Moisture can adversely affect process reliability and product quality when processing various granulates and other products. These materials are often subjected to temperature fluctuations during transport and storage. The material can become damp due to condensation of moisture contained in the air on its surface. Depending on the time of year and weather conditions, contact with the ambient air can also lead to the absorption of moisture. Our portfolio of services therefore also includes drying and/or post-drying processes for the restoration of product safety and quality.
In the case of some plastics, the presence of water during the melting process triggers a chemical reaction that changes the molecular structure. This reaction decreases the molecular weight. The consequence of this is lower viscosity. On the whole, materials containing too much water can adversely affect the entire spectrum of properties of moulded parts – not only the mechanical properties, but also the optical, chemical and physical characteristics. All this can be prevented by the drying of granulates and other bulk materials.
To dry granulates, we gently extract the moisture from the plastic in special dryers until we achieve a residual moisture content of less than 300 ppm. The air used for drying is passed through a desiccant that absorbs the moisture extracted from the granulate. Our granulate dryers can also be used for drying damaged products. The drying of plastic pellets plays an important role in the plastics processing industry. Because only this can ensure that the residual moisture tolerance recommended by raw materials manufacturers is fulfilled immediately before subsequent processing. With our granulate dryers, we help plastic processing companies to sustainably assure the quality of their finished products.
