When we started our compounding lines a decade
ago,” says Ken Bowles, “we were having conveying line
blowouts in less than a week. We were spending the equivalent of two operators’ salaries to keep up with repairs.We had to find a solution.”
Bowles is compounding equipment asset coordinator at Solvay Advanced Polymers, Augusta, Ga. Solvay produces high-performance polymers that are used in many demanding applications in the automotive, aerospace, industrial, food service, medical, and electronics industries. One of the company’s products,
AMODEL polyphthalamide, a semicrystalline polymer, presents particular problems because of its extremely
abrasive nature. Some AMODEL compounds contain a high percentage of glass. The polymer-glass combination
provides high strength, stiffness, impact resistance, and heat resistance. These qualities also make the glassfilled
3-millimeter plastic pellets hard on conveying lines and processing and handling equipment.