An extruder equipped with a pneumatic ram stuffer (force feeder) offers several important advantages when processing lightweight, bulky, low-bulk-density plastic materials during pelletizing.
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Key Advantages
1. Improved Feeding of Low-Bulk-Density Materials
Materials such as:
- Film scrap
- Stretch wrap
- LLDPE film
- Fluffy regrind
To avoid bridging in the feed throat or "float" above the screw feed opening. A ram stuffer continuously compresses and pushes material into the screw, preventing starvation.
Benefit: Higher and more consistent throughput.
2. Increased Extruder Output
Without a ram stuffer, the screw can only process as much material as gravity delivers.
In some cases, the material simply will not feed into the extruder.
A ram stuffer:
- Densifies the feedstock
- Eliminates air pockets
- Helps fill the flights on the extruder
3. Better Melt Quality
Inconsistent feeding causes:
- Surging
- Pressure fluctuations
- Temperature swings
The ram stuffer delivers a steady feed rate.
Benefit:
- More uniform melt
- Better pellet consistency
- Reduced gels and unmelted particles
6. Ability to Process Difficult Recycled Feedstocks
Ram stuffers are particularly valuable for:
- Post-industrial film
- Post-consumer film
- Agricultural film
- Fiber waste
- Lightweight regrind
Materials that are difficult or impossible to run on a standard feed throat can often be pelletized successfully.
Benefit: Greater feedstock flexibility and higher-value recycling opportunities.
Typical Applications
A ram-stuffer-fed extruder is commonly used in:
- Film washing and pelletizing lines
- PE and PP film recycling
- Fiber and textile recycling
- Foam densification and pelletizing
- Paper/plastic composite recycling
- Agricultural film recovery systems
A ram stuffer acts like a pneumatic force feeder, compressing and continuously pushing bulky, lightweight plastic into the extruder screw. This allows the extruder to maintain a fuller feed, increase throughput, improve pellet quality, and efficiently process materials such as film, raffia, fibers, and other low-density recyclables that are difficult to feed by gravity alone.
A ram stuffer transforms hard-to-feed film and bulky scrap into a dense, consistent feed stream, allowing higher throughput, better pellet quality, and more efficient recycling of low-bulk-density plastics.
Arlington Machinery currently has a few used ram stuffing extruders in stock along with pelletizing downstream link you will need to build a pelletizing line.