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Plastics & rubber drying equipment selection: form, heat sensitivity and recommended machine for 21 materials (Plastic pellets, PET flakes, PVC resin and others), with the full line configuration and trial run points.
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21 material(s) listed for this industry.
Plastics & rubber 21 items
| Material | Form | Heat sensitivity | Recommended dryer | Alternative | Selection notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plastic pellets PP,PE | Granular | Moderate | Flash Airflow Dryer | Rotary Dryer |
Drying plastic pellets sets two requirements that pull against each other: the surface water film has to go, and the pellets must not melt or stick together. If moisture stays on the surface, static builds up, the pellets begin to stick and ball, the conveying line bridges, and the injection or extrusion downstream comes out with surface defects. Raise the temperature and the pellets soften and go tacky, which makes the clumping worse. Controlling the temperature is therefore not about driving the water off faster, it is about keeping the pellets from softening in the first place. Our configuration is a flash airflow line: the pellets are carried by the hot air and heat transfer completes within seconds, the contact time is too short to melt them, and a cooling section brings them back to ambient before packaging. The rotary drum is the alternative, for grades that need a longer residence time or tolerate more heat. Dust collection is the other focus: plastic powder is combustible dust, the collector has to be selected for combustible dust with explosion venting, grounding and duct bonding, as required by GB 15577-2018.
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| PET flakes | Flake | Moderate | Rotary Dryer | Flash Airflow Dryer |
Flakes break easily; drum speed and flights need control. Flakes are not afraid of heat, they are afraid of being crushed and folded; every contact between equipment and material can leave a reject. At high temperature this material loses water first and discolours later, so holding the temperature is enough, but the combination of temperature and time still has to be confirmed by trial run. Throughput on a drum is set by working volume and residence time together, so the denser and more solid the material, the more the drum can hold. Flakes stick together into lumps, so both the feed section and the flight pattern have to be matched to how strong the flakes are. The alternative is a flash airflow dryer, which is the route to switch to when throughput is modest and the material needs a shorter heating time. When ordering, ask for PET flakes by name and give the actual moisture and bulk density of the incoming material, so the machine size can be fixed in one pass.
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| PVC resin | Powder | Heat-sensitive | Flash Airflow Dryer | Electric Heating Dryer |
PVC powder is harder to handle than plastic pellets for three reasons. First the particle size: PVC powder has a high fine fraction, and in pneumatic conveying the fines are carried into the duct and the dust collector, so a cyclone has to recover them without the air being so violent that it disperses the bed. Second the melting window is narrow: PVC softens at a moderate temperature, and a slightly loose temperature control leads to wall build-up and caking, which is exactly what the seconds-long heating of a flash dryer keeps to a minimum. Third, static and hygroscopicity: once PVC powder takes on moisture it cakes in the screw and the hopper, which hurts downstream processing. Our configuration is a flash airflow line with cyclone separation: the main separator splits the product from the coarse fraction and the fines are captured separately, either returned to the line or sold as a different grade. In other words the dust collection here is not only an environmental requirement, it also does the classification and protects the yield. We have run a case taking moisture from 25 points down to 1 point, at which level the material goes straight into processing without a second pass.
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| Recycled plastic flakes | Flake | Moderate | Rotary Dryer | Flash Airflow Dryer |
Uneven contamination and moisture; add washing and dewatering upstream. Flakes bridge easily, so the feed section needs a disintegrator or forced feeding; once the material balls up and blocks the inlet, the best hot air in the building is wasted. The material tolerates moderate to high temperature for a while but not a long dwell, so the process needs temperature margin built in. The drum route does not care about material form: lumps, paste and fibre all go in, at the cost of a large footprint and high initial investment. Flakes stick together into lumps, so both the feed section and the flight pattern have to be matched to how strong the flakes are. The alternative is a flash airflow dryer, which is the route to switch to when throughput is modest and the material needs a shorter heating time. Do not describe the material only as powder or granules: give the measured moisture and bulk density for recycled plastic flakes, because two materials of the same form can differ by a whole machine size.
