Spooner Industries has been leading technical innovations in the principles of forced convection since 1932. Initially developed for the textile industry, the company’s founder William Wycliffe Spooner, revolutionised the industrial drying techniques of the time in terms of both speed and efficiency and eventually doubled the output of what had previously been achieved.

Fast forward to today and the company continues to push the boundaries, providing custom-built drying solutions in the paper industry for the drying, cooling and non-contact web handling for a wide range of base papers, coated papers and sized paper grades. Decades of experience and development at Spooner has delivered major step changes in drying technology creating an enviable position for the company as the industry expert. Characteristic of these developments, and in keeping with Mr Spooner’s initial advances all those years ago, is the design and engineering of equipment to maximise efficiency and output, including:

• MG Hoods/Yankee Hoods

Developed many decades ago by Spooner for MG and tissue grades, this specialised equipment enhances the drying capacity of the MG/Yankee cylinder via high-velocity air impingement on the reverse side of the sheet. The Spooner hoods are now available with high-performance internal air systems and are capable of air temperatures of up to 600°C.

• Air Turn

Developed to provide non-contact turning of wet-coated webs, the Spooner Air Turn provides stable operation with no web edge flutter or vibrations and is suitable for heavy or lightweight grades. A special design also is available for porous webs.

• HPC Dryer™

Unrivalled in the world for drying capability, this compact air flotation dryer doubles the airflow of a conventional air flotation dryer through a unique configuration of air flotation airbars supplemented by an equal number of hole impingement airbars. This increases performance by a proven 30% or more whilst the high heat transfer potential, resulting in shorter machine lengths, is particularly effective for drying applications where space is limited such as online coat drying on paper machines. Width capabilities of up to 10m can also be catered for.

• ModuleDryer™

By providing simultaneous non-contact turning and drying, drying performance within a particular space is maximised. The Spooner ModuleDyer™ combines the non-contact web-turning capability of the Air Turn with the heat transfer capability of a high-performance air flotation dryer.

The strength behind Spooner is the wealth of accumulated knowledge and expertise which ensures in-depth understanding. Problem-solving for customers new or refit requirements is the operational norm, with individually tailored solutions designed and engineered always to provide optimal results.

Trial facilities are also available at the Spooner R&D Test Centre, a specialist facility that includes a high-speed coating and laminating line equipped with air flotation drying. Incorporating ‘state of the art’ sensors and a sophisticated data-logging system for the comprehensive monitoring, recording and analysis of all process parameters, the four-zone dryer provides maximum flexibility during trials.

Spooner technology and equipment can be applied to a huge range of paper grades including art paper or board, banknote and security paper, tissue and thermal paper to name but a few. A Spooner solution goes from concept design to manufacture with full turnkey installation, commissioning, training and preventative maintenance programmes also available.

To learn more about all our Spooner Paper equipment, get in touch with Lee Fairhurst at lfairhurst@spooner.co.uk, or call +44 (0) 1943 609 505.

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