Air Knife Drying Machine 1500 kg/h

Air Knife Drying Machine

High-velocity air knife unit that strips free water off product surfaces with a thin sheet of air, with no contact and no moving parts in the product path.

How it works

A side-channel or centrifugal blower feeds one or more slot nozzles mounted above and below the product belt. The nozzles discharge a continuous, high-velocity air sheet at a shallow angle, which shears the water film off the surface and drives it off the edge of the belt. Because the air sheet is thin and fast, it removes water without lifting or tumbling the product.

Unlike a vibrating deck, an air knife adds no mechanical action — which is why it is the preferred finishing stage for delicate leafy product after a gentle pre-drain.

Suitable for

Leafy greens and salad mixes after washing; sliced and diced vegetables; product leaving a washer where residual surface water causes packing or freezing problems; packaged and canned goods after a water bath; product too delicate for mechanical dewatering.

Not suitable for

Water held in the product or trapped between pieces, which air cannot reach; heavy free water loads, where a vibrating deck or centrifuge should go first; very light product that the air sheet will blow off the belt; product with a surface that must stay wet.

Material & compliance

Nozzles, manifold, frame and catch trays in SUS304 (EN 1.4301). Air intake filtered where the air contacts food; blower intake positioned away from washdown areas. Nozzle geometry cleanable without dismantling the manifold.

Supplied with CE declaration of conformity and DoC on request; material certificate EN 10204 3.1 available for contact parts.

Selection notes

Ask for a measured residual moisture figure on your product rather than an air velocity number — velocity means nothing without knowing the water load and belt speed. Check whether the blower air is filtered, since unfiltered plant air onto ready-to-eat product is a real risk. Confirm noise level; air knives are loud, and operators will not wear protection unless you plan for it.

When you should not buy this machine: If your product leaves the washer dripping, an air knife will only move the water around — put a vibrating deck or centrifuge upstream first. Also skip it if your product is light enough to be blown off the belt: you will spend the day reloading product rather than drying it.

Key specifications

Parameter	Value
Capacity	300-5000 kg/h by belt width (TYPICAL, confirm with factory)
Air velocity	High-velocity slot jet, model dependent (TYPICAL)
Blower power	2.2-11.0 kW by model (TYPICAL)
Air filtration	Optional inlet filter for food-contact air (TYPICAL)
Contact material	SUS304 (EN 1.4301)
Power supply	380V/3P/50Hz or 415V/3P/50Hz, customizable

Specification values are industry-typical ranges for this machine class and are not verified against a specific factory datasheet. Replace them with measured factory data before publication.

FAQ

Air knife or vibrating dewaterer — which first?

Mechanical first, air second. A vibrating deck or centrifuge removes the bulk of the free water; the air knife then removes the remaining film. Using an air knife alone on a wet load just redistributes water.

Does it work on leafy salad?

Yes, and it is gentle enough that it does not bruise. It is usually the last stage before packing, after a vibrating pre-drain and often with a final potable rinse upstream.

How noisy is it?

Loud. Slot jets at working velocity typically require hearing protection in the immediate area. Plan the layout and the PPE requirement rather than discovering it at commissioning.

Related equipment

This unit is one stage of a complete processing line. For the full range of washing and peeling equipment, or to compare this model against the Bubble Washing Machine 2000 kg/h, see the complete equipment catalogue. Capacity, material grade and utility requirements can be confirmed through a quote request.