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Plastic Chiller-The Ultimate FAQ Guide By TopChiller

What is Plastic Chiller?

Plastic Chiller is used in the plastic industries for many crucial manufacturing processes.

It mostly comes in Air-Cooled and Water-Cooled types . A Plastic Chiller is used in plastic product manufacturing machines to cool down the shaped plastic product quickly.

In the plastic industry, the success of the process and quality of the product depends upon the performance of a Plastic Chiller.

Plastic chiller designed by TopChiller

What are the Major Components of a Plastic Chiller?

Different types of models and design may contain some additional parts depending upon the applications for which it is made. Four major components are listed below:

1. The Condenser:

It performs the most major task, which is the elimination of heat from the Plastic Chiller to maintain the temperature.

2. Evaporator Unit:

It collects excessive heat by using the evaporation mechanism.

3. The Control Unit:

This being the heart of the Plastic Chiller controls all the functions of other components. The parameters of the process are programmed through the Control Unit.

4. The Compressor:

The compressor regulates the flow rate of the refrigerant. It also controls and maintains the pressure of the refrigerant by which it flows in the pump.

Plastic chiller compressor

What are the Characteristics of an Ideal Plastic Chiller?

The following features and specifications make it an ideal chiller for your applications.

1. The cooling load mates with your requirements above it.
2. It should have the potential to increase its capacity in case of faster production.
3. It has a precise control unit, that there would be no any kind of waste or discarded products.
4. The manufacturer firm should be certified for its quality from local and national agencies.
5. The product should be approved by Occupation Health and Safety organizations.
6. Plastic Chiller should come with a minimum of 2 years of warranty so that in case of failure you can claim it from the manufacturer.

What are the Outstanding Advantages of a Plastic Chiller for your Applications?

The below set of outstanding advantages makes it a highly preferred Plastic Chiller in the plastic industry.

1. Reduces Waste Products:

It provides the smoothest and consistent flow of refrigerant that makes the process non-stop and highly efficient. This results in a very minimum amount of waste or discarded products.

2. Minor Maintenances:

A Plastic Chiller requires a very less amount of repairs and maintenances, after a long time. In this way, you don’t face any kind of problem or break in your production.

3. The Most Advanced Components:

The components are made with the most advanced state-of-Art technology. Each part is made of high-grade materials like; Stainless Steel, Copper, etc.

How does a Plastic Chiller Work?

The working principle of a Plastic Chiller is heat extraction by using the evaporation mechanism. A complete cycle of work is composed of the following four stages.

Stage 1: At this stage, the parameters and settings are made through the Control Unit, and Plastic Chiller is started.

Stage 2: The refrigerant undergoes temperature changes and after reaching the set-point of temperature is starts circulation in the system.

Stage 3: After reaching the system, it performs the chilling and maintains the temperature control for a specific period.

Stage 4: After one complete cycle of heat extraction it is pumped back to the tank for another cycle.

Plastic chiller refrigeration cycle

What is the Importance of Plastic Chiller for Plastic Manufacturing Machines?

A plastic product cannot be made manufactured without using a suitable Plastic Chiller in the process. The plastic machines manufacture the product by shaping a molten polymer material by using a mold.

This shaping process is completed by rapid cooling of the product at the end that covers this semi-liquid product into a finished solid one.

The Plastic Chiller performs this job and completes the process of plastic machine. It is not only necessary for the product but also for the machine itself.

It keeps the machines at normal temperature and saves from the effect of high temperature. This keeps the machines healthy and maintained.

What are the Applications of a Plastic Chiller?

The plastic industry cannot perform with it. It has applications in all the processes of plastic manufacturing like molding, extrusion, sheet making, injection molding, etc.

These are some of the most major applications of a Plastic Chiller.

• Plastic Industries.
• Injection Molding.
• Polymerization Process.
• Metal Industries.
• Extrusion Processes.
• Vacuum-Forming Process for Plastic Products.
• Rotational Molding.

Plastic chiller is widely used in plastic industries

What are the Different Types of the Plastic Chiller?

1. Water-Cooled Plastic Chiller:

This type uses water as the refrigerant for temperature control. Water is stored in an external tank or built-in refrigerant tank.

2. Air-Cooled Plastic Chiller:

In these air is used as the refrigerant. This air is atmospheric air that is trapped and cooled to a certain degree to eliminate the heat from the system.

3. Vapor Compressor Plastic Chiller:

This refrigerant is used to chill another fluid that is used to control the temperature. All this process is done by the compressor.

4. Centrifugal Plastic Chiller:

This type is used for a large amount of chilling. This heavy-duty chiller works the same as Air or Water-cooled. It contains both, either water or air as the refrigerant.

Water cooled plastic chiller

How to Control your Plastic Chiller?

