Efficient batch freeze drying (lyophilisation) through rapid product handling and optimised drying process– Batch process with contact and radiant heating– Fast tray transfer and batch changeover– Customised and high performance equipment– Suitable for pieces, granular products or powders– No oxidation and minimal flavour losses– Higher throughput compared to traditional processes– Automated operation with process profileBucher Merk Design    and    Functionality The Quasi-Continuous Freeze Dryer (QCF) is designed for the efficient production of freeze-dried products in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Uniformly filled product trays are rapidly loaded into the dryer by trolleys suspended from a top-rail system. The QCF drying process is specifically designed to dry each product as gently and efficiently as possible to achieve maximum product quality in a cost effective manner. Our combination of contact (bottom) and radiant heating (top) allows higher throughputs per square metre than traditional freeze drying. End product quality is maintained by constantly measuring and limiting the critical product temperature and properly controlling the drying profile, resulting in shorter drying times. Technical    data QCF vacuum and heating/cooling systems are specifically designed to utilise preferred energy sources and provide the optimum balance between short batch times and energy savings. Optional features such as weighing of product during drying, camera for continuous drying observation, emergency cooling, automatic trolley loading/unloading, cleaning concept and turnkey concepts in combination with upstream and downstream processes are available on request. Application– Coffee/Tea– Fruits    and    vegetables    in    pieces– Meat, fish    or    sea    food    in    pieces– Pharmceuticals– Probiotics    and    enzymes– Infant    nutrition Vacuum Temperature Capacity Heating-cooling plate surface from 0.5 to 5 mbar abs. from max. 150 °C from 200 to 3’000 kg/batch from 16 to 256 m2