Keep the source attached to the scrap
Production scrap can arrive at a granulator from several processes and batches. Before combining those materials, keep the available records with each identifiable stream. Different batch numbers do not automatically mean different resins. Equally, matching colors do not prove that two loads have the same grade, formulation, or suitability for the intended reuse.
For each stream, record its source process, material name and grade where available, color and known additives, physical form, condition, and known foreign or mixed material. Add the intended next use and any acceptance requirements already agreed. Where information is missing, mark it as unknown rather than filling the gap from appearance. This helps the equipment supplier understand what is actually proposed.
Separate three material situations
The collection plan should distinguish three situations before a supplier defines the cutting task:
| Situation | What to retain or resolve |
|---|---|
| Confirmed same material; different batches | Keep batch and source references. Check whether the condition and intended use are also the same. |
| Known differences in material or formulation | Describe each stream separately. Resolve whether it needs a separate processing task and output requirement. |
| Identity or mixed content unknown | Keep that uncertainty attached to the stream; do not describe it as confirmed suitable feed. |
These distinctions do not establish a universal rule for whether materials can be processed or reused together. That decision depends on the actual process, product requirements, and evaluation. There is no single mixing or reuse percentage that can be applied to every production stream. Unknown scrap should therefore not be described to a supplier as if it were already confirmed suitable for the intended use.
Understand the boundary of granulation
Mechanical granulation cuts suitable scrap into smaller regrind. The cutting stage does not automatically identify and separate resins, wash the material, remove other components, or establish that a finished product will meet its requirements. Separate equipment may perform other functions in a complete line, but those functions need to be specified and assessed separately.
This matters when discussing a machine quotation. The supplier needs a description of the material streams and the proposed cutting task. Material acceptance and finished-product acceptance also need clear owners. Buying a granulator does not settle those decisions.
Describe changes between streams
Color, material, and contamination changes can affect how changeovers are organized. Explain how often streams will change, how the regrind will be collected, and what should happen to material produced during a changeover. State the intended boundaries for its handling and next use.
Specific cleaning, maintenance, isolation, and safety work must follow the relevant machine instructions and factory procedures. At the enquiry stage, the useful task is to make the changeover conditions visible so they can be discussed for the proposed configuration.
Example: carry the references through to collection
For example, collection container C-3 could carry source reference S-14, with both entered on processing batch record G-08. Record the changeover confirmation on G-08 under the applicable machine instructions and factory procedures. Link G-08 to regrind container R-2 and its output label, and keep those references with the output at handover. They connect the material to its processing history; they do not establish that streams may be mixed or that the regrind is suitable for reuse. Assess its next use against the acceptance requirements already agreed for that stream.
Give the supplier a representative picture
A single clean sample may not represent all the scrap that will reach the machine. Provide information that represents each identifiable stream, including maximum piece dimensions, shape, quantity per batch or shift, and the variation in that quantity. Describe the planned feeding and collection arrangements and where the regrind will go next.
RHONG's general-purpose granulator provides a starting point for discussing actual scrap and a proposed granulation configuration. For the wider machine decision, use the granulator comparison guide; for collection routes, compare beside-the-press and central granulation. When sending an enquiry, include the available stream records and clarify supply responsibilities separately from material and product acceptance.
Material and changeover references
The Amodel PPA processing guide discusses material identity, contamination and part qualification for that resin family. Use the instructions for your actual material rather than transferring its processing values. Rapid’s 400-series description illustrates why color and material changes create a cleaning task; access and procedures must be checked for the machine being proposed.