Material Drying Equipment
Precision dryers aimed at medical, other apps
A new range of plastics dryers is targeting processors’ increasing desire for auxiliary equipment able to help them process low-throughput, high-end materials. Called Precision Micro dryers and made and marketed by Dri-Air Industries (East Windsor, CT), these dessicant dryers are able to process from two pellets to 20 lb/hr, with drying temperatures from 70–400°F. No cooling water or after coolers are needed. A continuous stream of –49°F dew point air is generated regardless of the ambient conditions in a facility.
Drying energy optimized
A new drying system from The Conair Group Inc. (Cranberry Township, PA) is said to allow processors to optimize drying conditions and thereby save energy. The EnergySmart Single-Stage (ES-1) system was developed for processors of PET and other polymers that require high drying temperatures, applications in which throughput varies, and where electrical costs are high.
Low-energy drying
Novatec (Baltimore, MD) has added a 75-lb/hr compressed air-type dryer to its existing range of cost-effective NovaDrier models with throughputs of 7, 25, 50, 100, 150, and 225 lb/hr.
Economical means for color-true dying of plastics
New from auxiliary equipment manufacturer Koch (Ispringen, Germany) is the KEM range of direct-dying machines, marketed as a value-for-money piece of kit when a processor needs to dose masterbatch directly into the input area of a plasticizing screw.
Reused air saves energy in PET dryer
A unique airflow pattern and a new wheel dryer design on the new InteliPET drying system is made to help PET processors save on energy, maintenance, and plant space.
Dryer offers energy savings, targets hygroscopic resins
A new dryer that uses the rapid application of heat to increase vapor pressure inside plastic pellets and to force entrapped moisture to the pellet surface is said to cut hygroscopic resin drying times down to as little as 30 minutes. The Speedryer uses a counter flow of heated air to strip moisture from the pellet and jettison it out to the ambient atmosphere leaving dry plastic behind. Speedryer users attest that the system has corrected moisture problems, lowered material degradation, and increased processing windows, particularly with nylons.
