Safety considerations
Vol. 27 #2, November 2000
Following are some safety considerations when running an extruder:
- Safety gates and guards should be in place.
- Wear safety glasses at all times.
- Wear hearing protection, if required.
- Keep the floor free of pellets as they act as ball bearings and can cause a bad fall.
- Avoid standing opposite the die, melt pipe and head flanges, as they can unexpectedly squirt hot polymer especially during the heat up and start up stages.
- Avoid standing downstream from head or flange bolts and rupture disk, especially at start up. An over-pressure condition can cause a bolt to break and shoot out like a bullet. Contamination can cause rapid screen pack plugging, which the over-pressure and shutdown circuits may not safely detect.
- Keep hands and metal items out of the feed throat. To break a pellet bridge or resin jam, use a plastic or wood rod.
- When checking an open vent, wear a full face, clear, polycarbonate shield.
- John R. Wagner, Jr., J. V W. Enterprises, Inc.
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