A client that extrudes plastic sheets that they trim and cut to meet customer requirements recently reached out to us. To eliminate waste, the material that is trimmed off is recycled and re-used in the manufacturing process.
The Problem
They reached out to our team at GELOCK when their plastics grinder experienced a hot ball. When a plastic shredder breaks, instead of shredding plastic it will smear it—causing that plastic to melt.
It then builds up, with nowhere to go, turning the plastic flakes into a molten mass of plastic and encapsulating the rotating blade.
GELOCK's Solution
GELOCK rigged the machine out of the pit it's housed in. We brought it back to our shop to disassemble it. This was a huge feat, considering plastic was stuck everywhere!
We used hydraulic jacks to push pieces apart and chip and cut the plastic out of the way.
From there, we sourced replacement components, reassembled the machine and set the blade clearances before delivering it back to the client and rigging it into their location once more.
The Bigger Picture
All of this work is something the client's knowledgeable and capable team could do. But GELOCK's full-service team is able to supplement customers on a project-based case, allowing them to focus on more time-sensitive internal projects.