Drying Water-Based Wood Coatings: IR Tunnel vs Air Drying
Water-based coatings are the future — but drying them efficiently requires the right approach.
The shift from solvent-based to water-based wood coatings is well underway, driven by environmental regulations and customer demand. Water-based primers and coatings are safer, produce fewer VOCs, and deliver excellent results — but they create one significant production challenge: drying time.
Solvent-based coatings flash off quickly. Water-based coatings need heat to evaporate the water carrier, and at typical workshop temperatures, this means hours of drying time. For production environments, that means spacer laths between boards, large drying rack areas, and overnight waits before boards can be stacked or dispatched.
Infrared drying tunnels solve this by delivering targeted heat energy directly to the coating film, evaporating water in seconds rather than hours.
Drying Method Comparison
| Aspect | Air Drying | Rack Drying | IR Tunnel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drying Time | 4–24 hours | 2–8 hours | Seconds |
| Floor Space | Large rack area | Large rack area | Inline — minimal |
| Spacer Laths | Required | Required | Not needed |
| Instant Stacking | |||
| Energy Cost | Low (ambient) | Medium (heated room) | Low per board (fast cycle) |
| Handling Marks | Risk from spacers | Risk from spacers | None — no contact |
IR drying is the only method that supports continuous production with water-based coatings. Boards exit dry and ready to stack.
Drying Time
Floor Space
Spacer Laths
Instant Stacking
Energy Cost
Handling Marks
IR drying is the only method that supports continuous production with water-based coatings. Boards exit dry and ready to stack.
Compared to hours for air drying
No drying racks needed
Boards stack directly
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DS6 Infrared Drying Tunnel
The DS6 uses calibrated infrared emitters to deliver rapid, even drying across the full width of the board. Variable speed and power settings accommodate different coating types and film builds.
Paired with the VC6 vacuum coater, it creates a complete coat-and-cure line operated by a single person.
Solve Your Drying Bottleneck
Talk to us about integrating IR drying into your production line.
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