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| Rubber powder | Powder | Heat-sensitive | Flash Airflow Dryer | Batch Rotary Dryer |
Excessive heat causes softening and sticking. Powder moves only if the hot air carries it, so what decides the route is whether the air has enough momentum and whether the duct is sized right, not whether the material flows by itself. Heat sensitive material has a narrow process window, so inlet temperature and residence time can only be set conservatively and throughput usually has to be raised later, once trial run data is in. An airflow line is demanding about the state of the feed: what enters must already be a granule or powder that can be conveyed, because too much moisture makes it cake in the conveying section. Local overheating is the danger with heat sensitive powder: a layer stuck to the wall keeps heating one spot, so the flights and the air volume have to keep the bed from clinging. The alternative is a batch rotary dryer, which is the route to switch to when batches are small, products are mixed and changeover is frequent. When ordering, ask for rubber powder by name and give the actual moisture and bulk density of the incoming material, so the machine size can be fixed in one pass.
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| Lignin | Powder | Moderate | Flash Airflow Dryer | Rotary Dryer |
Stickiness varies with moisture; the disintegration step affects drying. Powder has a low bulk density and takes up a lot of volume for the same weight, so drum size is usually worked out backwards from the throughput rather than from the material. It is a material that can be heated but must not be baked, so the set temperature needs margin, and final moisture depends on moisture temperature and drying intensity as well. A flash airflow dryer completes heat transfer between the hot air and the material in a few seconds inside the duct, so residence time is measured in seconds and heat sensitive material should go this way. Powder that sits for long enough will bridge, so the feed end needs a breaker or forced feeding; every blockage stops the line. The alternative is a rotary dryer, which is the route to switch to when the material needs a longer residence time or the line is scaling up to tens of tonnes a day. If the incoming grade of lignin is not the one quoted before, the parameters have to be given again rather than carried over from an earlier order.
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| Cellulose ether HPMC | Powder | Heat-sensitive | Flash Airflow Dryer | Electric Heating Dryer |
Heat-sensitive and prone to caking; temperature control and disintegration must be considered together. Powder has a low bulk density and takes up a lot of volume for the same weight, so drum size is usually worked out backwards from the throughput rather than from the material. Overshooting the heat limit is not recoverable: it is not that the material dries more slowly, it is that the quality is written off, so it is better to protect the temperature than to protect the output. A flash airflow dryer completes heat transfer between the hot air and the material in a few seconds inside the duct, so residence time is measured in seconds and heat sensitive material should go this way. Local overheating is the danger with heat sensitive powder: a layer stuck to the wall keeps heating one spot, so the flights and the air volume have to keep the bed from clinging. The alternative is an electrically heated dryer, which is the route to switch to where gas is inconvenient or there is a hard requirement on cleanliness and open flame. Do not describe the material only as powder or granules: give the measured moisture and bulk density for cellulose ether, because two materials of the same form can differ by a whole machine size.
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| Guar gum | Powder | Heat-sensitive | Flash Airflow Dryer | Electric Heating Dryer |
Heat-sensitive; flash drying helps retain viscosity. If the powder is still wet when it enters the machine it will ball up in the conveying section; by the time it reaches the heat exchange zone it has to be loose, or even good hot air cannot move it. The heating time for this material is measured in seconds; the hot air can run hot, but the material temperature itself has to be held down, because past the threshold it discolours, denatures or cakes. The advantages of flash are the short heating time and the minimal mechanical action on the material; the cost is that throughput is capped by air volume and duct size, and very large lines still need a drum. Local overheating is the danger with heat sensitive powder: a layer stuck to the wall keeps heating one spot, so the flights and the air volume have to keep the bed from clinging. The alternative is an electrically heated dryer, which is the route to switch to where gas is inconvenient or there is a hard requirement on cleanliness and open flame. Send a sample with the enquiry. The moisture and bulk density of the actual guar gum decide the machine size far more than the name does.
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| PE powder | Powder | Moderate | Flash Airflow Dryer | Electric Heating Dryer |
Mainly surface moisture; control temperature to prevent softening and caking. If the powder is still wet when it enters the machine it will ball up in the conveying section; by the time it reaches the heat exchange zone it has to be loose, or even good hot air cannot move it. The material tolerates moderate to high temperature for a while but not a long dwell, so the process needs temperature margin built in. The advantages of flash are the short heating time and the minimal mechanical action on the material; the cost is that throughput is capped by air volume and duct size, and very large lines still need a drum. Powder that sits for long enough will bridge, so the feed end needs a breaker or forced feeding; every blockage stops the line. The alternative is an electrically heated dryer, which is the route to switch to where gas is inconvenient or there is a hard requirement on cleanliness and open flame. If the incoming grade of PE powder is not the one quoted before, the parameters have to be given again rather than carried over from an earlier order.
