Resin Drying: New Dryer Line Applies Improved Heat Exchanger Design, Energy Management

At K 2019, Koch-Technik launched the EKON line of dry-air dryers, said to combine the best aspects of its CKT and EKO dryers for the new series, available in eight different sizes. The EKON applies and reportedly improves EKO’s heat exchanger design, recovering heat and reducing energy consumption by 20-30%. In addition to frequency regulation for the blower, the EKON dryers apply the company’s ÖKO patented energy management technology, which adapts the drying process to maximize power consumption while protecting the materials. Koch-Technik says that combining dew point control with frequency regulation, energy savings of up to 50% can be achieved. Using a modular design, EKON dryer’s range in capacity from 20 to 600 liters (5 to 160 gallons) with throughputs from 110 to 2000 m³/hr. The dryers feature a 10.4-inch touch screen control, and, via an ethernet connection, they can be connected to a corporate network to control drying centrally using Koch’s visualization software. The EKON line applies the OPC-UA open interface to support Industry 4.0 compatibility.