Toasty Warm and Dry

With so much energy packed into a small space, the IR dryer is one source that is great for preheating. Litzler says, "Infrared is great for putting a tremendous amount of energy into a small space. [It] can be used as a way to increase speeds with preheating."

However, while it is great for directly heating an object, "infrared is an energy source that is not a cure-all for every drying application," says Litzler. "Infrared does a great job of heating the coating and web. Air, [though], is usually required to break the coating boundary layer and help exhaust moisture." By combining infrared with air (convection technology), Litzler says that converters get the best of both worlds.