Plastrac Aims to Make Blending More Energy-Efficient with Brushless Motors

There are many paths to sustainability and a greener plastics industry. Energy efficiency is one of them. Among builders of auxiliary equipment, at the show this week you’re bound to see smaller footprint machines of various types to help you cut your energy expenses.

For Plastrac, its approach is going to brushless motors across its entire feeder/blender product line line, a move the machine builder says is 30% more energy efficient than conventional brush-type designs and far more maintenance friendly.

“Basically, everything's going to brushless for some time,” states Eric Bullivant, Plastrac vice president. “Power tools, such as cordless drills, and so much more, for example. We’ve taken that established trend and applied it to our product line. The energy savings are there. It’s 30% more energy efficient per feeder, and if you are running a multifeeder system the savings really add up quickly. And these motors are more maintenance-friendly because, obviously, there are no brushes to replaces. And the motor itself will last longer.”

Going with a brushless motor has also enabled Plastrac to add functionality to its control system. “User can now monitor temperature inside the feeder to alert them to any abnormal process conditions. They can now monitor the system-bearing load, so a user will know if there is any wear on the shear blade or if there is any drag on the disk. There is not that type of functionality with brush-type motors except at a very high cost.”

Plastrac switched its user interface along with the brushless motor. The new user interface is run with a single core to a control box. Consistent with the theme among machines in general at the show, the entire unit is more compact too. Says Bullivant, “With the brushless motor we were able to make everything smaller. The circuit board to run the motor now is probably 2 by 3 inches as opposed to 5 by 6 inches. The brushless motor is about 2/3 the size of the previous motor and that has made everything more compact. That is an important feature for a molder that has small presses.”

Sustainability is also achieved by minimizing waste. And one way to achieve that is to shorten the time between product changeovers. As Bullivant puts it, “Certainly quick color changes is one of the things that Plastrac has been known for since its inception.” All week long at this booth, Plastrac will be running two injection presses equipped with its patented ColorStream blending system.

ColorStream eliminates the need for operators to climb ladders, get on scissor lifts or stairs to clean and change out additive hoppers that are mounted high above the floor. ColorStream decouples dosing and feed from the main resin, moving blending to the plant floor, and streaming colors and other additives to the feed throat of injection molding machines and extruders to mix synchronously with virgin resin in real time.

Color changes and minimal maintenance occur on the plant floor. The cart can also be moved easily to ensure unhindered access to injection molding machines and extruders when maintenance is due. As for ColorStream’s own maintenance, the system’s clean low-pressure transport air ensures there is nothing to clog and very little to clean. ColorStream also dramatically lowers power costs and the need for extra equipment.

Since its launch in 2019, Plastrac has sold more than 100 ColorStream units.