Types of Resin Dryers

A Complete Guide to Resin Drying Technologies

There are at least a dozen types of drying technologies available to plastics processors. Select which one is right for you.

Resin Drying before processing maintains the performance characteristics of your resin and ultimately your competitive position. The importance of dryer selection to meet your process requirements now, and in the future, is of vital consideration. Dryer Technologies differ greatly in:

– Energy Usage

– Footprint

– Maintenance Requirements

– Performance

– Initial Cost

Listed are the most popular Dryer Technologies in use today and a description of their main features. Be sure to check out the ‘Dryer Selector’, ‘Comparing Drying Technologies’ and ‘Typical Energy Costs/100 lb. of Throughput’ to further assist you in selecting the best dryer technology for your application.

Types of Resin Drying Systems

Silo Dehumidification/ Hot Air Dryers

What is a silo dehumidifier and how does it work and compare with other resin drying systems?

Compressed Air Dryers

The principle of compressing air in factories for power tools and other high-pressure uses has a side benefit for the world of resin drying.

Membrane Dryers

What is a membrane resin dryer and how does it compare to a compressed air dryer without a membrane?

Vacuum Dryers

What is a vacuum resin dryer and how does it draw moisture away from plastic pellets in vacuum processing?

Dual Bed Dryers

Dual Bed (also called Twin Tower) dryers used to be the most commonly purchased type of resin dryer. A look at why, and where the technology has progressed.

Desiccant Wheel/Rotor Dryers

The advantages of desiccant wheel dryers include operating at a low temperature, which is important for preventing thermal degradation of the resin.

Crystallizers

Technically, crystallizers are not dryers. They are used to convert PET from an amorphous, back to a crystalline state for re-processing.

Drying Hoppers for Plastic Resins

Drying hoppers are part of most drying systems. At a glance, they look much the same, but there are certain features you should look for.

Gas-Fired Process Heaters

What are the benefits of gas-fired process heaters for drying plastic resins?

Portable Resin Drying Systems

Resin drying machines that can be moved from machine to machine within a plastics processing plant have advantages and disadvantages over a central drying system.