Pelletizing Dies Plates

for the Polyolefins industry

Who We Are

Kennametal® is a leading provider of tooling equipment, engineered components, and advanced materials consumed in production processes. We are recognized globally in the polyolefins industry as a leading supplier of underwater pelletizing die plates.

Each year we design and engineer up to 100 new dies and recondition over 200 dies. Companies with multiple production sites around the world rely on Kennametal for our pelletizing die plates, which provide the best thermal performance and highest wear resistance.

A History Of Innovation

For more than 55 years, Kennametal has served the polyolefins industry with a team dedicated to die development and solely focused on manufacturing pelletizing die plates. As one of the world’s largest aftermarket die plate manufacturers, we offer solutions that fit all major OEM pelletizers. Our experience has led to the development of numerous design innovations that greatly increase the standard of performance for pelletizing die plates.

1964

Kennametal produces our first Underwater Pelletizing Plate.

1965

Kennametal patents the Tungsten Carbide Tile Face, enabling us to braze sintered tungsten carbide onto dies.

1969

Kennametal debuts its Contoured Heat Channel design that maximizes available space and locates the channels closer to the polymer.

1972

Kennametal innovates Low-Pressure Slotting, which reduces overall pressure drop across the die.

1982

Kennametal patents its design for Internal Insulation, which maximizes heat at the tip of the orifice.

1986

Kennametal patents its design for Next‑Gen Internal Insulation, improving upon its 1982 patent.

2000

Kennametal patents the Sintered Titanium Carbide Cutting Face that maximizes the die’s thermal performance and enables an underwater start-up for polyethylene.

2015

Kennametal innovates Low-FrictionPolymer Flow Paths that help minimize melt fracture in LLDPE and additive build-up in PP.

2016

Kennametal patents its TrueTherm™ safety feature that improves upon the center gasket design.

2018

Kennametal debuts its FerroTiC Segmented Cutting Faces, which allow for more orifice holes in a given geometry.

Innovative Technology

Our pelletizing die plates are known throughout the polyolefins industry for their superior design, safety features, and low total cost of ownership. Learn more about what makes them better.

Advanced Cutting Face Materials

By leveraging our core competencies we have innovated a range of superior cutting face materials. Kennametal’s latest PD-21 titanium carbide provides properties unmatched by any other material suitable for this application. It combines excellent wear resistance with outstanding thermal retention to better enable underwater start-ups, reduce orifice hole freeze-off, decrease melt fracture, and solve many other pelletizing issues.

Superior Internal Insulation

Kennametal set a high-performance standard when we innovated internal insulation. This feature consists of a ceramic layer embedded under the cutting face of the plate. The embedded layer helps to reduce overall heat loss from the plate and focuses this extra energy into the tip of the orifice, which is where the energy is most needed. Our exclusive design provides the most heat-intensive and uniformly heated pelletizing plate in the industry.

Efficient Heating Channels

Compared to drilled or round channels, our contoured heating channels enable a more efficient thermal transfer to the polymer passageways. They greatly improve the thermal performance of the die while minimizing orifice freeze off and pellet size distribution. Kennametal’s advanced channel design allows us to maximize the area of the heating cross section within a given geometry and without sacrificing the strength of forged steel.

Low-Friction Polymer Flow Paths

Kennametal offers die plates with optional low-friction polymer flow paths. The enhanced surface finish minimizes the rate of melt fracture and polymer shear, which benefits LLDPE production. Additionally, this innovation reduces the rate of additive build-up and flow restriction. This extends the overall life of the die by increasing your time between die changeouts, or maintenance intervals.

Lower Total Cost Of Ownership

Our pelletizing die maintenance center is one of the largest in the world, reconditioning over 200 dies each year. We can replace the cutting face of your worn Kennametal pelletizing nib die plate at a fraction of the cost of a competitor’s new plate. And depending on its size, a Kennametal die can be refaced multiple times - which can greatly reduce your costs.

Safety

When the large surface area at the center of a pelletizing die is exposed to the pellet-cooling water, it can lead to excessive heat loss from the die. Over the years, this has led to the unsafe practice of using gaskets to insulate the die center, which can trap water and cause distorted or ejected steel retainers. Kennametal’s TrueTherm™ Die design uses embedded air cavities to insulate the die center, so that a much safer ring design can gasket the mounting bolts against water intrusion.

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