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“O.K., we'll flip for it. Heads I have to do
it, tails you have to do it."
 Sounds
like a conversation between two kids arguing over who
has to take out the trash. But in actuality, it was
the type of conversation that took place for years at
a large plastics manufacturer in the Northeast. Like
other manufacturers, this plastics producer has a certain
amount of waste inherit in the making of a product.
But fortunately, they are able to recycle waste. Waste
is loaded into a granulator that grinds the plastic
into tiny pellets. Eventually these pellets are reused
in a finished product.
The problem was that no employee wanted to go near
the granulator. It was the loudest machine on the shop
floor peaking at 110 dB(A).
Finally, the noisy granulator became too much for management
to deal with. Complaints from shop employees became
more frequent, waste piled up meaning that potential
raw materials were being squandered and the threat of
an insurance claim or an OSHA violation grew every day.
Something had to be done quickly.
Company management figured that the best way to overcome
the problem was with some type of acoustical enclosure,
either metal or one constructed from composite materials.
A metal enclosure would help reduce noise levels once
the granulator was up and running, but the proposed
design provided no protection for the operator when
loading the machine. Another disadvantage of the metal
enclosure is that access to the machinery would have
been limited.
 An
enclosure design featuring a composite material, which
combined a sound absorber with a noise barrier was designed.
The AudioSeal™
Combination Blanket (ABBC-13) is made up of a 1
lb/sq.ft. reinforced loaded vinyl noise barrier and
2" thick quilted fiberglass sound absorber. Typically,
a 1" thick absorber is put on the interior of a
reinforced barrier, but because of the extreme conditions
in this case they utilized the 2" thick material.
The composite gives overall noise protection comparable
to the metal enclosure and because of the extensive
fabricating capabilities; the enclosure could be customized
to meet every specification of the plastics manufacturer.
A critical design feature was developed, a feed flap
that gave the operator a substantial amount of protection
when loading the granulator. Prior to the installation
of Sound
Seal's enclosure the operator was subjected to 110 dB
of noise at close range. Continuous loading of the granulator
without hearing protection would have been disastrous.
With the new enclosure featuring the feed flap, an operator
no longer needs hearing protection.
Acoustical Solutions also overcame the concern the
company had about access to the
machine. The double curtain track and hardware design
allows access at nearly any point in the enclosure.
Another key design feature is the ventilation system.
Too often, the installation of a roof panel means sacrificing
ventilation for enhanced acoustical performance. But
an AudioSeal blanket acoustical curtain enclosure can
incorporate intake and exhaust ventilation baffles without
compromising acoustical performance.
The idea of "one-stop shopping" appealed
to the plastics manufacturer. Many noise control companies
only sell the materials that comprise the enclosure.
These companies leave it to the customer to find someone
who can provide the structural framework for the enclosure
and handle the installation. Acoustical Solutions has
its own line of freestanding or suspended structural
support systems, and an installation team. In fact,
this enclosure was installed in just four hours.
Employee response to the enclosure has been tremendous.
Loading and running the granulator is no longer the
dreaded task it once was. Consequently, waste no longer
piles up and materials are quickly recycled. The granulator
is finally the productive machine management always
hoped it would be.
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