Smart Molding International 1-2022

38 peripherals & automation smart_molding international 1/2022 CThe Benefits of Vacuum Drying vs Desiccant Dryers The unique patented vacuum design, (most recent patent #10751918 granted in 2020), allows users to drymaterials by use of vacuumand not by dry airas done with desiccant designs. Although both desiccant and vacuum systems use heat to bring the resin up the temperature, theMaguire ULTRA dryer uses a low en - ergy venturi to pull a high vacuum on the heated resin creating a pressure and temperature differential that releases the moisture from the material. This fast, modern and efficient process takes a fraction of the time compared to des - iccant dryer designs. A desiccant dryer process, which relies on dry air moni - tored by dew point, requires constant circulating airflow through a large drying hopper. This process can take 4-6 hours to achieve the same drying results that the ULTRA can do in less than 60 min - utes. With this vacuum design, there is also no need to replace desiccant every 12-18 months. Making the Drying Process Smarter Maguire ULTRA dryers provide the operator the ability to monitor and control each step of the drying pro - cess allowing for process optimization throughout the entire drying cycle. With the use of load cells and the ad - vanced control, the operator can: • monitorand reduce heat with ESL Energy Saving Control (within Heating Hopper), • create high vacuums in minutes with the ability to shutoff and hold - vacuum (within Vacuum Chamber), • monitor and adjust material usage live and on demand (within Retention Hopper). By actively monitoring the vacu - um process and thematerial weight within the vacuum chamber,the sys - temwill only dry what’s required. The weight of material in retention hop - peris also monitored to only release fresh material when it’s required by the process. How the ULTRA Digitizes the Drying Process All this process data allows the sys - tem to make adjustments that impact the process automatically. With the - start-up safety features the ULTRA soft - ware continuously monitors key drying parameters like heating and vacuum, and actively alarms if those are not be - ing adequately met,providing valuable information to the operator. These smart controls also allow for on-demand drying. The system auto - matically adapts to dryer demand with features like energy saver mode for heating, not releasing fresh material to the process until it’s required, plus smart features to allow for auto stop of the process to end the dryer on empty. All of this saves energy (up to 90% over competitive dryingmethods), saves time and can be monitored continuously. By digitalizing the process, every granule within the drying system is ac - tively monitored and controlled. The data can easily be viewed on the touch - screen and details of the exact operat - ing process as it happens are logged, giving the user a clear understanding of how the material has been dried. In addition, all of this data is available for export for integration withany ERP or other process control systems. Benefits of Digitalization By actively controlling the ULTRA dry - ing process the operator is no longer reliant on interacting with the dryer for many drying procedures that would have to be manually checked, moni - tored or scheduled in the past, freeing up production time and making for a more responsive process. Maguire www.maguire.com Since Maguire first launched the Vacuum Dryer in 2000, several generations have been produced bringing unique benefits to plastics processors. Processers now benefit from faster drying times and the highest level of drying management and control of the entire drying process. Maguire ULTRA Dryer – advancing the drying process in the era of digitalization Picture: Maguire