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| PP powder | Powder | Moderate | Flash Airflow Dryer | Electric Heating Dryer |
As above; watch dust and static. If the powder is still wet when it enters the machine it will ball up in the conveying section; by the time it reaches the heat exchange zone it has to be loose, or even good hot air cannot move it. The material tolerates moderate to high temperature for a while but not a long dwell, so the process needs temperature margin built in. The advantages of flash are the short heating time and the minimal mechanical action on the material; the cost is that throughput is capped by air volume and duct size, and very large lines still need a drum. Powder that sits for long enough will bridge, so the feed end needs a breaker or forced feeding; every blockage stops the line. The alternative is an electrically heated dryer, which is the route to switch to where gas is inconvenient or there is a hard requirement on cleanliness and open flame. Do not describe the material only as powder or granules: give the measured moisture and bulk density for PP powder, because two materials of the same form can differ by a whole machine size.
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| ABS powder | Powder | Heat-sensitive | Flash Airflow Dryer | Electric Heating Dryer |
Heat-sensitive; keep a margin on the temperature limit. Powder moves only if the hot air carries it, so what decides the route is whether the air has enough momentum and whether the duct is sized right, not whether the material flows by itself. Heat sensitive material has a narrow process window, so inlet temperature and residence time can only be set conservatively and throughput usually has to be raised later, once trial run data is in. An airflow line is demanding about the state of the feed: what enters must already be a granule or powder that can be conveyed, because too much moisture makes it cake in the conveying section. Local overheating is the danger with heat sensitive powder: a layer stuck to the wall keeps heating one spot, so the flights and the air volume have to keep the bed from clinging. The alternative is an electrically heated dryer, which is the route to switch to where gas is inconvenient or there is a hard requirement on cleanliness and open flame. When ordering, ask for ABS powder by name and give the actual moisture and bulk density of the incoming material, so the machine size can be fixed in one pass.
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| Polycarbonate powder | Powder | Heat-sensitive | Flash Airflow Dryer | Batch Rotary Dryer |
Strongly hygroscopic and heat-sensitive; pack immediately after drying. If the powder is still wet when it enters the machine it will ball up in the conveying section; by the time it reaches the heat exchange zone it has to be loose, or even good hot air cannot move it. The heating time for this material is measured in seconds; the hot air can run hot, but the material temperature itself has to be held down, because past the threshold it discolours, denatures or cakes. The advantages of flash are the short heating time and the minimal mechanical action on the material; the cost is that throughput is capped by air volume and duct size, and very large lines still need a drum. Local overheating is the danger with heat sensitive powder: a layer stuck to the wall keeps heating one spot, so the flights and the air volume have to keep the bed from clinging. The alternative is a batch rotary dryer, which is the route to switch to when batches are small, products are mixed and changeover is frequent. Do not describe the material only as powder or granules: give the measured moisture and bulk density for polycarbonate powder, because two materials of the same form can differ by a whole machine size.
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| Polystyrene powder | Powder | Heat-sensitive | Flash Airflow Dryer | Electric Heating Dryer |
Low softening point; hold the temperature steady. If the powder is still wet when it enters the machine it will ball up in the conveying section; by the time it reaches the heat exchange zone it has to be loose, or even good hot air cannot move it. The heating time for this material is measured in seconds; the hot air can run hot, but the material temperature itself has to be held down, because past the threshold it discolours, denatures or cakes. The advantages of flash are the short heating time and the minimal mechanical action on the material; the cost is that throughput is capped by air volume and duct size, and very large lines still need a drum. Local overheating is the danger with heat sensitive powder: a layer stuck to the wall keeps heating one spot, so the flights and the air volume have to keep the bed from clinging. The alternative is an electrically heated dryer, which is the route to switch to where gas is inconvenient or there is a hard requirement on cleanliness and open flame. If the incoming grade of polystyrene powder is not the one quoted before, the parameters have to be given again rather than carried over from an earlier order.
