At K 2013, Maguire Products, Inc. will continue with the rollout of a fundamentally new-design vacuum resin dryer by introducing a model of its trouble-free, energy-saving VBD system with throughput, depending on the material being dried, of up to 89 kg (196 lb.) per hour, the company announced today (Hall 10, Stand A26).The new VBD 150 dryer is sized for the throughputs of many injection molding machines as well as small extrusion lines for products such as medical tubing. Like the 455 kg/hr (1,000 lb./hr.) VBD 1000 model introduced earlier this year, the new model makes operation much simpler and more reliable than with previous vacuum systems, while continuing to dry resin six times faster than with desiccant dryers and using substantially less energy, according to Maguire Europe general manager Paul Edmondson.
"The VBD 150 vacuum dryer has the exact same design and mode of operation as our larger model, using gravity to move material through vertically arranged stages of the drying process, with the discharge of material from one stage to the next controlled by slide-gate valves," said Mr. Edmondson. "This eliminates most moving parts, in particular the three-station indexing carousel mechanism of the Maguire LPD vacuum dryer introduced in 2000. It also does away with gaskets, which can be worn and compromised by resin dust."
The VBD 150 also includes load cells whose value became prominent after the initial installations of the larger model: the capability for real-time monitoring, control, and documentation of material consumption, noted B. Patrick (Pat) Smith, Maguire Products vice president of marketing and sales. "The VBD dryer has a continuous batching operation that is carried out in three vertically arranged, heavily insulated, stainless steel-lined vessels for - respectively - heating, application of vacuum, and retention of resin in a dry state," said Mr. Smith, "Operators can precisely monitor and document material use because both the vacuum chamber and retention hopper are mounted on load cells, and because dispenses of materials from one vessel to the next are carried out by high-speed slide-gate valves with an accuracy per dispense of +/- 4 grams."
