Vacuum tray dryers are well suited for gentle and save drying in the chemical, pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industry. The plates in the dryer are heated with steam, hot water or thermal oil. The spacing between the plates is based on the required cake volume and height in the trays. To attain even drying in all trays, the ceiling plate of the housing should also be heated.
The dryer is generally pre-heated prior to loading the filled trays. Once all trays reach the same temperature, vacuum is applied and the drying process started, typically in the range of 40 to 80 mbar and temperature of 80 - 130 ﾟC. In the final drying phase, typically a high vacuum is reached.
The internal plates can also be used to cool the product after dying prior to discharge. Tray dryers are often used for drying high value, temperature or oxygen sensitive products. Tray dryers are ideally suited for small scale production of newly developed products.
