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WHAT ARE DESICCANTS? Desiccants are hygroscopic materials that adsorb moisture from the air. They are often placed in packets made of kraft paper bags, Tyvek®, or custom-shaped and sewn bags. However, desiccants are also used in more advanced devices, such as in desiccators and breathing desiccators to dry an air or gas stream. Most manufactured […]

Summary Aerial optics systems are under constant development in the aerospace industry and they come with their own set of challenges. For example, the challenge in mitigating the pressure differential on a device housing as it increases and decreases in altitude is often compounded by lens and electronic sensitivities to contaminates, such as moisture and […]

Molecular sieves adsorb moisture from the air like other desiccants but it is their pore structures and high adsorption capacities that set them apart. What is molecular sieve and how is it different from other desiccants? Molecular sieves are adsorptive materials often used as desiccants for the purpose of removing moisture from gases and liquids. […]

Silica gel desiccants are common moisture adsorbing agents used throughout many industries worldwide. They have their own characteristics compared to other desiccants, that make them a go-to desiccant for almost any job. Nevertheless, there is sometimes some mystery surrounding silica gel that trips up everyone from do-it-yourself-ers to experienced engineers. This guide aims to fix […]

The Strength of Southern Arizona Business AGM recently celebrated 25 consecutive years without a layoff. The celebration took place on Friday, March 31, at AGM, and included a company-wide speech by AGM President and CEO Howard Stewart, as well as a catered lunch. In addition to this significant achievement, AGM’s celebration served to recognize the […]

What is Desiccant Equilibrium Capacity? Desiccant equilibrium capacity, or saturation is the point at which a desiccant can no longer adsorb water vapor from the air at a given relative humidity. Once a desiccant's equilibrium capacity has been achieved (the desiccant has saturated), all or most of its active pore sites are filled with water […]

Adapting your business model While numerous large, volume companies have shifted towards offshoring and outsourcing practices to cut production costs, other companies in the U.S. and elsewhere have adapted to be more flexible in their manufacturing processes to manage costs and broaden their customer bases. These High-Mix/Low-Volume companies adjust setup and processing procedures to create […]

Desiccant and Waste Management: Removing siloxanes to extend the life and efficiency of LFG processing equipment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that in 2014, 6,870 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gases (GHG), or roughly 15,114 billion pounds, were emitted into the atmosphere in the U.S. According to the same report, 11% of […]