Conair has launched a new series of large desiccant dryers with nominal throughputs from 600 to 5,000 pounds per hour.
The D-series dryers are configured for central drying systems. The dryers’ model numbers — D600, D800, D1000, D1300, D1600, D2000, D2400, D3200, D4000 and D5000 — indicate their nominal throughputs in pounds per hour
They feature desiccant wheels, touch-screen controls and an expanded set of standard features. Conair is simplifying its offerings, with the company now providing the same controller on all its D-series dryers.
“Every one of our new large D-series dryers provides a far wider array of high-demand features as standard equipment, not options, and delivers them through a common control interface,” said A.J. Zambanini, Conair’s drying products manager. “Conair believes that our standard D-series feature package will meet the needs of 90 percent of our drying customers. For those who need additional capabilities, the advanced options that remain have been pre-engineered to simplify ordering and speed delivery.”
The 7-inch color touch screen is easy to navigate and shows critical drying information, including dew point, temperature and real-time trending. Other features include a library of customizable resin-drying recipes, an energy-usage meter, audible and visual alarms and Industry 4.0 remote-control capabilities. It also can be programmed with seven-days-a-week automatic start and stop times.
An optional Optimizer package adds a drying monitor probe, variable-frequency blower drive, and return-air dew-point monitor to improve energy efficiency. The Optimizer package also adds a trap for volatile organic compounds and process filter to the dryers. These features prevent desiccant contamination that could cause the dryer to operate less efficiently. The Optimizer package is ideal for PET processors with high-throughput, high-temperature drying operations because the features achieve significant energy savings, Zambanini said.
The D-series dryers include an enhanced desiccant-wheel system that offers more precise control of wheel rotation to ensure optimal desiccant heating, cooling and drying performance, according to the company. The desiccant-wheel technology is easier to maintain than loose- desiccant dryers, while producing drying air with a consistent, low dew point.
The control system on the dryers also can manage Conair’s ResinWorks centralized resin- handling and pre-conditioning system. That means customers with large Conair dryers and the ResinWorks system can monitor and control drying temperatures, trending data, energy usage and other features for each hopper in the ResinWorks system from the dryer HMI. There is no need for separate controls on each hopper unless the customer prefers that arrangement.
Conair’s large-dryer launch follows its 2018 introduction of redesigned small and medium- sized portable dryers that offer throughputs from 15 to 400 pounds per hour. Those models feature the same controller as the large models.
“We’ve done everything we can to provide continuity across the board so that buying, installing and using them will be very much the same no matter what size dryer we’re talking about,” Zambanini said.
Bruce Geiselman, senior staff reporter
Contact:
Conair Group Cranberry Township, Pa., 724-584-5500,
Bruce Geiselman | Senior Staff Reporter
Senior Staff Reporter Bruce Geiselman covers extrusion, blow molding, additive manufacturing, automation and end markets including automotive and packaging. He also writes features, including In Other Words and Problem Solved, for Plastics Machinery & Manufacturing, Plastics Recycling and The Journal of Blow Molding. He has extensive experience in daily and magazine journalism.
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