Press Release
Superheated Steam High Speed Dryer Development of the "SS Dryer"High-speed drying that facilitates switching to eco-friendly aqueous cleaner
October 09, 2012
Chubu Electric Power Co.,Inc.
Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. in collaboration with Nastec Co., Ltd. and Daido Corporation, has developed a Superheated Steam High Speed Dryer (product name: SS Dryer) that is capable of high-speed drying for machine part washing processes.
Nastec Co., Ltd. is scheduled to launch sale of the developed product in November this year.
Machine parts that have completed processing in automobile component and other plants must be washed to remove oil from the surfaces and then dried before shipment. Although flammable solvent cleaners are conventionally used in the washing process, inexpensive non-hazardous aqueous cleaners have begun appearing on the market in recent years. Compared to highly volatile solvent cleaners, however, water takes much longer to dry, and customers who want to start using aqueous cleaners must often give up switching. There is therefore a need for technology that enables quick drying of moisture.
This newly developed product uses superheated steam that has high heating efficiency for drying. Superheated steam is very hot steam heated to about 200-250°C and has 5-10 times the heating capacity of regular hot air. Blowing this superheated steam on to machine parts enables quick drying of moisture left on metal parts.
When the conventional flammable solvent cleaners are used, the high cost of purchasing the cleaners is compounded by the extra expenses for special construction the washing line requires to prevent fires. This all translates into very high costs. Use of the newly developed product enables switching over to non-flammable aqueous cleaner, so that the washing line becomes more simplified, creating a safe work environment in the plant and reducing costs.
Main Features of the Superheated Steam High Speed Dryer
(1) Greatly reduced drying time
When drying machine parts with complex shapes using the conventional hot air method, moisture did not evaporate easily from the crevices in the parts. This meant that drying required between 10 minutes and 1 hour. When using the newly developed product, superheated steam is blown on the machine parts, making it possible within 3 minutes to dry hundreds of metal parts measuring several cm.
(2) Realization of a high level of safety
Using the newly developed product facilitates use of non-hazardous aqueous cleaners. Not only does this enable simpler washing line structure, but it also increases the safety of the work environment at the plant.
(3) Reduction in cleaner costs
Using the newly developed product enables cutting of costs for purchasing solvent cleaners, which is a burden for conventional plants.