Open top compact dryer oven for a web

A compact dryer oven for a traveling web and the like which may be easily cleaned without entering the oven and which is reduced in interior space for more efficient drying, said oven comprising:

• a fixed lower oven housing;
• a movable upper oven housing disposed above said lower oven housing;
• pivot means for pivotally carrying said upper oven housing above said lower oven housing between a closed position for web drying and an open position in which said upper housing is raised for access to an interior of said lower and upper oven housings for cleaning of said interior;
• said lower and upper oven housings consisting of lower and upper housing enclosures having lower and upper housing openings formed in said respective lower and upper housings, said lower housing opening facing said upper housing opening, and said web traveling across said lower and upper housing openings through said oven;
• a lower hot air register carried generally co-extending across said lower housing opening and an upper hot air register carried generally co-extending across said upper housing opening from which hot air if delivered for contacting and drying the sides of said web;
• and
• each said oven housing enclosure includes a first end wall at which said web enters said oven, a second remote end wall from which said web exits said oven, a back wall integral with said first and second end walls, a top wall integral with said back wall and said end walls, and a front wall means for integrally joining said top wall and said end walls.

A compact dryer oven for a traveling web and the like which may be easily cleaned without entering the oven and which is reduced in interior space for more efficient drying, said oven comprising:

• housing means;
• hot air discharge means carried in said housing means for discharging hot air into said housing means;
• air diffuser manifold means carried in said housing means extending longitudinally in the direction of web travel, said air diffuser manifold means receiving said discharged hot air for distributing said air in generally equal parts across the width of said web;
• and
• a hot air register carried below said air diffuser manifold means which includes a plurality of longitudinally spaced tubular members extending transverse to said diffuser manifold means and said direction of web travel, and air dividing nozzle means carried between adjacent tubular members for splitting said hot air passing between said adjacent tubular members into a first air flow and a second air flow generally in opposite directions.

A compact dryer oven for drying a traveling web and the like comprising:

• a pair of superposed oven housings between which said web travels for drying;
• each said housing including an air supply and return circuit having a short path providing an increased number of air changes per minute and a lower temperature differential between supply air and return air, said air supply and return circuit including:
• hot air discharge means for supplying hot air,
• air diffuser means disposed above said traveling web for proportioning said hot air into generally equal air flows across the width of said web,
• an air equalizing chamber in which said diffuser means is carried near an upper portion of said chamber,
• air nozzle means carried in a lower portion of said chamber extending transversely to said diffuser means for dividing said equal air flows into a plurality of first and second air flows wherein said first air flow occurs in the direction of travel of said web, and said second air flow occurs in an opposite direction to said web travel,
• air return means disposed in close proximity to said nozzle means for evacuating said first and second air flows shortly after contacting said web, and
• said air re turn means being connected to a suction side of hot air discharge means.