Röchling Engineering Plastics temporarily curtailed production at one of its two factories in Gastonia, N.C., after a short-lived fire on July 11.
Röchling Engineering President Tim Brown said partial operations at the plant resumed after the 4:15 p.m. fire. In a July 12 interview he told Plastics News full production is expected after the sprinkler system is checked out.
Brown said the fire occurred after a material-feeding augur fell onto electrical wiring and caused an electric arc that set materials on fire. The wiring is associated with a pulverizer. Firefighters extinguished the fire in half an hour.
“There was not a lot of damage,” according to Brown.
Two operators were taken to hospital with burns and then released, Brown said. The company has invited the Occupational Health and Safety Administration to enter and examine the premises and the incident.
The affected plant mainly produces ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene materials for a range of markets. The other plant makes materials from UHMW-PE and high-performance thermoplastics.