Compressed Air Dryer Solutions for Glass & Plastics Manufacturing

Glass and plastics manufacturing relies on compressed air across a wide range of production processes, including forming, molding, conveying, pneumatic automation, handling, packaging, and general plant operations.

Depending on the process, compressed air may operate cylinders, actuators, valves, robotic equipment, material handling systems, blow molding equipment, and other production machinery.

Moisture, oil aerosols, and solid particles in untreated compressed air can affect pneumatic equipment, process stability, and production reliability. In continuous manufacturing environments, unstable compressed air quality may also increase maintenance requirements and the risk of unplanned interruptions.

Lingyu provides refrigerated air dryers, regenerative desiccant air dryers, and multi-stage compressed air filtration solutions for glass and plastics manufacturers requiring reliable moisture removal, cleaner compressed air, and stable long-term operation.

Why Air Quality Matters

Compressed air naturally contains water vapor and may also carry oil aerosols and solid particles from the surrounding environment, compressor, piping, or air treatment system.

As compressed air cools, water vapor can condense inside pipelines and downstream equipment. This moisture may contribute to corrosion, pneumatic component problems, and unstable operation.

Oil aerosols and solid particles can also accumulate inside the compressed air distribution system or reach valves, cylinders, actuators, and other production equipment.

In glass and plastics manufacturing, where pneumatic automation and continuous production are common, maintaining an appropriate pressure dew point and filtration level helps support reliable equipment operation and consistent production conditions.

Key Challenges

Moisture in Pneumatic and Production Equipment

Condensed moisture can affect pneumatic valves, cylinders, actuators, pipelines, and automated equipment.

Reliable compressed air drying helps reduce condensation and supports stable operation throughout the production line.

Continuous Production Requirements

Glass and plastics production lines may operate continuously or for extended shifts.

Compressed air treatment systems therefore need to provide dependable moisture removal and filtration while supporting long-term plant operation.

Different Process Requirements

General utility air, pneumatic automation, molding equipment, conveying systems, and more sensitive point-of-use applications may not require the same compressed air quality.

The treatment level should be selected according to the actual process rather than applying one specification to every compressed air user.

Fluctuating Compressed Air Demand

Compressed air consumption may change as molding machines, forming equipment, conveying systems, or production lines cycle on and off.

Where demand varies significantly, a variable-frequency refrigerated air dryer can adapt refrigeration capacity to the actual treatment load.

Energy Efficiency

Deep drying requires additional energy.

Where a standard refrigerated dryer provides sufficient moisture control, using adsorption drying for the entire plant may create unnecessary operating cost. Lower dew point treatment can instead be applied to specific applications where it is actually required.

Recommended Solution

For most glass and plastics manufacturing applications, a refrigerated air dryer combined with properly selected compressed air filters provides a practical foundation for moisture and contaminant control.

Where production conditions require a lower pressure dew point, more stable dryness, or specialized point-of-use treatment, a regenerative desiccant air dryer can be incorporated into the system.

The final configuration should be selected according to compressed air flow, pressure, inlet temperature, ambient conditions, required pressure dew point, contamination level, production duty cycle, and available plant utilities.

General Plant and Production Air

For general pneumatic equipment, forming and molding machinery, conveying systems, packaging equipment, and plant utility air, an AH Series Air-Cooled Refrigerated Air Dryer combined with appropriate filtration provides a practical treatment solution where standard refrigerated drying meets the process requirement.

The AH Series provides a pressure dew point of 2–10°C, with:

• Rated inlet pressure: 0.7 MPa
• Operating pressure range: 0.6–1.0 MPa
• Rated inlet temperature: 50°C
• Maximum inlet temperature: ≤80°C
• Operating ambient temperature: 2–45°C
• Pressure drop: ≤0.025 MPa

This configuration is suitable for a broad range of general compressed air users where reliable moisture removal is required without the need for deep adsorption drying.

Plants with Cooling-Water Systems

Where cooling water is already available as part of the plant infrastructure, a WH Series Water-Cooled Refrigerated Air Dryer can be considered.

The WH Series provides a 2–10°C pressure dew point, supports inlet temperatures up to 80°C, and operates with cooling-water temperatures of ≤32°C and cooling-water pressure of 0.2–0.4 MPa.

Water-cooled drying can be particularly practical for larger manufacturing facilities where the available utilities and installation environment favor water-cooled equipment.

Variable or Cyclic Compressed Air Demand

Plastics processing equipment can create changing compressed air demand as machines and production cycles start, stop, or change load.

For systems with significant load variation, the PB Series Dual-Effect Energy-Saving Variable-Frequency Refrigerated Air Dryer provides a more flexible solution.

The dryer automatically adjusts refrigeration compressor speed according to actual compressed air treatment load.

Its control system can monitor operating parameters including:

• Compressed air inlet and outlet temperature
• Pressure dew point
• Compressed air pressure
• Evaporation temperature
• Condensing temperature
• Evaporation and condensing pressure
• Refrigerant operating conditions

RS-485 communication is provided as standard, allowing integration with plant monitoring and control systems.

Applications Requiring a Lower Pressure Dew Point

Some production areas or point-of-use applications may require compressed air significantly drier than the 2–10°C pressure dew point normally provided by refrigerated drying.

For these applications, a regenerative desiccant air dryer can be added.

The HH Series Heatless Regenerative Desiccant Air Dryer provides an outlet pressure dew point of ≤−40°C, with an operating pressure range of 0.6–1.0 MPa.

Rather than deep-drying all plant compressed air, adsorption drying can be applied where the actual process or environmental conditions require a lower pressure dew point.

Multi-Stage Compressed Air Filtration

Drying controls moisture, while filtration is used to reduce particles and oil contamination in the compressed air system.

Lingyu D Series compressed air filters provide several filtration levels:

Filter stages can be combined according to compressor type, dryer configuration, downstream equipment, and the required air quality at each point of use.

Appropriate filtration also helps protect downstream air treatment equipment and pneumatic components from contamination.

Typical Selection Guide

Different treatment levels can be used within the same plant where general utility air and more demanding production applications have different air quality requirements.

Typical Applications

Lingyu compressed air treatment systems can support a wide range of applications in glass and plastics manufacturing, including:

• Glass forming equipment
• Glass container production
• Plastics molding machinery
• Blow molding equipment
• PET container production
• Pneumatic cylinders and actuators
• Control valves
• Robotic and automated equipment
• Pneumatic conveying systems
• Material handling equipment
• Packaging machinery
• General plant utility air
• Continuous production lines

The appropriate treatment configuration should be determined according to the actual compressed air use and required air quality rather than the industry alone.