Air Wipe and Wire Dryer
Simplify the Drying Process with Sonic's Air Wipe System & Wire Dryer
Sonic’s air wipe system delivers high-velocity, 360-degree drying for wire, cable, tube, hose, and extruded profiles operating at industrial line speeds. Our engineering and applications team works directly with manufacturers to size, configure, and integrate each system, ensuring optimal moisture removal, consistent product quality, and reliable performance across extrusion, coating, and processing lines. By replacing compressed air wipes, the Sonic Air Wipe and Wire Dryer achieves a typical six-month ROI—one of the shortest payback periods of any equipment purchase in a wire and cable facility.
Powered entirely by a Sonic centrifugal blower, the system provides uniform, non-contact drying around the full circumference of the product. This blower-driven approach reduces operating costs, eliminates variability from multiple nozzles, and delivers the steady, high-speed drying required for modern continuous manufacturing.
Achieve 360° Dryness & Efficiency With Air Wipe Systems
High-velocity, blower-driven air surrounds the product with a 360° drying ring that removes water, cooling fluid, and surface moisture from wires, cables, tubes, pipes, hoses, and extruded profiles.
By replacing compressed air with a dedicated blower, manufacturers eliminate moisture and overspray at the source, resulting in cleaner downstream processes, improved product quality, and increased throughput.
The non-contact air wipe design provides stable drying even at extreme line speeds and in environments where surface tension, extrusion residue, or cooling bath runoff might otherwise compromise consistency.
Whether the product diameter is a delicate 40-AWG conductor or a 4-inch tube, Sonic provides an engineered configuration that delivers consistent performance with significantly lower operating costs.
Why Choose a Sonic Air Wipe System?
Compressed air wipes create unnecessary cost and variability. They consume large volumes of expensive compressed air, introduce high noise levels, and often require multiple nozzles to achieve full circumferential coverage, leading to uneven drying and increased downtime from adjustment or clogging. As line speeds increase, compressed air systems struggle to keep up, creating process bottlenecks and moisture-related defects.
A Sonic air wipe system eliminates these limitations by relying on a high-efficiency blower that delivers stable, repeatable airflow at a fraction of the operating cost. Plants benefit from reduced energy consumption, fewer maintenance interventions, and significantly quieter operation. The system’s robust design maximizes uptime, improves operator safety, and delivers consistent drying performance across all shifts and production runs.
Advanced Air Wipe & Wire Drying Solution for Industrial Applications
Wire, Cable, and Extruded Rubber Profiles
Continuous extrusion lines for wire, cable, and rubber profiles require fast, uniform moisture removal as products exit the cooling trough. A 360° air wipe delivers consistent, non-contact drying that improves surface quality and supports higher line speeds.
Metal Rolling, Forming, Fabrication & Finishing
Metal wires, rods, and shaped profiles benefit from controlled moisture removal before coating, galvanizing, marking, or finishing. The air wipe system strips water evenly across the surface, reducing defects and stabilizing downstream processes.
High Tech
Fine conductors and precision extrusions used in electronics and high-tech assemblies demand gentle, uniform drying that won’t distort sensitive materials. The air wipe system provides stable airflow at high line speeds, ensuring clean surfaces ready for insulation, coating, or winding.
Plastic, Rubber, Film, and Foil
Extruded polymer profiles and narrow materials require reliable moisture removal to prevent blemishes, adhesion issues, or contamination during downstream operations. A blower-powered air wipe produces clean, controlled airflow that improves product consistency and reduces scrap.
Air Wipe Technical Specifications & Models
The Sonic Standard Air Wipe Dryer
0.05 to 4" (1.25 mm to 101.6 mm) Dia - 200 to 1,000 FPM (61 to 300 m/min)
Sonic offers several variations of this rigid extrusion or jacketed cable dryer for 0.05” to 4" (1.25 to 101.6 mm) diameters at 200 to 1,000 FPM (61 to 300 m/min). These air wipe modules come in 12" (304.8 mm) long increments with polymer enclosures to capture blown-off moisture and reduce sound. The easy-access clam-shell enclosure, with manual latching, eliminates close clearance line threading, and the auto-pneumatic option opens the cover to allow knots to pass without binding or jamming. The internal wire clearance ranges from 2 to 8 times the extrusion diameter. Sonic blower models range from 3 to 20 HP (2.2 to 15 kW). The complete cable dryer module is all prepackaged with the blower connections and adjustable height mounting stand, ready to assemble in minutes.
The Sonic High-Speed Wire Drying Solution
40 to 00 AWG Wire - 1,000 to 10,000 FPM (300 to 3,000 m/min)
Replace compressed air wipes for fiber optic and metallic cable from 40 AWG through 00 AWG (average wire gouge) with extruder speeds of 1,000 to 10,000 linear feet per minute (300 to 3,000 m/min). The dryer module is enclosed in a 42" (1,067mm) long polypropylene moisture and sound reduction enclosure (as low as 80 dbA available) with either a manual or pneumatically operated clam-shell split housing design for unobstructed access. Several split ceramic eye guides are located along the wire travel center line for easy threading. Sonic blower model and motor power for this application range from 15 to 25 HP (11 to 18.5kW). The complete cable dryer module is all prepackaged with the blower connections and adjustable height mounting stand ready to assemble in minutes.
The Sonic Extruded Shape Air Wipes
0.25" to 2" (6.35 to 50.8 mm) Dia - 10 to 200 FPM (3 to 60 m/min)
This "air ring" design is for any continuously water-cooled non-wire core products which are unsupported, have low tension, and are without internal stiffening components within the extrusion. These air wipes provide a 2.75" (69.85 mm) ID adjustable 360° air slot to deliver lower velocity air, at a more uniform flow, to dry while preventing turbulence to soft extruded shapes. Sonic blowers for this application range from 3 to 15 HP (2.2 to 11 kW).
The Sonic Tube and Pipe Drying Air Octagon
6" to 48" (152.4 mm to 1,219.20 mm) Dia - 10 to 100 FPM (3 to 30 m/min)
This "air ring" design is for any large-diameter continuous plastic, metal tube, or pipe manufacturing process. The custom Sonic Air Octagon for large diameters is generally used after cooling, washing, or hydrostatic pressure testing. Sonic developed these air rings to deliver a 360° air wiping action. The Air Octagon is powered by a high-speed Sonic blower, which delivers high-impact air velocities prior to welding, ink coding, coating, or painting. Sonic blowers for the Air Octagon range from 15 to 50 HP (11 to 37.5 kW).
Specification Sheets
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Sonic butterfly valves can operate in conjunction with a VFD for blower speed control; however, they can also function as the sole airflow control device. As a low-cost alternative to a VFD, the butterfly valve allows operators to manually fine-tune air velocity and pressure, setting the optimum airflow level during the initial system setup without relying on expensive electronic controls.
The Sonic Y-Verter™ is a mechanical alternative to Variable Frequency Drive motor controllers traditionally used in blower and air knife systems. It allows rapid, reliable airflow redirection between system branches without changing motor speed, reducing complexity and maintenance requirements compared to VFD-based systems.
A Y-Verter™ is particularly effective when using standard 3,600 RPM, 60 Hz motors where air control needs can be met through mechanical redirection rather than motor speed modulation. While certain high-speed blower motors (up to 20,000 RPM) may require VFDs with output frequencies up to 330 Hz, many air knife applications can achieve equal or better airflow management with the simpler, more durable Y-Verter™ system.
Yes. They can be integrated with most industrial blowers or pneumatic systems, and custom configurations are available for unique operating conditions.