A revolutionary drying philosophy.

Planex® System. Horizontal paddle vacuum dryer patented by Italvacuum with ZeroFriction® planetary movement eccentric agitator.

Drying is a special art, to which is assigned the task of meeting increasingly severe requirements, requested by the chemical and pharmaceutical productions, with reference to:

- energy consumption;

- product quality;

- loading flexibility;

- drying speed;

- ease of discharge;

- ease of cleaning, maintenance and internal inspection;

- safety for the operators, the environment and the dried batch.

Precisely to offer the highest levels of quality, productivity and safety, while minimizing energy consumption, Italvacuum - international manufacturer of vacuum pumps and vacuum dryers - has designed and realized Planex® System, a multi-patented machine which is conquering the most demanding operators from all around the world, by guaranteeing results that were unthinkable till now and configuring itself as a real revolution in the drying field.

Thanks to the originality and cutting-edge technology, Planex System recently won the Dry Trophy Innovation Award 2016, prize organized by NWGD (Dutch Working Group on Drying), sponsored by the Dutch government, which promotes innovation in the drying field, especially with regard to energy savings.

Planex® System is a horizontal paddle vacuum dryer with eccentric agitator featuring two independent movements, allowing it to simultaneously revolve around its own axis and to rotate tangentially to the drying chamber. Designed to dry wet feed from filtration and centrifuging processes Planex® System is ideal for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients, fine chemicals and intermediates.

The combined rotations of the agitator and its small size compared to the drying chamber diameter, ensures the perfect mixing of the entire batch, and allows consuming at least three times less energy than conventional dryers with a concentric agitators. This means a threefold reduction in mechanical and thermal stresses on the batch being dried (Analysis by Politecnico di Torino’s Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering). As a result, even the most delicate and temperature-sensitive products are treated with maximum care.

But there is more. The Planex® System control software allows to automatically command the agitator movements with the Stop & Swing program. In this way, the agitator swings back and forth, thus remaining all the time immersed in the product, and guaranteeing its continuous mixing. This approach is particularly effective when processing small batches.

Moreover Planex® System, thanks to its agitator’s ZeroFriction® planetary movement, prevents the product from being rubbed against the drying chamber walls and thus heating up due to friction, a typical problem in conventional paddle systems. In addition, the rotation of the paddles tangentially to the chamber walls, conveys the product into the small clearance between the agitator and the chamber surface, preventing lumps formation and guaranteeing an even more effective drying and a controlled final particle size distribution, which is impossible to achieve with conventional dryers.

The minimum clearance between agitator profile and chamber walls not only prevents product build-ups, but it also makes discharge significantly easier. In addition, there is a specific automatic program for the discharge operations. These operations are even more effective thanks to the “pendulum” movement of the agitator (the agitator “pendulum” movement), which swings by 90 degrees in the discharge area. As a result, the amount of product left in the Planex® System chamber after discharge is truly minimal, averaging less than 1% of the volume.

Planex® System also features outstanding loading flexibility. The system is available with total volumes ranging from 150 to 3,200 liters. Maximum loading capacity depends on the product to be processed, and can vary from 15% to 80% of the chamber volume. The system can meet all the production needs of the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, as it is capable of processing small amounts of product as well as large batches.

Planex® System is safe for operators, the environment and the product, because it is designed and manufactured in compliance with European Union ATEX Directives and CE marking requirements, as well as with the increasingly stringent US FDA standards and cGMP Current Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations.