In plastics manufacturing, traditional material drying can lead to production instability. Fortunately this process is being revolutionised by digital transformation, as industrial equipment supplier Summit Systems explains here.
As plastics manufacturers continue accelerating digital transformation strategies, the focus is shifting beyond machine connectivity alone. Today, manufacturers are looking for technologies that directly improve productivity, maximise machine uptime and reduce operating costs through smarter use of production data.
One area where this is becoming increasingly important is material drying. Drying has a major influence on process stability, part quality and production efficiency. Inconsistent drying can lead to defects, material degradation, process interruptions and unplanned downtime, all of which reduce machine utilisation and increase cost per part.
Traditional drying systems typically rely on indirect environmental measurements such as dew point to control performance. These systems can be affected by ambient conditions, maintenance issues and material variability, often creating inconsistencies that impact production stability and throughput.
The Maguire ULTRA Vacuum Dryer takes a different approach. Using vacuum technology based on fixed physical principles rather than variable environmental conditions, ULTRA delivers faster, more stable and highly repeatable drying performance.
The productivity benefits are significant. With drying times reduced to a fraction of those required by traditional desiccant systems, processors can dramatically increase material availability and reduce waiting times between production changes. Faster drying means moulding machines spend less time idle waiting for dry material, helping maximise uptime and improve overall equipment effectiveness (OEE).
At the same time, ULTRA helps reduce production bottlenecks by ensuring a continuous and reliable supply of correctly dried material. Reduced thermal stress on the resin also improves consistency and part quality, minimising scrap, reducing process interruptions and supporting more stable long-term production.
Alongside productivity improvements, ULTRA also delivers major energy savings. Energy consumption can typically be reduced by more than 60% compared with conventional drying methods, helping manufacturers lower operating costs while supporting sustainability targets and reducing CO2 emissions.
For manufacturers focused on data-driven production, ULTRA transforms drying into a fully connected process. The system continuously captures and records key operating parameters including material temperature, vacuum pressure, cycle duration and throughput. These time-stamped process records provide engineers with valuable operational insight, enabling faster troubleshooting, improved traceability and better process optimisation across multiple machines or production lines.
When integrated with wider factory systems such as MES or plant-wide monitoring platforms, drying becomes part of a connected manufacturing environment where real-time data supports faster decision-making and more efficient production management.
Digital transformation in plastics manufacturing is ultimately about improving performance, uptime and profitability. Technologies such as the ULTRA Vacuum Dryer microsite demonstrate how smarter drying can help manufacturers increase productivity while reducing energy consumption and environmental impact.
Visitors to Interplas 2026 can learn more about ULTRA Vacuum Drying on the Summit Systems stand, Hall 10, Stand M50, at the NEC Birmingham.
