Drying System for Food & Beverage
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Improve Drying and Blow-Off Processes with Sonic’s Food and Beverage Air Knife Systems
High-speed drying solutions for cans, bottles, and packaging to ensure smooth production and product integrity.
Sonic Air Systems offers the largest selection of blower-powered Air Knife Systems in the food and beverage industry. These systems offer efficient package drying and blow-off solutions for various food manufacturing, packaging, and beverage applications. Entry-level systems include hard anodized air knives and energy-efficient industrial centrifugal blowers for the food industry. Premium systems feature 300-series stainless steel, washdown duty components, and fully welded air knives meeting 3A cleanability standards. Turnkey options are available, including blower enclosures, HEPA filters, food-grade accessories, air knife tunnels, and electrical control integration.
Guaranteed Air Knife Solutions to Keep Your Production Line Flowing
Sonic provides a written full refund purchase drying guarantee for virtually every food and beverage industry application that we quote. Our systems provide a cost-effective and energy-efficient solution for moisture-related issues in food manufacturing, such as labeling, packaging, inkjet coding, date stamping, and other food and produce drying and blow-off production processes.
Food-grade air knife systems require stainless steel components and HEPA filtration. Sonic offers sanitary, 3A-compliant air knives that can be easily disassembled and cleaned by hand, ensuring food safety. Aluminum components are available for applications that do not require strict adherence to 3A guidelines but still require effective drying and blow-off capabilities. Our air knife systems are ideal for air rinsing, coating control, package drying, and other specialized applications across food and beverage production lines.
Improve Efficiency and Performance Across Every Stage of Production
- Sanitary Stainless Steel Air Knives: Provide a hygienic drying process that minimizes contamination risk in food and beverage production. Their smooth surfaces and easy cleaning support compliance with strict industry regulations.
- HEPA Filtration: Removes microscopic particles from the air stream, ensuring a clean and sterile drying process for food and beverage products. This prevents contaminants from being introduced during drying, enhancing product safety and extending shelf life.
- Sonic SMART Air Knife Tunnel: Modular stainless steel design expandable from 24” to 144” (61cm to 366cm), assembles onto almost any existing conveyor. Delivers enclosed, high-velocity air drying solutions for cans, bottles, and packaging. The tunnel design improves drying efficiency while containing moisture and debris to maintain a clean and safe production line.
- Stainless Steel Blower Enclosures: For noise abatement, washdown protection, and sanitary requirements.
- Accessories: Air knife brackets, connectors, and piping. Air knives from 6” to 144” (15cm to 366cm) long.
- Superior Drying Performance: With high-velocity, targeted airflow, Sonic’s air knife systems effectively remove moisture and debris from cans, bottles, and packaging. Consistent drying improves product quality and reduces issues during labeling, produce, food, and beverage manufacturing packaging, inkjet coding, and date stamping.
- Enhanced Hygiene: Built with stainless steel components and HEPA filtration, they minimize the risk of contamination during the production and package drying process. This helps food and beverage manufacturers meet stringent sanitation requirements and maintain consumer confidence.
- Improved Product Quality: Gentle and uniform drying prevents damage to delicate produce products and preserves their appearance, leading to higher quality and less waste. The precise airflow control minimizes product deformation and helps prevent spoilage, resulting in a more appealing and marketable final product.
- Reduced Operating Costs: Compared to traditional drying methods, air knife systems consume less energy and require less maintenance, leading to substantial cost savings. The efficient blower technology minimizes energy consumption, while the durable components help reduce downtime and repair expenses.
How to Select the Right Industrial Diverter Valve
Determining the best valve for your system depends on balancing air volume, pressure, and material characteristics. When these factors align, you achieve smoother performance, higher efficiency, and long-term reliability. The ideal configuration not only maintains consistent airflow and minimizes pressure loss but also enhances energy efficiency across continuous production cycles.
Common Types of Diverter Valves
- Flap Type Diverter: Simple, cost-effective valve ideal for low- to medium-pressure systems handling powders, pellets, or airflows requiring gentle redirection.
- Plug (Rotor) Diverter: Designed for continuous-duty applications, offering smooth switching between lines with minimal leakage.
Slide or Slideflex Diverter: Provides fast, tight-sealing transitions for high-pressure or high-temperature processes where precision airflow management is essential.
Key Technical Considerations
When specifying an industrial air diverter valve, consider the following engineering factors to ensure long-term reliability:
- Material Compatibility: Choose materials suited to your process—aluminum for lightweight efficiency, stainless steel for hygienic or corrosive environments, or coated alloys for chemical resistance.
- Actuation & Automation: Sonic offers manual, pneumatic, or automated actuation to integrate with PLC or sensor-driven systems for instant airflow control.
Sealing & Maintenance: Valves are designed with precision-fit components and replaceable seals to maintain efficiency and reduce downtime during maintenance intervals.
View Case Studies
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.
Specification Sheets
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Drying System for Food & Beverage
Drying System for Food & Beverage
Drying System for Food & Beverage
Improve Drying and Blow-Off Processes with Sonic’s Food and Beverage Air Knife Systems
High-speed drying solutions for cans, bottles, and packaging to ensure smooth production and product integrity.
Sonic Air Systems offers the largest selection of blower-powered Air Knife Systems in the food and beverage industry. These systems offer efficient package drying and blow-off solutions for various food manufacturing, packaging, and beverage applications. Entry-level systems include hard anodized air knives and energy-efficient industrial centrifugal blowers for the food industry. Premium systems feature 300-series stainless steel, washdown duty components, and fully welded air knives meeting 3A cleanability standards. Turnkey options are available, including blower enclosures, HEPA filters, food-grade accessories, air knife tunnels, and electrical control integration.
Guaranteed Air Knife Solutions to Keep Your Production Line Flowing
Sonic provides a written full refund purchase drying guarantee for virtually every food and beverage industry application that we quote. Our systems provide a cost-effective and energy-efficient solution for moisture-related issues in food manufacturing, such as labeling, packaging, inkjet coding, date stamping, and other food and produce drying and blow-off production processes.
Food-grade air knife systems require stainless steel components and HEPA filtration. Sonic offers sanitary, 3A-compliant air knives that can be easily disassembled and cleaned by hand, ensuring food safety. Aluminum components are available for applications that do not require strict adherence to 3A guidelines but still require effective drying and blow-off capabilities. Our air knife systems are ideal for air rinsing, coating control, package drying, and other specialized applications across food and beverage production lines.