Improvement of drying performances, fabric care and increment of the energy saving are the cornerstones on which focuses the innovation in the dryer sector.
The dryer ambit is certainly one of the segments living the biggest growth over the last few years inside the white good market: this because on one hand in Italy the diffusion rate of these machines is still very low and therefore there are broad margins of growth, on the other hand manufacturers have instead brought great innovation in this field, granting tangible benefits for final consumers.
Innovations that essentially concentrate around two great themes: the notable improvement of drying performances and the energy saving rise thanks to a much higher efficiency of machines.
The dryer is a very practical and useful household appliance, especially when we have narrow spaces and little time for drying the laundry just washed. Its main task is to dry, thanks to programmes with various functions, big quantities of clothes in a short time.
All dryer models currently on the market are equipped with programmes purposely studied to protect fabrics and to succeed in drying them while maintaining a fair wetness degree that facilitates their successive ironing. On average, a complete cycle of a dryer lasts about 90 minutes.
The dryer exploits the operation of a fan to suck the air from the surrounding environment and conveys it to a resistance that heats it; afterwards, the air flows into the drum to dry the laundry, a drum that generally moves in alternate way to avoid that its content entwines or fills of wrinkles.
The dryer can expel the absorbed humidity outside in two different ways: in expulsion-type models, the wetness is eliminated in the form of hot air, to be discharged outside by a flexible hose; in condensation models, which are the most diffused, humidity is transformed into water by the condenser.
Dryers generally have the same sizes as a standard washing machine, then about 60x60x85 centimetres of height, but there are also space-saving models, with just 45-centimetre width, while the loading capacities range from 5 to 10 kg. They usually have the front loading, a porthole resembling washers’, with maximum diameter of 40 cm and 150°-opening, but some models feature the top loading, mostly in space-saving sizes. Some dryers provided with porthole are also equipped with a door that completely hides the porthole, to grant a smooth and essential design.
The machine typologies on the market are essentially four: the classical ground version, the one to be installed like a column above or under the washer, the dryer prearranged for the wall-mounting or the practical washer-dryer, where washing machine and dryer are joined in a single appliance.
Besides electrical energy, dryers can be powered by gas, LPG or CNG, these models are mainly used in Anglo-Saxon Countries where, keeping performances unchanged, are essentially preferred by families since much more convenient, in terms of efficiency, compared to electrically powered dryers, which need a determinate lapse of time before reaching the drying temperature. On the contrary, gas ones are almost immediately operative: as soon as we switch on the burner, in fact, the air heats very quickly.
The dryer powered by gas, which has a much higher cost but allows achieving in time a notable money saving due to the lower purchase price of the gas compared to electricity, has a much lower environmental impact but its drawback is represented by the need of discharging outside combustion steams and fumes through an apposite drainpipe to be connected with a hole purposely made in the wall.
High performances and smart drying
The growing need of drying big quantities of laundry in a short time has then boosted the development of more and more performing machines, able to offer drying programmes for all garments.
The technology that has revolutionized the dryer world is certainly the heat pump system, which has allowed shifting from products with high energy consumptions to sophisticated machines that can combine a high energy saving with the utmost care for the most delicate fabrics and garments, wool included.
Among the producers more committed to these aspects certainly ranks Whirlpool, as underlines Alessandra Romagna, Senior Marketing Manager Free Standing of Whirlpool Group and Indesit Group: «From the technical and technological point of view, innovations have focused on the adoption – nowadays quite massive – of the heat pump technology that grants a considerable improvement of the energy performances of the machine: precisely this technology allows us to upgrade from the B energy class of a condenser to an A class, or even to a higher one. Another aspect on which Whirlpool focused is the electronic control of drying levels and airflow: two fundamental aspects to grant excellent drying performances and to allow the perfect drying of endless fabric typologies, like wool and delicates».
In the last months Whirlpool, in particular, has released a new range of dryers, Supreme Care, with a design perfectly matching washing machines. These products, thanks to the 3DryTechnology, use three-dimensional air jets for a powerful and performing, but at the same time delicate, drying with all garment types.
“Whirlpool Supreme Care dryers– adds Alessandra Romagna – can boast the best wool drying programme on the market, without needing specific accessories while drying. This programme allows the consumer to have up to 4 ready-to-wear sweaters in an hour. Finally, Whirlpool dryers grant up to 10 kg of load and are extremely performing in terms of energy label: they reach the A+++ class”.
