Eliminating the use of plastics in products such as cups and fast food containers is a hot topic. The use of water-based barrier coatings to eliminate Polyethylene (PE) layers achieves this and has both environmental and cost benefits.

Applying specialist coatings to papers and board provides effective water, oil and grease barriers whilst being biodegradable and therefore easily recyclable. Spooner’s range of air flotation dryers have proved to be the ideal technology to dry this product.

A specialist in this field recently re-built an off-machine coater at one of its facilities in Finland. After each coating station, a high-performance Spooner air flotation dryer was installed. Spooner equipment was chosen as it simultaneously provides high evaporation rates and defect free drying characteristics using non-contact operation and stable, vibration free web-handling.

Spooner also recently installed a ModuleDryer^TM (turning & drying) flotation system at a major manufacturer’s plant, also in Finland. The dryer was installed on a board machine producing liquid packaging board. This retrofit installation increased speed potential by simultaneously adding drying capacity and eliminating coated side roll contact. As with many Spooner dryers, both installations included heat recovery systems to maximise energy efficiency and reduce gas consumption.

Our heat recovery technology also covers the food, metal, paper and environment sectors.

Spooner has multiple installations internationally processing barrier-coated paper and board webs ranging from 30gsm to 500gsm. For more information on Spooner drying systems for barrier and other coatings, please contact Lee Fairhurst at lfairhurst@spooner.co.uk.

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