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| Nylon (PA) powder | Powder | Heat-sensitive | Flash Airflow Dryer | Electric Heating Dryer |
Strongly hygroscopic; store sealed after drying. Powder moves only if the hot air carries it, so what decides the route is whether the air has enough momentum and whether the duct is sized right, not whether the material flows by itself. Heat sensitive material has a narrow process window, so inlet temperature and residence time can only be set conservatively and throughput usually has to be raised later, once trial run data is in. An airflow line is demanding about the state of the feed: what enters must already be a granule or powder that can be conveyed, because too much moisture makes it cake in the conveying section. Local overheating is the danger with heat sensitive powder: a layer stuck to the wall keeps heating one spot, so the flights and the air volume have to keep the bed from clinging. The alternative is an electrically heated dryer, which is the route to switch to where gas is inconvenient or there is a hard requirement on cleanliness and open flame. Do not describe the material only as powder or granules: give the measured moisture and bulk density for nylon (PA) powder, because two materials of the same form can differ by a whole machine size.
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| EVA powder | Powder | Heat-sensitive | Flash Airflow Dryer | Batch Rotary Dryer |
Low melting point; seconds of exposure is the safer route. Powder has a low bulk density and takes up a lot of volume for the same weight, so drum size is usually worked out backwards from the throughput rather than from the material. Overshooting the heat limit is not recoverable: it is not that the material dries more slowly, it is that the quality is written off, so it is better to protect the temperature than to protect the output. A flash airflow dryer completes heat transfer between the hot air and the material in a few seconds inside the duct, so residence time is measured in seconds and heat sensitive material should go this way. Local overheating is the danger with heat sensitive powder: a layer stuck to the wall keeps heating one spot, so the flights and the air volume have to keep the bed from clinging. The alternative is a batch rotary dryer, which is the route to switch to when batches are small, products are mixed and changeover is frequent. Send a sample with the enquiry. The moisture and bulk density of the actual EVA powder decide the machine size far more than the name does.
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| Colour masterbatch | Granular | Moderate | Flash Airflow Dryer | Rotary Dryer |
Limited granule strength; tumbling and conveying must be gentle. Granules can be carried by hot air or lifted by the flights inside a drum, so the route comes down to throughput scale and to how strong the granules are. At high temperature this material loses water first and discolours later, so holding the temperature is enough, but the combination of temperature and time still has to be confirmed by trial run. An airflow line is demanding about the state of the feed: what enters must already be a granule or powder that can be conveyed, because too much moisture makes it cake in the conveying section. Granules rub against each other inside the drum, so a material with a high fine fraction also means thinking about drum liners and discharge-end dust collection. The alternative is a rotary dryer, which is the route to switch to when the material needs a longer residence time or the line is scaling up to tens of tonnes a day. If the incoming grade of colour masterbatch is not the one quoted before, the parameters have to be given again rather than carried over from an earlier order.
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| Pulverised plastic regrind | Powder | Moderate | Flash Airflow Dryer | Rotary Dryer |
Uneven contamination and moisture; add cleaning and dewatering upstream. If the powder is still wet when it enters the machine it will ball up in the conveying section; by the time it reaches the heat exchange zone it has to be loose, or even good hot air cannot move it. The material tolerates moderate to high temperature for a while but not a long dwell, so the process needs temperature margin built in. The advantages of flash are the short heating time and the minimal mechanical action on the material; the cost is that throughput is capped by air volume and duct size, and very large lines still need a drum. Powder that sits for long enough will bridge, so the feed end needs a breaker or forced feeding; every blockage stops the line. The alternative is a rotary dryer, which is the route to switch to when the material needs a longer residence time or the line is scaling up to tens of tonnes a day. Send a sample with the enquiry. The moisture and bulk density of the actual pulverised plastic regrind decide the machine size far more than the name does.
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| Filled masterbatch | Granular | Moderate | Rotary Dryer | Flash Airflow Dryer |
Fairly high bulk density; drum size set by throughput. Granules have a higher bulk density than powder, so drum fill can be set more generously than for powder, but room must still be left for the material to tumble. The material tolerates moderate to high temperature for a while but not a long dwell, so the process needs temperature margin built in. The drum route does not care about material form: lumps, paste and fibre all go in, at the cost of a large footprint and high initial investment. Granules rub against each other inside the drum, so a material with a high fine fraction also means thinking about drum liners and discharge-end dust collection. The alternative is a flash airflow dryer, which is the route to switch to when throughput is modest and the material needs a shorter heating time. Do not describe the material only as powder or granules: give the measured moisture and bulk density for filled masterbatch, because two materials of the same form can differ by a whole machine size.