Controlling it is not merely operating it for the process. A total control includes all the necessary factors given below to be considered in detail.

1. Keep your Plastic Chiller healthy and maintained on daily basis. Inspect the parts, daily records, and good care are part of the control.
2. Train your personals before allowing them to work on it. An unskilled person can cause any kind of mistake and jeopardize the whole production cycle.
3. All the parameters programmed should be well-versed and correct. It makes the control of Plastic Chiller better.

What is the Importance of Plastic Chiller in Polymerization Process?

Polymerization is the most basic process of forming plastic. In this monomers are chemically treated and added with each other to make a polymer that is plastic.

This plastic is then melted and shaped into the products. The polymerization process is partially dependent upon condensation. This condensation is achieved by the Plastic Chiller.

It not only performs condensation but also carries out this process efficiently and a successful polymer is achieved.

What do Functions Plastic Chiller Play in the Extrusion Process of the Plastic Industry?

Extrusion is a type of plastic product manufacturing method in which semi-liquid raw plastic is passed through a mold. This process is done with force.

During the whole extrusion process the temperature control of the plastic and mold both are important. A Plastic Chiller controls the temperature of semi-liquid plastic as well as mold.

The plastic is required to cool down as soon as it passes through the mold, and that is facilitated by it. In extrusion, a mostly portable type of Plastic Chiller is used.

Extrusion process of the plastic industry

What Type of Coolant is Used in a Plastic Chiller?

Only two types of coolants are used in it. the water in the Water-Cooled type and air in the Air-Cooled type.

The mechanism of action may be changed with a different type of Plastic Chiller but the coolants remain the same.

Water is preferred in injection molding, extrusion, etc. Air is preferred in blow molding and thermoforming processes.

What does Functions Plastic Chiller play in the Injection Molding Process?

The importance and function of it in the injection molding process can be estimated from the fact that 85-95% of the production time is occupied by the chilling that is done by the Plastic Chiller.

It helps in not only temperature control but also keeps the machine cooled. In injection molding, the shape, design, and dimensions of the product are very necessary.

These elements cannot be finished perfectly without using them. For this purpose, Water-Cooled Plastic Chiller is preferred over other types.

What Type of Factors should be Considered while Selecting a Plastic Chiller for your Injection Molding Machine?

1. For injection molding, the portable type is more efficient and easy. Select the one with the most advanced features as a portable Plastic Chiller.
2. The second factor is the cooling load. Calculate it before selecting any kind of Plastic Chiller.
3. The selection of coolant is very important for injection molding. For injection, molding waterworks more efficiently than air. But, for the small-scale machine, Air-Cooled Plastic Chiller can be used efficiently.

What is Portable Plastic Chiller and Why it is Preferred in Vacuum-Forming Process of Plastic Industry?

A Portable Plastic Chiller is a type of small-scale chiller that is used for specific applications in plastic applications. It is lightweight and highly efficient with a capacity of tons.

The flat and sheet type of products are made by the Vacuum-forming process. In this process, the molten sheet of plastic helps over a stainless steel mold and a vacuum is applied.

This vacuum forces the sheet to acquire the shape of the mold. In this, all process cooling and temperature control is random and required at many stages.

Almost every vacuum-forming process prefers the applications of a portable Plastic Chiller for their process. It’s not only used for temperature but also used several other useful functions in the vacuum-forming process.

For chilling of mold, for instant chilling of the sheet after shaping, and more. For this purpose, a Portable Plastic Chiller is highly suitable than a stationary one.

Portable plastic chiller

How to Select a Suitable Plastic Chiller for your Industry?

Every chiller should be selected based on Durability, Efficiency, and Quality. Following are some additional technical specifications that should be kept in mind while selecting a Plastic Chiller for your industry.

1. You should select the Plastic Chiller based on the production rate of load that is needed for your industry. It is usually calculated in terms of pound per hour a material needed to be produced.
2. Consider cooling capacity and the temperature range it can handle.
3. Refrigerant flow rate and speed it has.
4. The refrigerant tank capacity.

How a Plastic Chiller Plays Important Role in the Rotational Molding Process of Plastic?

Rotational molding uses centrifugal force to shape the plastic product. A liquid plastic is filled in a chamber and spanned at high rpm.

The centrifugal force makes molten plastic to fill the mold made on the chamber wall. As this complex process requires accurate temperature control, a Plastic Chiller is used in it.

It provides constant temperature control before the molding process and during the process. it keeps the chamber cool during the process and instantly cooled products after the process is completed.

A rotational molding process cannot reach its completion without the proper use of a Plastic Chiller.

What is the Cost of a Plastic Chiller?

The total cost varies with different ranges of capacities, cooling load, design, and coolant type.

A Water-Cooled Plastic Chiller with a capacity of around 20000 Kcal/hour costs in the range of 23000 USD to 25000 USD.

