March 31, 2008 - A design innovation in the industrial dryers used during beverage can manufacture can significantly boost energy efficiency in production lines, Food Production Daily reports. The new iDry system, made by Nordson, uses induction heating to dry the cans, saving energy by focusing heat only on the areas that need it.

Induction heating uses an electromagnet to heat the metal directly, whereas traditional convection heating warms the air surrounding the can in order to heat can itself. As a result, says a Nordson spokesperson, the iDry system "runs on lower wattage, with 85% to 90% of the power consumed used directly to heat the [can]."

The compact, vertical-mount heating system does not require preheating and so can be shut off during line stoppages - delivering additional savings in both energy and time, according to Nordson.

The new dryers will be on display at the MetPack tradeshow in Essen, Germany, later this month.