Micro-pelletizing can be carried out in a pin mixer, or in a pin mixer/disc pelletizer (pan granulator) combination. Pin mixers alone often provide efficient results when full-scale pelletizing is not necessary, or when only smaller pellets or conditioning is needed.
To begin, the pin mixer accepts the fed material and binder at a continuous rate. The intense spinning action of the mixer causes the material and binder to mix, and agglomerate in the form of micro-pellets, as the material moves along the length of the mixer.
While the pin mixer is often used as a stand-alone agglomeration device to produce micro-pellets, the material can also then be fed to a disc pelletizer to further grow and/or round the pellets after processing in the pin mixer.
If a disc pelletizer is not used, the micro-pellets are typically transported to a rotary dryer to reduce the moisture content of the pellets. Here, the micro-pellets tumble through the rotating drum, while flights pick them up and drop them through a stream of combustion gas to maximize drying efficiency.
When the micro-pellets are dried to their desired moisture range, they are conveyed to screening, storage, or baggage. A rotary cooler may also be employed prior to storage or baggage.
Micro-pelletizing is an effective way to transform powdered materials into a more easily handled, transported, and applied product. FEECO offers micro-pelletizing test work in our renowned Innovation Center, in addition to custom pin mixers, disc pelletizers, and rotary dryers mentioned above. To learn more, contact us today!