Out of the etch line, the glass comes off wet and still chemically active. If the drying drags or heats unevenly, you’re left with trapped moisture, surface bloom, and more rejects downstream—especially once the sheet hits coating, lamination, or assembly. The dryer has to pull the water out fast, without cooking thermal stress into thin substrates, and without letting the etchant hang around.
What we focus on, technically
We build the acid-etched glass dryer around near-infrared (NIR) heating, tuned so energy goes straight into the water film with minimal bulk heating. That gives you a short thermal path: heat on, water off, then quick cooling that keeps pace with the conveyor. The heating module runs on quartz elements for high-temperature stability and repeatable output, and the system is laid out to keep power density uniform across the full width of the glass.
Control is closed-loop, with temperature monitored at multiple points to hold the profile steady. That matters when you’re running low-E, coated, or thin glass that can crack under thermal shock.
Why it holds up in production
On the floor, the payoff shows up in yield and uptime. Faster drying shortens the gap between etching and the next operation, so the line doesn’t wait around for evaporation. Uniform heating cuts down edge-to-center swings, which helps you avoid the micro-cracks and stress marks that can surface later in tempering or bending.
Energy use drops compared to broad-spectrum convection, because NIR puts the heat where it needs to be—on the water layer—instead of heating air and fixtures. For plants running multiple shifts, that means fewer scrapped sheets and a more predictable day.
What to keep in mind
Installation is straightforward, but the dryer has to be matched to conveyor speed and the glass thickness you run. Thinner glass needs a shallower thermal ramp; thicker glass can take a more aggressive profile. Expect to tune setpoint and dwell time the first week to land the sweet spot between dryness and thermal load.
And keep the quartz elements clean—inspect them on schedule. Dust and residue from the etch line will chew away at performance over time.