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| Phenolic resin | Powder | Moderate | Flash Airflow Dryer | Rotary Dryer |
Thermosetting resin; control temperature to prevent premature curing. Powder has a low bulk density and takes up a lot of volume for the same weight, so drum size is usually worked out backwards from the throughput rather than from the material. It is a material that can be heated but must not be baked, so the set temperature needs margin, and final moisture depends on moisture temperature and drying intensity as well. A flash airflow dryer completes heat transfer between the hot air and the material in a few seconds inside the duct, so residence time is measured in seconds and heat sensitive material should go this way. Powder that sits for long enough will bridge, so the feed end needs a breaker or forced feeding; every blockage stops the line. The alternative is a rotary dryer, which is the route to switch to when the material needs a longer residence time or the line is scaling up to tens of tonnes a day. Do not describe the material only as powder or granules: give the measured moisture and bulk density for phenolic resin, because two materials of the same form can differ by a whole machine size.
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| Epoxy resin | Powder | Moderate | Flash Airflow Dryer | Rotary Dryer |
Thermosetting resin; control temperature to prevent premature curing. Powder has a low bulk density and takes up a lot of volume for the same weight, so drum size is usually worked out backwards from the throughput rather than from the material. It is a material that can be heated but must not be baked, so the set temperature needs margin, and final moisture depends on moisture temperature and drying intensity as well. A flash airflow dryer completes heat transfer between the hot air and the material in a few seconds inside the duct, so residence time is measured in seconds and heat sensitive material should go this way. Powder that sits for long enough will bridge, so the feed end needs a breaker or forced feeding; every blockage stops the line. The alternative is a rotary dryer, which is the route to switch to when the material needs a longer residence time or the line is scaling up to tens of tonnes a day. If the incoming grade of epoxy resin is not the one quoted before, the parameters have to be given again rather than carried over from an earlier order.
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| Plastic flake | Flake | Moderate | Rotary Dryer |
Flake regrind; control temperature to avoid softening and sticking. Thin flakes transfer heat quickly and can be dried hard, but the price is tighter demand on air velocity and on temperature uniformity. It is a material that can be heated but must not be baked, so the set temperature needs margin, and final moisture depends on moisture temperature and drying intensity as well. A rotary dryer lifts and drops the material repeatedly with flights to form a curtain, so the material stays inside for minutes to tens of minutes, which suits heavy, heat tolerant material. Flakes stick together into lumps, so both the feed section and the flight pattern have to be matched to how strong the flakes are. The process route is fairly specialised and there is little room to switch equipment, so the configuration has to be right the first time. When ordering, ask for plastic flake by name and give the actual moisture and bulk density of the incoming material, so the machine size can be fixed in one pass.
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Recommendations above are a selection direction based on material form, heat sensitivity and throughput. Capacity varies with the material, the initial moisture content and the target final moisture, and the formal figures come from a trial run.
Four steps to a selectionHow to choose
- Material form Powder, granule and flake material can be carried in an air stream; blocky, paste-like and fibrous material has to be tumbled inside a drum.
- Heat sensitivity This comes first. Where the material is heat-sensitive and its form allows air conveying, a flash airflow dryer is the natural choice — regardless of output, because exposure to heat is measured in seconds. Material that tolerates heat can be dried more slowly and at lower cost.
- Throughput and budget Where budget and batch size matter more than output, a batch rotary dryer carries relatively low capital cost and suits a small plant or workshop. For high output, a continuous rotary dryer feeds and discharges at the same time and runs non-stop.
- Environment and energy Where emissions are constrained or there is no steam supply, electric and electromagnetic heating avoids an open flame and responds faster.
Where the material is corrosive (acidic, chloride-bearing, saline and so on), the parts in contact can be specified in stainless steel: 201 / 304 / 316L / 430 / 2205 duplex and other grades to order.
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Material · Selection · Trial run