On the other hand, a small-scale 2.2KW Plastic Chiller can be as cheaper as 800 USD. The average range of Plastic Chiller costs is from 800 USD to 30000 USD depending upon its specifications.

How to Install your Plastic Chiller?

The installation guidelines for it are almost the same as for every other type of chiller. Some of the guidelines additional for a Plastic Chiller are given below.

1. Prepare the ground and make it vibration-free before installation. Choose the area and prepare it for the installations.
2. The installation area should contain a low amount of moisture and dust.
3. Installation should be done with the help of a technician or expert.
4. Always perform a test run on a newly bought Plastic Chiller before actually applying it to the production cycle.

Plastic chiller installation

What are the Operational Mistakes that should be Avoided while Operating your Plastic Chiller?

1. The most common operational mistake is operating it beyond the chilling capacity. It may work for some time, but ultimately it will cause the whole Plastic Chiller to fail down.
2. Using contaminated water is a major operational mistake that causes undetectable internal faults in it and over time these cause total failure of pipe, tank, and other parts.
3. Improper setting of parameters like flow rate, speed, pump pressure, and temperature.
4. Last not least, the unsuitable surrounding for your Plastic Chiller. It affects the chilling efficiency and may result in defective products.

What are the Safety Precautions for your Plastic Chiller?

As it is always used alongside the machine-like injection molding, extrusion, etc the safety concerns for the Plastic Chiller are mainly of thermal precautions and some.

The major guidelines about safety concerns are given below.

1. Proper PPEs for fire and heat hazards must be worn.
2. Proper care should be taken for electric hazards.
3. Too cold refrigerant or surfaces can cause serious hurting. Be aware of cold metal surfaces.
4. Loose clothes, sleeves, etc. should be avoided nearby a Plastic Chiller.

Wear PPE before operating your plastic chiller

How to Train your Personals for Proper Operating of Plastic Chiller?

Following tips can help you in the training of your personals.

1. Every person should be directed to read and understand the user manual of the manufacturer.
2. Hiring a consultancy for the training is a suitable option. It may be costly but will benefit your industry in the future.
3. They should be trained about every part of the Plastic Chiller.
4. Proper training should be given for safety precautions.
5. Junior workers should be made to learn and get trained from well-experienced workers.

Proper training about plastic chiller should be given for safety precautions

Why Plastic Chiller is Suitable for Blow Molding Processes?

In all the process, the application of a Plastic Chiller in blow molding are very unique and necessary at the same time. The quickest chilling of the finished product is performed by it in this process.

In the blow molding, the warm air is forced into the hollow molten plastic pallets to get them into the shapes.

This process requires a temperature controller in the quickest way. In the end, the finished product should be cooled down to make it solid in some seconds.

This complex and quick job is achieved by the Plastic Chiller.

What Type of Water is Used for a Plastic Chiller and Why?

The water used in it must be evaluated considering below given factors.

1. The water should be free of any kind of contamination. Chemical contaminations can cause serious damage to the parts of Plastic Chillers and plastic machines.
2. The water should not contain TDS or TSS. These will accumulate in the tank and other parts over time and cause the failure of the Plastic Chiller.
3. It should be free from any kind of biological contamination.

How to Solve the Problem of Insufficient Flow Rate of Refrigerant in a Plastic Chiller?

Improper flow rate can be because of:

1. Any kind of leakage in the pipe, tank, compressor, or another part of the Plastic Chiller.
2. Use of contaminated water.
3. Improper settings.
4. Overloading of the Plastic Chiller.

Solutions: The flow rate should be programmed precisely. In case of a low flow rate check the parts of any kind of leakage and get it repaired.

Change the water to the clean one or refill the tank up to the standard level.

What is Screw-Type Water Cooled Plastic Chiller?

It is a kind of Water-Cooled that contains a screw-type compressor. In it, the moving screw-type parts perform the pressure change process that extracts the excessive heat from the system.

A Screw-Type Water Cooled Plastic Chiller comes with the following features.

1. It does not need additional parts like pistons, rods, gear, etc.
2. It has less friction that makes the pressure smooth and constant.
3. Small in size, and can be used in portable Plastic Chiller.
4. It comes with a high degree of efficiency and accuracy.

Screw type water cooled plastic chiller

What is Screw-Type Air-Cooled Plastic Chiller?

The Screw Type Air-Cooled is the one that uses a screw-type compressor for chilling.

The major difference between a Screw-Type Air Cooled and Screw-Type Water-Cooled Plastic Chiller is the difference in the refrigerant.

This type is mostly used in the blow molding, thermoforming, vacuum-forming process of plastic manufacturing.

At What Stage of Plastic Production a Plastic Chiller is Used?

Its usage in production may vary with a different type of process. generally, it is used in the last stage of the production.

