To ensure that this disposal can be integrated into the process, run continuously and without disrupting production, plant manufacturer Getecha has developed a complete system solution comprising a suction unit, collecting hopper, granulator and piping. It is currently being implemented in quadruplicate for a large packaging manufacturer in the Netherlands.

For the reprocessing of espresso capsules from thermoforming, Getecha implemented a system solution comprising a suction unit, collecting hopper, granulator and piping. © Getecha

Efficient and easy to maintain
The technical heart of these coffee capsule processing lines from Getecha are the grinders from the Aschaffenburg-based company's RS 2400 series of rotary cutters. Depending on the performance of the thermoformer and the number of capsules produced - 50 or 70 cups per cycle - this can be an RS 2404 with a standard rotor speed of up to 390 revolutions per minute or an RS 2406 with a customized rotor speed of up to 500 revolutions per minute.

Basically, these are shear cut hopper mills for hourly throughputs of up to 220 kg/h, which are often also used as central mills. They have a segment rotor with optimum cutting force distribution, a maintenance-friendly housing design (tool-free sieve removal, gas pressure spring opening of the hopper) and offer many customization options (rotor variants, wear protection). Getecha also offers the option of equipping the motor control of the grinders with its innovative Energysave function. This allows the energy consumption of the three-phase drives to be significantly reduced without restricting performance.

At the Dutch coffee capsule manufacturer, the rotary cutter grinders are located on elevated platforms above the thermoforming systems. This is also where the GA 500-S extraction systems from Getecha with their suction blowers, cyclones and rotary valves are located. The regrind is sucked in via a pipe around ten meters long, which leads from the thermoformer up to the second level to the feed hopper of the granulator.

Even with fluctuating volumes or production peaks, the coffee capsule shredding line ensures consistent and complete collection of the faulty parts at the thermoforming system. © Getecha

A cyclone is installed upstream of the hopper, which separates the faulty parts from the conveying air and feeds them to the grinding chamber of the mill via the rotary valve. The faulty parts from the thermoforming process are collected a few seconds after the faulty parts have fallen out of the die onto a conveyor belt and are fed into a collecting hopper. This collecting hopper - also a component of the Getecha system solution - is designed at the customer's request in such a way that it allows easy access to the faulty parts via a flap. This allows the quality control department to inspect the process at any time.

Relaxedcontinuity
Even with fluctuating volumes or production peaks, the coffee capsule shredding line from Getecha guarantees a uniform and complete collection of defective parts directly at the thermoforming system. The load-dependent control system and the automatic fill level signal of the granulator, as well as the option of material buffering in the granulator hopper, ensure relaxed continuity in the flow of ground material.

A cyclone is installed upstream of the hopper of the Rotoschneider granulator, which separates the faulty parts from the thermoforming process from the air flow and feeds them to the grinding chamber via a rotary valve. © Getecha

A bypass pipe to the blower of the thermoformer can also be used to regulate the amount of air for extracting the ground material from the mill for further processing. Starting up the thermoforming system is also a relaxed affair: where previously a hectic back and forth with containers tied up the manpower of three or even four people, one press of the start button is now enough to set the automated extraction and shredding machinery in motion. And as a contribution to improved ergonomics at the workplace, both the granulator and the extraction system have been fitted with additional sound insulation. as