“Load cell control makes it possible to precisely
match the drying rate to the processing rate of the
molding machine or extruder, which is particularly
important for proper drying of technical polymers
like nylon,” said Mr. Kavanagh. “And because load
cell control ensures that no material is left in the
dryer when production stops, the next production
run can start immediately.” of water, causing moisture within the pellets to
volatilize and be forced out of the pellet into the
low-pressure environment surrounding it; and
a pressurized retention / take-away hopper that
is continually purged by a membrane air dryer
to maintain the target level of dryness until the
material is discharged. The vacuum vessel and
retention hopper are mounted on load cells.
VBD vacuum dryers use gravity to move material
through three vertically arranged stages of the
drying process, with the discharge of material from
one stage to the next controlled by high-speed
slide-gate valves with an accuracy per dispense
of +/- 4 grams. The vessels for the three stages
are, from top to bottom: a heating hopper that
brings resin to a target temperature; a vacuum
vessel in which vacuum reduces the boiling point The VBD 300 dryer has an intuitive, easy to use
touchscreen controller that allows operators
to manage all drying parameters from just one
screen. Like all Maguire equipment, the new dryer
comes with a five-year warranty.
More information on the VBD 300 dryer is at http://
www.maguire.com/product.php/328.htm.
7
TN MAY 2017