Maguire Low Pressure Dryers
The
Maguire Low Pressure Dryer (LPD) is a revolutionary
device that uses vacuum to accelerate the resin drying process.
The use of vacuum provides many process and cost benefits
compared to conventional drying technology.
Maguire
Products did not invent the science of low pressure (vacuum)
drying. In fact vacuum drying has been used in the manufacturing
process of plastic resins, chemicals, food and pharmaceuticals
for many years. But, Maguire Products is the first to bring
this technology to the plastics industry in a package that
is affordable, reliable and simple to operate.
Speed
of Drying
Typically the vacuum dryer will dry materials in one-sixth
the time of a desiccant dryer. If your desiccant dryer drying
time is 4 hours, the vacuum dryer will do the job in 40
minutes. The result is time-savings of 3 hours and 20 minutes
every time you start up a dryer. This not only represents
reduced energy cost (see below), but could also represent
3 hours and 20 minutes of additional production time.
Energy
Savings
Side-by-side testing of the vacuum dryer and a desiccant
dryer shows reduced energy consumption of 70 - 80%. The
key to the reduced energy consumption is that the vacuum
dryer does not rely on desiccant. Desiccant, once saturated,
must be regenerated by a heating and cooling process so
it will again be able to absorb moisture. All energy required
to regenerate desiccant is lost to ambient.
Reduced
Maintenance
Since desiccant degrades over time it must be replaced on
a regular basis. This expense is avoided with a vacuum dryer.
In addition the need to monitor the condition of desiccant
is eliminated.
Low
Material Stress
Long
drying times at elevated temperatures can cause thermal,
chemical and physical material degradation. Materials if
exposed to prolonged elevated temperature during drying
run the risk of degradation including discoloration and/or
IV drop which leads to reduced physical properties of the
end product. The reduced drying time required with the vacuum
dryer dramatically reduces the risk of material degradation.
Since the vacuum dryer first heats up the material, then
applies vacuum to accomplish drying the heating cycle is
only 20 to 30 minutes.
On-The-Fly
Material Change
Additional
savings can be achieved with the vacuum dryer in the form
of on-the-fly material changes. Since the vacuum dryer dries
in batches a material or color change can be accomplished
on-the-fly. This means no downtime related to clean-out
of the drying hopper during a material change. Every time
you have a material change with a desiccant dryer the dryer
must be shutdown and the drying hopper cleaned. This is
normally a time-consuming, labor-intensive process. The
vacuum dryer will automatically notify the operator when
it's time to conduct an on-the-fly material change. No interruption
of the drying process occurs during the on-the-fly material
change.
Dryer Specifications
|
LPD 30
|
LPD 100 (LPD 12)
|
LPD 200
|
Standard version max.
|
265 ° F
|
265 ° F
|
265 ° F
|
High Heat version max.
|
300 ° F
|
300 ° F
|
300 ° F
|
Throughput
|
30 lb/h
|
100 LB/h
|
200 LB/h
|
Canister volume
|
0.32 cu ft
|
1.1 cu ft
|
2 cu ft
|
Empty weight
|
550 LB
|
730 LB
|
950 LB
|
Packing weight
|
620 LB
|
800 LB
|
1010 LB
|
Packing dim.
(L x W x H)
|
40"x35"x75"
|
40"x35"x85"
|
40"x35"x95"
|
Heater element
|
3 kW / 13A
|
5 kW / 22A
|
5 kW / 22 A
|
Blower
|
0.5 hp /2.5 A
|
2.5 hp /6.2 A
|
3.5 hp /6.2 A
|
Total Power Supply
|
460V/3Ph/60Hz
|
460V/3Ph/60Hz
|
460V/3Ph/60Hz
|
|
3.47 kW / 16 A
|
6.96 kW / 20 A
|
7.7 kW / 30 A
|
Compressed air requirement
|
70-90 psi
|
70-90 psi
|
70-90 psi
|
Compressed usage
|
0.4 cfm
|
2 cfm
|
2.4 cfm
|
|
Drying Times
This table shows the latest recommended specifications
for drying conditions.
If the material you are running is not on this list, please
contact Maguire to arrange testing.
MATERIAL
|
FINAL MOISTURE % *
|
CYCLE TIME (MINUTES)**
|
DRYING TEMPERATURE***
|
|
|
|
:C
|
:F
|
ABS
|
0.10
|
20 - 25
|
80 - 85
|
180 - 190
|
ABS/PC
|
0.02
|
25 - 30
|
100
|
210
|
LCP
|
0.02
|
20 - 50
|
150
|
300
|
PA
|
0.20 - 0.10
|
20 - 30
|
80 - 85
|
180 - 190
|
PBT
|
0.02
|
20 - 25
|
120
|
250
|
PC
|
0.02
|
20 - 25
|
120
|
250
|
PC/PBT
|
0.02
|
20 - 25
|
125
|
250
|
PEEK
|
0.20 - 0.10
|
25 - 30
|
150
|
300
|
PEI
|
0.02
|
40 - 60
|
150
|
300
|
PES
|
0.05 - 0.02
|
25 - 30
|
150
|
300
|
PET (Molding Grade)
|
0.010
|
30 - 35
|
150
|
300
|
PET (Preform, Ext.)
|
0.005
|
30 - 35
|
150
|
300
|
PMMA (Acrylic)
|
0.02 - 0.04
|
30
|
85
|
185
|
POM (Acetal)
|
0.20 - 0.10
|
25
|
80 - 110
|
180 - 230
|
PPO
|
0.02
|
25
|
100 - 120
|
210 - 250
|
PPS
|
0.02
|
25
|
150
|
300
|
PUR
|
0.02
|
25
|
125 - 140
|
260 - 280
|
PSU
|
0.02
|
25 - 30
|
150
|
300
|
SAN
|
0.20 - 0.10
|
20 - 40
|
80
|
180
|
Please note the following:
|
*
|
Final moisture content as recommended by the raw material manufacturer.
|
**
|
Recommended cycle time is based on average initial moisture content.
For high initial moisture content cycle time should
be extended 5 minutes. When in doubt please contact
Maguire service.
|
***
|
Drying temperature as recommended by the material manufacturer.
|
|
Maguire
Low Pressure Dryers carry a 5 year factory warranty.
Maguire warrants this equipment to be free from defects
in workmanship under normal use and service. |
|