Volkmann USA, a manufacturer of powder handling equipment, is highlighting its vDryer vacuum drying module as an optional addition to the vLoader 250 powder conveyor, targeting moisture-related flowability and material handling issues in metal additive manufacturing.
Installed upstream of one or more 3D printers, the vDryer removes absorbed moisture from metal powders and returns them to a defined moisture level before they reach the additive manufacturing equipment. Volkmann says this can improve powder flowability, support printed component quality and help reduce time- and labor-intensive post-processing operations.
The system uses Volkmann’s electric vacuum pump technology to remove moisture through suction. This is intended to avoid exposing temperature-sensitive powders to elevated temperatures during conditioning.
According to the company, controlling moisture can also reduce agglomeration, caking and particle adherence while supporting smoother material transfer through the powder handling system. Volkmann additionally identifies contamination as one of the moisture-related issues that can affect production efficiency.
The vDryer itself is not new. Volkmann first introduced the system in 2023 as a vacuum drying solution for metal 3D printing powders. At the time, the company said the technology had been tested by BMW Group and could be installed either upstream of the printer or downstream to prepare unused powder for screening, storage or reuse.
Volkmann subsequently introduced the vLoader metal powder conveyor in November 2023, offering the vDryer as an optional companion system for restoring powders to a targeted moisture level.
Integrating drying into metal powder handling
The vLoader 250 automatically supplies metal powder to 3D printers through an enclosed conveying system. Volkmann’s current configuration allows the vDryer to be integrated on the same support frame, conditioning the material before it is transferred for printing. The dryer can also form part of the company’s broader automated handling systems or operate as a standalone unit where dedicated drying is required.
Volkmann lists stainless steel, aluminum, titanium, nickel-chromium alloys, copper, cobalt, tungsten, silver, iron and alumina among the powders suitable for the system. The vDryer can be used with additive manufacturing equipment from virtually any printer manufacturer.
Powder handling becomes a production control point
Moisture control can become particularly important in qualification-sensitive metal AM environments. In a 2025 interview, Performance Review Institute Principal Staff Engineer Richard Freeman said powder handling and storage protocols, along with moisture and contamination control procedures, were among the most common non-conformances identified during powder bed fusion Nadcap audits. PRI was also tightening its audit expectations around variables including gas quality and powder handling.
Volkmann has increasingly integrated these material-handling steps into contained AM workflows. Earlier in this year, the company partnered with HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions on the vPort for the Metal Jet S100. The vDryer addresses a different stage of the workflow, conditioning powder before printing rather than recovering it afterwards.
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Feature image shows Volkmann vDryer vacuum drying module for the vLoader 250 metal powder conveyor. Image via Volkmann.
