Dryers for latex and other foamed polymers

In the past 30 years Stalam has developed and supplied a large number of RF dryers featuring specific technical solutions for natural or synthetic latex products (mainly mattress cores, pillows, anatomic seats and continuous sheet) after vulcanising, washing and squeezing or centrifugal hydroextraction, highly hydrophilic polyurethane foam after wet casting for health-care and medical uses, and other high-porosity polymeric substrates.

Stalam machines can accomplish the entire drying process or work in conjunction with existing tunnel or cabinet type hot air dryers (ie. for partial drying) to increase the capacity (speed) of the production line, maximise the energy efficiency and, especially, improve the quality of the end product.

Benefits

• Fast and uniform drying: about 20 minutes are sufficient to dry even thick and dense mattress cores below 1% residual moisture content, without any wet spots; also shaped products like pillows and anatomic seats dry perfectly uniformly in thicker parts as in thinner portions
• No yellowing of the product surface, due to low temperature in the drying tunnel (RF heats the product core, not its external surface)
• Short conditioning time, so the product can be packaged for shipment quickly after drying without any risk of moulding on the way to customers
• Significant reduction of drying equipment footprint, thanks to the short process time
• Energy-efficient in-line process, reduced drying and product handling costs
• Reduced carbon foot-print, being an electro-thermal technology