Plastic processing companies must adopt a number of strict precautions and practices to ensure the quality of the final product.
This process requires advanced technical skills, constant monitoring of operating conditions, and careful selection of raw materials.
Among these accuracies, choosing the right plastics dryer, or dehumidifier, is a crucial step for plastics processors.
In this article we will look in detail at what it is and analyze the different types of dryers available.
What are plastic dryers
Dryers are devices used in the plastics processing industry to remove moisture from polymers before they are processed into finished products.
Moisture in plastics can affect the quality of the final product, causing defects such as bubbles, opacity, brittleness or dimensional changes.
Proper drying avoids these problems and ensures a consistent, high-quality product.
But what factors are necessary for proper drying of plastics?
Fattori chiave per l’essiccazione della plastica
To achieve effective drying of plastics, and for the well-being of your business, it is essential to consider several factors.
Dehumidification of plastic granules not only preserves the properties of the material, but also improves the aesthetics of the finished product, reduces processing time and minimizes the risk of defects during production.
Here are the main elements to consider:
- initial and final moisture.
It is essential to measure the moisture of the material at the beginning of the process in order to set the correct drying parameters and achieve the desired moisture level at the end.
- Type and shape of material.
They affect the drying strategies to be adopted.
- Air flow rate.
Adjustable to ensure optimal drying according to the characteristics of the material.
- Drying time.
Too long a drying time can lead to degradation of the material.
- Temperature setting.
Affects both dehumidifier performance and material properties, such as bioplastics.
- Dew point.
The temperature at which the air becomes saturated with moisture. A properly measured dew point helps prevent condensation.
Choosing the right dryer must therefore take into account a balance of these factors to ensure an efficient and productive process.
Types of plastic dryers
Plastic processors can choose from several solutions for the drying process.
Here is a short summary of the main types of dryers:
- hot-air ovens.
A manual system, suitable for small quantities of material, offering limited control and suboptimal results, with high costs.
- Hot-air dryers.
Continuous systems that can be mounted next to or on the machine. However, they are energy-intensive and affected by environmental conditions, suitable only for non hygroscopic materials.
- Compressed-air dehumidifiers.
Compact solutions that can be installed next to the machine, but are effective only for small production runs and incur high indirect costs.
- Microwave dryers.
They expose plastics to degradation risks, making them unsuitable for industrial applications.
- Infrared dehumidifiers.
Used for large production volumes, they speed up the process but are expensive and complex to control, with the risk of material contamination.
- Vacuum dryers.
Reduces processing time without stressing the material, but is only suitable for small production runs and is expensive to purchase.
- Molecular sieve dryers.
They allow continuous drying, but the sieves degrade rapidly and need frequent replacement.
Their peculiarity lies in the rotating wheel, which is divided into three key stages: dehumidification, regeneration and cooling.
Choosing the right plastics dryer is therefore a crucial step in ensuring an efficient manufacturing process, reducing waste and obtaining high-quality finished products.
By investing in a solution that fits your production needs, you can optimize time and costs while improving the overall performance of the entire production line.
