Maguire bringing digitalised drying to Fakuma
Since Maguire 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.
The patented vacuum design enables users to dry materials by use of vacuum rather than air as with desiccant designs. Although both desiccant and vacuum systems use heat, the Maguire ULTRA dryer uses a low-energy venturi to pull a high vacuum on the heated resin, creating a pressure and temperature differential that releases moisture from the material. This process takes a fraction of the time compared to desiccant dryer designs, which can take four to six hours to achieve the same results that the ULTRA can do in under 60 minutes.
Maguire ULTRA dryers provide the ability to monitor and control each step of the drying process, allowing for process optimisation throughout the drying cycle. With the use of load cells and the advanced control, the operator can:
- monitor and 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), and
- monitor and adjust material usage live and on demand (within Retention Hopper).
By actively monitoring the vacuum process and the material weight within the vacuum chamber, the system will only dry what’s required. The weight of material in the retention hopper is also monitored to only release fresh material when required.
All this process data enables the system to make adjustments that impact the process automatically. The ULTRA software continuously monitors key drying parameters like heating and vacuum, and alerts the operator if those are not adequately met.
These smart controls also allow for on-demand drying.
By digitalising the process, every granule is actively monitored and controlled. The data can be easily viewed on the touchscreen and details of the exact operating 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 with any ERP or other process control systems.
By controlling the ULTRA drying process, the operator is no longer reliant on interacting with the dryer for many drying procedures, freeing up production time and making for a more responsive process.
Maguire representatives are exhibiting at Fakuma on the Labotek booth (B3-3107).