As an alternative to conventional hot air or infrared dryers, which can cause migration of solids and poor surface qualities, a Radio Frequency (RF) dryer can remove water at speeds up to 1,000 feet per minute while maintaining superior product feel and performance. Radio Frequency Co.'s Macrowave Drying System uses a high frequency electric field to rapidly vaporize water in-situ, such that it exits the product surface as a gas rather than by liquid capillary action, which prevents the migration of solids. In the case of antimicrobial impregnations, the agents remain uniformly distributed throughout the product thickness and surface crusting is eliminated.
This technology is also excellent for drying temperature sensitive materials as process temperatures never exceed the vaporization temperature of water. Further, because the drying area is non-contact, build-up of impregnations or mechanical disruption of the product surface is never an issue.
Using clean electrical energy from the grid, the material to be treated is conveyed through a high frequency electrode array where the alternating electrical energy causes the water molecules to heat rapidly and uniformly throughout the product thickness. Radio frequency (RF) heating is a highly efficient, direct form of heating such that no energy is wasted heating large volumes of air or preheating the system itself. The technology is "instant-on, instant-off" using energy only during the drying process and requires a fraction of the floor space required by conventional dryers.