On the right TRACS to a better working environment

Rapid’s TRACS (Transport, Recovery and Air Cleaning System) has significantly improved the working environment for production workers at injection moulder Plastal AB, Gothenburg, Sweden, by dramatically reducing granulation dust in the air. The newly installed TRACS system is connected directly to the Rapid granulators that recycle plastics waste from the moulding operations.

Plastal, located at Volvo’s Arendal automotive plant, manufactures front and rear plastic bumper parts for Volvo cars, including the luxury Volvo Cross Country. Parts that do not meet Plastal’s high production standards, or those produced during the starting up or winding down of the injection moulding machines, are recycled into granulate to be re-used in the production process.

Emil Arnesson, Plastal’s Production Manager, commented that: “Before the Rapid TRACS system was installed, the granulation process caused minute plastic particles to float in the air, causing irritation to the respiratory tract of persons sensitive to these conditions.”

The dust which the granulation of plastic parts generates can affect health, production and quality. Fine particles of less than 25ųm in diameter are caught by the mucous membranes of the nose, mouth and lungs, causing coughs or even allergic reactions. In addition dust particles increase wear and tear of machinery, with the associated maintenance costs and down time, and can degrade the quality of the end product.

“Following the integration of Rapid TRACS with the granulators at Plastal our production workers have clean air to breath and we have less dust problems in the production of parts. The Rapid TRACS air-cleaning unit is so effective that it not only eliminates tiny airborne plastic particles, but can even filter out cigarette smoke,” says Mr. Arnesson.

TRACS offers processors an unrivalled solution which matches 'clean room' levels of air quality and helps to meet the requirements of the ISO 14001 standards for environmental quality. TRACS is a modular, compact, closed system which is the ideal complement to Rapid's medium to large granulators. The system operates with a suction blower which is located after the separation unit. This prevents dust leakage, eliminates wear on the components, and minimises noise.

Rapid offers four standard TRACS models, with capacities ranging from 400 to 1,500 kg/h. Because of their modular construction and the number of available accessories, they can be customised to match any customer’s needs. The space occupied by the system varies between models, but all TRACS models have a small footprint making them easy to place and install.

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