The Hotpoint brand produces instead dryers with a good 7 different drying levels, from wet clothes up to ready-to-wear garments: “With the right programme for all needs, Hotpoint dryers take care of all fabrics, regenerating the fibre life. Besides, we pay attention to the loading capacity, reaching 9 kg of drying and the A+ energy efficiency class”, ends Alessandra Romagna.
On the same wavelength Roberto Micheletti, Product Manager Washing Machine & Dishwashing of Samsung Electronics Italia: “Two years ago Samsung introduced great innovations on the market with the new dryers with Crystal design and Heat Pump Technology which has allowed implementing 8- and 9-kg models in A++ class. Samsung dryers stand out not only for their design but also for some details that facilitate the use, the programme flexibility and the attention to maintenance, crucial in this product kind to assure excellent performances over the years”.
Samsung dryers, actually, are equipped with special Smart Drying sensors that assure consumption optimizations while constantly checking wetness and temperature, a double inner and outer filter to dispose the fluff, a kit of “automatic” drainage of the condensation water to avoid the manual discharge at the end of each cycle and the accessory Wool/Shoes Drum that we can insert to dry the most particular garments at best.
In the opinion of Susanna Salvaterra, Brand Manager of Miele, the plus of German dryers is the original design of the drum: “Miele dryers are provided with numerous special programmes that allow treating the laundry in specific manner according to the fabric, but it is the honeycomb drum, exclusive Miele patent, which allows treating fabrics with the best delicacy, up to 9 kg of laundry. Thanks to its particular structure, in fact, the linen dries in more delicate and uniform manner”.
Three are the main features that characterize state-of-the-art Miele dryers, adds Susanna Salvaterra: “PerfectDry allows a constant and very precise detection of the residual humidity contained in fabrics, a technology that permits the right drying degree of garments and therefore, if we carry out a good spin-drying in washing phase, drying times often get much shorter. Miele FragranceDos is a unique feature that allows perfuming the linen while drying, generally the scent given by the softener vanishes during the drying process and Miele, to make the laundry taken from the dryer more pleasant, has provided for the possibility of introducing a freshener in the filter. SteamFinish stretches the linen visibly and without effort, favouring a simpler and faster ironing”.
Forefront technology and utmost attention also to the most delicate clothing are for Viviana Pagnoncelli, Product Manager Tumble Dryers Candy Group, the distinguishing traits of the company’s latest proposals: “Candy has recently widened the new range of GrandÓvita dryers with a special programme dedicated to the wool drying, approved by “The Woolmark Company”, too, the body that since 1964 has been certifying and granting the quality of wool and of the necessary products for its treatment”.
Thanks to the forefront technology of heat pump dryers in A-class, the average temperature in the drum does not exceed 45°C, granting the highest fabric protection and a better care for the laundry not “stressed” by the high drying temperatures of standard products.
“With heat pump models, it is possible to save more than 50% compared to conventional systems – adds Viviana Pagnoncelli – The most innovative models of Candy and Hoover are equipped with special wetness sensors able to adapt times and consumptions to the linen quantity and to the wished drying degree. If the clothes to be dried, for instance, have been washed with a high spin-drying degree, they will certainly need less time to dry because the wetness contained in fibres will be minor; the integrated humidity sensor will then adapt the cycle to the final drying degree chosen by the consumer. This system allows avoiding the problem of long cycles sometimes determined by drying at low temperature”.
Candy and Hoover dryers as well propose the exclusive system for the condensation water collection: the water produced during the drying cycle is collected into an innovative container integrated in the porthole false door, with compact shape, easily removed and emptied, but at the same time so capacious as to contain up to 5 litres of water. The integrated spout allows easily poring the water to reuse it, for instance in housework, to water plants or to wash floors, without wastes and the risk of getting wet.
Excellent performances for Smeg, too, which never forgets to reduce consumptions. The DHT73LIT model stands out for a series of pluses that grant excellent performances while assuring, at the same time, a notable energy and economic saving. Ranking in A+++ energy class, it is equipped with inverter motor with heat pump that improves efficiency by optimizing consumptions and assuring higher reliability, duration and silence.
