An automatic, self-cleaning melt filter from Italian company Fimic uses a unique valve system to collect and discharge contaminants during plastics recycling.
“Differently from other filters, which discharge continuously through an auger, the Fimic valve discharging system enables the equipment to manage higher levels of contamination and to discharge only when needed,” according to a company write-up. “In fact, with this system, the discharge takes place only when the valve opens and this happens only when the scraping cycle is concluded.”
The equipment uses two blades to scrape contamination from the screen. A blade holder collects the contaminants, which are then discharged via a frontal valve. An operator can program the cleaning cycle to start when the flow reaches a certain pressure. For higher levels of contamination, it can be set to a mode in which it continuously cleans the screen’s surface, with the contaminants discharging according to a pre-set timer.
The screen-changer can also be operated in backflush mode.
Available with screen diameters ranging from 12.8 inches to 27.6 inches, the filter can handle various types of contamination in a melt stream: paper, wood, metal, sand, glass, rubber and non-targeted polymers. Screens are available ranging from 100 micrometers to 300 micrometers.
The filters can be changed in as little as 30 minutes.
