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Creating the right system for drying resins extends well beyond choosing the optimal machine for your process and materials. An array of special equipment is available to handle important unique aspects of the drying process.

This specialized equipment covers everything from real-time automatic measurement of material usage and drying parameters to contaminant removal.

Halo Weigh Ring

A Halo Weigh Ring is a device that enables real-time measurement of material throughput. It also controls drying parameters according to production needs.

Installed below the vacuum receiver filling the drying hopper, the Halo will provide precise control over a critical aspect of plastic production costs: the raw material. The Halo monitors material consumption for individual machines and the entire production process, complete with long-term data storage.

Benefits of the Halo Weigh Ring include:

• Accurate measurement of material throughput in pounds/hour in real time.
• Automatic control of dryer and drying parameters throughout production.
• Maximum production by setting an alarm for exceeding the maximum throughput, avoiding conveying undried material to the production machine.
• Conveying system control by weight vs. time.
• Batch size control by entering a desired material quantity; the Halo keeps track of accumulated weight, displays remaining time and halts loading when batch weight reached.
• Data storage as the Halo detects and displays hourly production in pounds/hour and precise quantity of material used. Halo calculates and stores all material loaded by the receiver, which can be retrieved for data analysis hourly, daily, monthly or for a custom time. The system tracks the conveyed material quantity. Cumulative material consumption data is accessible in various formats and can also be integrated into other systems through open communication channels.

Plasticizer/Volatiles Trap

When drying resin at high temperatures or when the material has some special additives that will release from the resin when heated, plasticizer traps can be used to capture the contaminant.  The resulting oil and other contaminants can foul drying system filters, housings and desiccant. A plasticizer trap can be installed on the return line of a drying system (between the drying hopper and the inlet of the dryer return line) to remove volatiles and contaminants from the hot return air. Contaminants and volatiles are condensed into liquid and drained from the filter system. Using a plasticizer trap when needed will protect your dryer system and keep it running at peak performance.

Crystallizers

For processors who use or make large volumes of scrap or recycled PET or PLA, crystallizers are vital to convert those materials from an amorphous to a semi-crystalline state so they can be processed properly.

Crystallizers come in two types – hot-air hopper and infrared drum – and are sized based on the amount of material to be crystallized every hour. Crystallizers can process material by the batch or in a continuous process.

A crystallizer is a heating device that raises the temperature of granulated amorphous material past its glass transition temperature while keeping that material just under melting temperature. At crystallization temperature, crystalline structures grow and align within the molecules of amorphous material.

If a material is not crystallized, it will agglomerate in its amorphous state and disrupt material flow, resist drying and get stuck downstream.  

Silo Dehumidification System

Metal silos that hold resin also can retain dampness depending on changes in external temperature and humidity. To keep resin from absorbing excess moisture from the environment, a silo dehumidifier is used to provide a blanket of dehumidified air above the material.

Usually installed at the silo base, a silo dehumidifier uses to remove moisture from the air. One silo dehumidifier can function with more than one silo as long as it is sized for the application and the process blower has enough pressure for the installed piping run.  

Gas-Fired Process Heaters

Gas-fired process heaters provide fast, efficient direct or indirect heating. They are an alternative to electric powered heaters.  Fueled by natural gas or propane, gas-fired process heaters come in vertical or horizontal configurations. These heaters are used for very high throughput, higher temperature applications. Gas-fired process heaters can be used for central drying applications, with one heater controlled by the dryer and another controlled remotely at the hopper.

Dewpoint Sensors (machine-installed or portable)

Dewpoint sensors are a standard option available on most dryers.  They monitor the moisture of the process air leaving the dryer and going into the drying hopper to dry the resin. Dewpoint sensors can alert operators when the desiccant or regeneration cycle is failing to keep the air dry and can be set to regenerate the dryer when the desiccant bed reaches a desired setpoint. Portable dewpoint meters can be used to verify the efficacy and accuracy of onboard dewpoint sensors. Portable dewpoint sensors can sample air sent to the hopper, within the hopper or returning from the hopper, as well as at the feed throat.