The capacity up to 7 kg and the maxi 34-centimetre porthole, moreover, make the laundry loading and unloading operations more comfortable and faster, favouring the highest use practicality.
Making use of automated drying programmes, Smeg DHT73LIT uses the wetness sensor to detect, in relation to the laundry quantity and type, the residual humidity and, consequently, it automatically sets the programme duration for an optimal drying.
Smeg DHT73LIT dryer treats with utmost gentleness all fabric kinds, too, wool included, thus obtaining the certification by The Woolmark Company.
Finally Electrolux, always attentive to integrate the Professional Expertise also in the dryer sector through the constant exchange with consumers: “The DelicateCare range is efficient, practical and functional, because it meets all drying requirements, even of the most delicate clothes, preserving its softness and shortening ironing times. Our products satisfy users’ needs, translating the technology of professional washing and drying into household appliances. DelicateCare dryers take care of clothes with utmost delicacy, thanks to the certified Woolmark Blue wool programme and to the silk one, with granted drying results and minimum energy consumptions”.
Concerning technological aspects, Electrolux dryers are provided with inverter motor that grants precise motions, SoftDrum XXL drum with three pullers that favour a more uniform drying and reduce wrinkles, the Reverse Plus option to increase the number of drum inversions, in combination with the natural steam power that regenerates garments and makes ironing easier and faster.
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Virtuous machine: utmost efficiency and saving
Energy saving is undoubtedly one of the main purchase drivers for dryers, especially in relation to the big energy expenditure in comparison with other household appliances. Generally, its consumptions fluctuate between 3 and 5 KWh per cycle, while the consumption decreases to less than 3 KWh starting from the A energy efficiency class.
Inside the appliance, the presence of sensors allows detecting the wetness level of the laundry, the linen quantity and the drying degree. According to the detected data, the dryer decides then the most suitable drying programme.
The most efficient machines on the market are those employing a heat pump, where the air heating and cooling are regulated by a refrigerant gas compressor that produces drying heat and condensates the wetness extracted from the laundry. This technology allows drying at low temperatures with high energy efficiency and care of delicate fabrics. The heat pump technology favours the energy saving beyond the A-class, as reminds Alessandra Romagna of Whirlpool Group and Indesit Group: “Precisely the heat pump technology allows implementing dryers in A-class or classes exceeding the A one. The brands of Whirlpool Corporation Group (apart from Ignis that stakes on price segments where the heat pump technology is not present, yet) have this technology in their inside. In particular, the brands that focus on the medium-high end segment of the market – Whirlpool and Hotpoint – exclusively have products based on the heat pump technology”.
As also Roberto Micheletti from Samsung Electronics Italia states “The heat pump offers a more efficient, convenient and delicate way to dry the linen. Thanks to the A++ energy class that uses an apposite refrigerant, instead of electricity, to heat the air, we significantly reduce the energy consumption. The added value of Samsung dryers consists in offering the best technology both in the 8-kg model and in the 9-kg version, since both have a design perfectly in line with the washing machines featuring the same kilos. Samsung offers also a junction kit free of charge to fix the column at best, thus avoiding any safety problem”.
Utmost control for Miele: “Thanks to the new heat pump technology, Miele dryers are included in the A++ energy efficiency class. Besides, thanks to the low humidity dispersion in the environment, they reach the A condensation class, too. Miele dryers are also provided with an innovative technology to detect consumptions called Eco feedback. The display visualizes the energy consumption and the filter condition for consumptions always under control”.
Attention to the saving issue for Electrolux, too: “The OptiSense system, equipping our dryers, automatically reduces consumptions according to the laundry quantity actually loaded: in this way, it will be possible to load even few shirts without any energy waste. With the new filtering system, thanks to an efficient airflow and an easy filter maintenance, minimum consumptions are granted in time”.
In line with the other opinions, ends Viviana Pagnoncelli from Candy Group: “To be able to reach the A++ energy class, Candy and Hoover dryers use the new heat pump technology that, reusing part of the internal heat to warm the drum, dries the laundry at lower temperatures compared to traditional condensation systems and therefore grants a better fibre care in a higher energy class. Laundry care and simplicity pursuit are certainly the basis for the development of our new products that aim at shaping the new technologies at consumers’ service”.
