Airing Out the Options

“The combination of hot-air impingement and infrared energy also solves aggravating coating blistering problems, because water doesn’t become trapped beneath the coating’s surface,” Alimena concludes.

New air-drying solutions

Recently, several new air drying and combination air/IR drying units have hit the marketplace. Fuchs Devries introduced a Hot Airknife Drying System, offering the heat and control needed to maximize press output. It was designed to dry water-based coatings by incorporating high-volume hot air with velocity and temperature controls. This PLC-controlled system maintains temperature to within 1°F accuracy.