SECOMAK AIR KNIVES CAN DRY, CLEAN OR COOL ALMOST ANY SURFACE
SEC03/02

Air movement specialist Secomak has provided drying systems using air knife technology to many industries for over 50 years. This experience, coupled with extensive and ongoing research, has allowed the company to develop a substantial product range to meet a massive variety of applications.

In the food and drink industries, wherever products on an automated production line need to be rapidly dried, cleaned or cooled, air knives can play a role.

At Barr’s bottling plant in Cumbernauld, Scotland, Secomak’s Powerstrip drying system is used, allowing bottles of soft drinks to be labelled easily. When filling the bottles, the product sometimes fobs over on to the outside so every bottle, after filling and capping, is cleaned externally with water. For the bottles to then be labelled successfully, the tops, necks and sides must be completely dry. Secomak tailored its system to Barr’s requirements and now dries the bottles at a rate of 300 per minute.

A straight air knife system is employed at The New Covent Garden Soup Company’s London factory. Soup cartons are hot-filled then cooled as quickly as possible before entering an air-blast chiller. A problem occurred when the water used to chill the cartons carried through to the chiller, where it froze, jamming the conveyor belt. Also, cold air from the chiller passing into the water section could freeze the water there. Secomak’s air knife removes any remaining water from the cartons and also acts as an effective 'air barrier', preventing freezing air from entering the water section.

Each application is considered individually by Secomak’s team of engineers, plus the company manufactures its own products and utilises its own range of high performance blowers designed to meet the requirements of air-knife systems. Its machines have been installed in the most aggressive environments and are often chosen as they are sturdy, complete, and virtually maintenance-free.