This Case History covers a unique system built in 1998 for a large automotive manufacturer. The customer had to dry a variety of pump housings, brake housings and components loaded in two sizes of plastic baskets. Thousands of parts were to be processed every day in batch loads. In order to keep up with production, four large baskets or twelve small baskets had to be dried every four minutes. The baskets had to be rotated during the process to remove accumulated moisture from recessed passages and blind holes.
The components are racked in existing stackable baskets and loaded into the rotating assembly. The rotator has two identical chambers for accommodating two large or six small baskets in each chamber (see below). The process is automatic. Rotation (including speed selection) is automatically sequenced. The operator simply loads the rotator and presses a button. The housings are carried into the drying chamber and rotated and oscillated continuously throughout the process using RAMCO dynamic flow combinations to provide superior processing results.
Ramco Hot Air Knife Dryers get maximum evaporation providing rapid drying without excessive heat. The key is using high volume hot air combined with changing air flow patterns created by the oscillating elevator. Air is recirculated, heated and directed into the drying chamber via adjustable air knives. The elevator constantly oscillates the workload in and out of the hot air stream. Humid air is displaced with just the right amount of fresh air using adjustable vents to maintain effective air quality within the chamber. The dryer is electrically heated and includes a digital indicating temperature controller with isolated high temperature manual reset, an air flow proving switch to protect the heaters and Nema 4/12 control panel with lockout-tagout disconnect switch.