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Granulator Knowledge Base
Practical guides on industrial granulators, granulator knives, equipment selection, and ZERMA America and Virtus Equipment machine applications — written by our parts specialists in Fort Myers, FL.
Equipment Selection
When Your Plastic Scrap Needs a Granulator, Not a Shredder
Not every piece of plastic scrap belongs in a granulator. A granulator produces a uniform, controlled regrind particle — ideal for direct reuse in injection molding, extrusion, or blow molding. A shredder reduces bulk volume but does not control particle size. Understanding the difference helps you choose the right machine for your material, your throughput, and your downstream process. This article covers the key decision points: material type, desired output size, feed form, and whether a combination shredder-granulator makes sense for your application.
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Industrial Plastic Granulator: Not the Office Kind
Industrial plastic granulators are a different category entirely from the document shredder under your desk. A central granulator, beside-the-press granulator, or heavy duty granulator uses a high-speed rotor fitted with precision-ground rotor knives and stator bed knives to reduce plastic parts, runners, sprues, and scrap into consistent regrind. This article breaks down how granulators work, the main machine types — low speed granulators, central granulators, heavy duty granulators, pipe and profile granulators, and beside-the-press models — and what each is built for.
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A 18 vs A 30: Which Beside the Press Granulator Fits?
The A-18 and A-30 are two of the most common beside-the-press granulator models from Virtus Equipment and ZERMA America. Choosing between them comes down to part size, runner weight, cycle time, and available floor space. This article compares both models across cutting chamber dimensions, rotor knife configuration, throughput capacity, and noise levels to help you spec the right machine for your injection molding cell.
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