At this stage when the semi-liquid hot plastic is shaped in the mold, a Plastic Chiller is used to rapidly cool down the mold and product to convert it into the finished solid product.

It is also used for the temperature control of the molds. In injection mold, it is used on many stages of the process, especially for keeping the mold cooled during the process.

How to Maintain your Plastic Chiller for Longer life?

1. Always use proper kind of refrigerant in it. In the case of water, use clean, and freshwater.
2. Daily inspection should be done.
3. Monthly cleaning and maintenance should be done so that it can remain healthy for a long time.
4. Don’t overload the Plastic Chiller.
5. Keep the flow rate, speed, and pump pressure at optimum conditions.
6. Select the suitable installation area for Plastic Chiller.

Monthly maintenance is necessary for your plastic chiller

How to Clean your Plastic Chiller?

The major problems that require cleaning are the deposition of the dust of anything in the tank, pipe of other parts. Over time this problem can result in total failure of Plastic Chiller.

Delayed cleaning may result in any kind of other problems as well, so cleaning should be done twice or thrice a month. Cleaning should be made with a proper cleaner and soft cloth.

Make sure to choose a cleaner with no traces of the highly acidic or basic chemical. It may cause internal erosion and corrosion in the Plastic Chiller.

Every component of it should be opened and cleaned in detail. The water tank should be cleaned and washed properly to get rid of deposition in the bottom and scales in the walls.

How does a Plastic Chiller help in Thermoforming Process of Plastic Shaping?

This unique process uses the force of air to shape a malleable plastic sheet into the molds.

The temperature control is very crucial, as a slight mistake in temperature can make or break the final product.

A Plastic Chiller maintains these precise temperature controls and makes the thermoforming process successful. It is applied to every product made through this process.

Along with a quality product, it saves multiple of the resources of the industry by its efficient performance.

Thermoforming process of plastic shaping

How to Estimate the Cooling Load of your Plastic Chiller?

Cooling load is the most important parameter that should be estimated before employing it for production. Below is the procedure to calculate the cooling load of any Plastic Chiller.

• First of all, calculate the exact kg or lbs. of materials needed to be processed per hour.
• Divide the above number by capacity (Tons). This will calculate the cooling load needed for your Plastic Chiller at 10 °C.
• You can change the above calculations according to your temperature, and material processing rate.

How to Improve the Temperature Controller Performance of your Plastic Chiller?

1. The most important thing to improve temperature control is the proper programming of temperature in the Control Unit.
2. Keep your Plastic Chiller clean, healthy, and well maintained.
3. Proper flow rate and speed play a vital role in the improvement of temperature control. Keep them at a set-point where they give the most precise and accurate temperature control.
4. An unskilled person may cause some kind of mistakes and proper temperature control may not be obtained, so always prefer skilled personals.

How to Decide the Sizing of your Plastic Chiller?

Sizing is regarded as the set of some technical parameters that are very crucial for the process. These were decided before the purchase of the Plastic Chiller.

1. Calculate the materials production rate. It is in kg or lbs. per hour.
2. Calculate the tank capacity and chilling power of the Plastic Chiller.
3. Thirdly, estimate the tons of chilling capacity needed per hour.

These three factors together called the sizing of a Plastic Chiller.

Plastic chiller sizing

How Does a Plastic Chiller make your Plastic Product More Qualitative?

First of all, it gives perfection to the shape and finishing of the product. With its precise temperature control, the product produced will be of perfect dimensions, shape, and design.

This adds to the quality of the product. Secondly, it enhances the product’s internal structure. Due to the smooth temperature control, the product is finished with perfect timing.

Its internal structure will be strong, and durable. This makes the product internally qualitative.

How can you Increase the Production using the Plastic Chiller?

So many factors are required to increase the production rate of your product. A major part of these factors is dependent upon the Plastic Chiller.

Following are how it can help to increase your industry’s production rate.

1. It produces a very minimum amount of scraps hence; all the products will be perfect. This adds to the production rate.
2. The constant and precise control of temperature by Plastic Chiller makes the process quick and products produced per time will increase.
3. If your Plastic Chiller has the potential, then increase the material processing rate for fast production.
4. Any kind of failure or hurdle can slow down production. So always be careful of any kind of leakage, fault, mistake, etc.

What are the Troubleshooting Guidelines for your Plastic Chiller?

1. The Temperature and Other Parameters don’t match with the Programmed Parameters:

This happens when there is some kind of failure in the Control Unit of your Plastic Chiller. Reprogram the parameters, if it does not work expert help becomes necessary in this case.

2. When Plastic Chiller doesn’t Switch On:

It is usually because of any kind of failure in the wires or power failure from the mainline. Check the wirings, and power source with the help of an electrician.

Plastic chiller troubleshooting