22 Apr 2008
Conair to Show Dryers Made in Shanghai at ChinaPlas
Carousel™ Plus dryers made locally in Shanghai are being exhibited for the first time by The Conair Group in Booth #E3G31 at ChinaPlas 2008. Less than a year ago, Conair announced that it had teamed up with sister company, Rapid Granulator AB of Sweden, to open a 3000-square-meter (32,000-square-foot) factory to produce material-handling and -conditioning equipment for the East Asia market. Now the first examples of that equipment are on display at the show, which takes place April 17- 20, 2008, in the Shanghai New International Expo Center in Pudong.
Two different Carousel Plus models will be on display: a standard machine-side configuration designed for throughput rates from 60 to 200 kg per hour, and a mobile drying and conveying (MDC) system offering throughputs from 5 to 60 kg per hour. The MDC combines dryer, material hopper and loader on a handy wheeled cart for maximum mobility.
The equipment that Conair is manufacturing in China is targeted at processors in that region and, already, customers making automobile parts, personal electronics, tubing and PET fibers have taken delivery of the new dryers. They appreciate the simple, easy-to-maintain design as well as special features that include stainless-steel, insulated hoppers, built-in loaders and material-line purge valves on MDC dryers, and the fact that the Conair dryers deliver a true -40°C (-40°F) dewpoint while consuming less energy.
Conair expects a beneficial exchange of technology between its Asian operations and the main offices in the U.S., but has no plans to export Chinese-made equipment to North America.
Instead of placing loose desiccant beads in a canister or tower, Carousel Plus dryers from Conair use molecular sieve desiccant that is impregnated into a fiberglass substrate that is formed into a continuously rotating wheel. This simple design makes the dryer more reliable, easier to operate and maintain, more energy efficient — and, thus, more affordable — than other dryers. Carousel Plus dryers are also more compact, with a footprint 40 to 60% smaller, depending upon the model size. They weigh less, too — as much as 85% less. In fact, they use only a fraction of the number of major components used in conventional desiccant dryers.
The standard microprocessor control system ensures rock-steady temperatures and dewpoint levels, which are critical to processing many of the moisture and temperature sensitive polymers in common use today. The operator selects a particular dewpoint value and locks it into the control, which then adjusts various functions to hold that dew point precisely. This is particularly important when running some of the moisture-sensitive polymers that are subject to degradation if they are over-dried.
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The Conair Group, Inc. is the world’s leading supplier of auxiliary equipment for plastics processors, including resin drying systems, blenders, feeders and material-conveying systems, temperature-control equipment, granulators and downstream extrusion systems. Seven distinct product lines and 450 individual products solve problems, save energy, cut waste and are easy to use. With long-standing operations in Asia, Europe and South America, Conair is also an international company. Over 500 employees worldwide bring together 50 years of manufacturing experience and youthful creativity to break down barriers to innovation and harness new technology to give customers meaningful, bottom line benefits. The industry’s most complete product line, top-flight engineering and unbeatable service all combine to give processors the confidence they need to succeed in today’s competitive global marketplace.
