Hellweg defies odds, sees major sales increase

This year has been tough for a lot of plastic recyclers. Recycled resin prices have been under severe downward pressure for months because of persistent weak demand, competition from the falling cost of virgin plastics and cheaper imports from Asia.

On the show floor at Fakuma, there are some reports of double-digit percentage drops in sales for recycling machinery. But there are also surprisingly positive reports, with some companies saying they have not seen a drop in sales or have, even, experienced increased sales.

Chief among them is perhaps Hellweg Maschinenbau, whose managing director, Mark Hellweg, gleefully said the company will have increased its output by 30 to 50 percent by the end of 2023 after already boosting sales by 50 percent in 2022.

"The first day at Fakuma was really good," Hellweg said. "We had conversations throughout the entire day. For me, it was a very good day, like a very good Fakuma. So, I don't see any negative impact right now. I don't see it, and I don't feel it. People were a little bit nervous during the last month. I have also seen that in our customers. But yesterday I had no chance to feel it here. Optimism what all I was met with yesterday."

At the core of Hellweg's success is the new MDSGi 1500/600 wet grinder, which it is unveiling and starting to sell at Fakuma. The machine has been under development for the past three years after Repetco contacted Hellweg and was "absolutely impressed" with the results of the grinding tests, Hellweg said.

The Spain-based new entrant to the recycling of PET/polyethylene multilayer packaging ordered four prototypes that have been in operation 24/7 since the beginning of the year. Even though Hellweg only just started commercialization at Fakuma, it already received six orders for the rest of the year, and another eight are booked for 2024.

The new wet grinder uses low-power motors rated from 45 kW to 110 kW, which enable previously unattained low power consumption of just 70 kWh to 90 kWh, a huge advantage during the current high electricity price market. Forced feed of PET, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, PVC, polycarbonate, polylactic acid or PE films using a tamping screw ensures long-term, trouble-free operation even with contaminated input materials, achieving a throughput of up to 5 tonnes of film per hour.

The MDSG 1500/600 W model is the first to be commercially available, with MDSG 600/600 W and MDSG 600/300 W versions to follow. The first number in the model's name denotes the working width of 600 mm or 1500 mm, while the second number refers to the diameter of the rotors, 300 mm or 600 mm.

Depending on the model, the grinders are fitted with five or seven rotary blades plus two or three static blades. These blades use Hellweg's double scissor-cut technology, in use in its machines for the past 25 years. These are key to the success of the new grinder, setting a benchmark in terms of cut quality and dust-free operation. They ensure a constant cutting gap and require no adjustment of the rotary blades.

"What sets us apart is the quality of our flake," said Hellweg. "Often the problem is that the machine isn't really cutting the regrind; it is more or less breaking it. Then you get a torsion in the flake, or you get too many fines, so it's not really homogeneous and it requires further steps afterward. The next steps with our machines are mostly washing and delaminating, for example. The difference is that we use a very sharp cutter, a double scissor cut," Hellweg explained.

As a result, the shredding process consistently produces optimum-quality flakes with a perfect particle size distribution and geometry, according to the company. The flakes' sharp-edged and, above all, flat shape without twists or folds make them ideal for further processing, including transport, washing and, if necessary, delamination.

Cutting with water also contributes to better results and extends blade life. After a few hours of dry cutting, the blades in a typical cutting chamber get hot enough to melt plastic and contaminants together, which makes subsequent cleaning much more difficult. Processing with water keeps the cutting chamber cooler, and the friction in the cutting chamber combines with the water to double as an intense washing process.

"Normally you have to change the blades after one or two days of grinding. But with our technique, blades last a minimum of five days," he said. "When you put all these values together [low power consumption, high throughput, higher-quality flake, higher blade life], the machine has a high value for the customer."

Another value point is the flexibility of the new machine. If the operator so wishes, they can reduce the speed of the rotor, thereby reducing throughput but achieving higher-quality results while further extending the life of the blades.

"This is quite new in the market," Hellweg said. "The capacity of the granulator is so high that you can also bring down the RPM of the machine [the speed of rotation of a machine expressed in revolutions per minute], to lower the throughput but get even better results. So you can play with the machine: You can push it or you can lower it, according to your needs, and so you are very free to play with your cycles in the recycling plant," he said.

Hellweg Maschinenbau

Hall A1, Booth 1005