several application in automotive, appliances, design furniture and electrical parts. Specifically, Soredi produces various grades of Niplene to suit different applications.

In order for the polypropylene Niplene to provide the optimum stiffness or hardness levels to the thermoplastic, the granules or pellets, the injection of which are an essential intermediate stage in the thermoplastics production chain, need to be the perfect size and shape, or else the final product may be compromised. To produce the polypropylene Niplene granules, Soredi employs pelletising systems that take difficult-to-handle melts and powders, which are the foundation of compounds like polypropylene Niplene, and turn them into the granular resins that are needed to produce the final end-product. Soredi has traditionally used dry-cut pelletising systems for the crucial granule-making process. It was not until the last few years, however, that Soredi discovered a more effective technology for this process: an underwater pelletising system.

In particular, Soredi began deploying the SPHERO?100 model of Underwater Pelletising System from Automatik Plastics Machinery, a subsidiary of Maag, Oberglatt, Switzerland. The SPHERO 100 has been designed for use in compounding, recycling and masterbatch applications and features a unique knife-head design and optimised waterflow conditions within the cutting chamber that combine to ensure the production of perfectly spherical pellets that are ideally suited for further processing. The system is also capable of producing high flow rates of up to8,600 Kg/ hr (19,000 lbs./hr) whilst the unit itself takes up minimal floor space. In conjunction to the SPHERO 100 Underwater Pelletising System, Soredi employs a DURO 2000 Belt Dryer from Automatik. The DURO 2000 gently and efficiently dries abrasive orbrittle pellets, glassfiberreinforced materials and other compounds with high chalk compositions, resulting in pellets that contain an extremely low level of residual moisture. This makes the DURO 2000 ideally suited for glass fibre-filled polymers,resulting in drastically reduced cost when compared to the operation of a centrifugal-style dryer.