This section provides an overview for freeze dryers as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 26 freeze dryer manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked freeze dryer companies as of November, 2024: 1.Hosokawa Micron Powder Systems., 2.Labstac LLC., 3.Labconco.
Table of Contents
Figure 1. Structure of a freeze dryer
A freeze dryer is a device used to remove water from a sample while it is in a frozen state.
There are three fundamental equipment configurations:
This system removes water and solvents by depressurizing pre-frozen samples in the chamber and sublimating ice, allowing for drying while minimizing structural changes.
Freeze dryers are used for materials that can deteriorate due to moisture when stored at room temperature, in refrigerated storage, or frozen storage for an extended period.
Freeze-dried samples can be stored at room temperature for an extended period if properly sealed. Moreover, the cost of equipment maintenance during storage is lower compared to other storage methods.
Specific uses of this method include:
Freeze-dried foods, such as instant coffee, miso soup, and space food, can be stored for an extended period, are suitable for transportation due to their dry and lightweight nature, and maintain their flavors well.
Freeze dryers are used to produce injectable drugs like heat-sensitive proteins and enzyme preparations due to their ability to create powder without heating. Research is also underway to preserve animal sperm using freeze dryers.
Figure 2. Schematic diagram of a freeze dryer
The freeze-drying process involves the following steps:
The sublimated water vapor is cooled in a device called a cooling trap and collected as ice again. The faster drying occurs when there is a greater temperature difference between the drying chamber and the cooling trap.
For food products, they are easy to dissolve and rehydrate with water or boiling water. However, once the seal is broken, they are prone to oxidation, moisture absorption, and quicker deterioration.
Figure 3. Various freeze-drying machines
There are two primary types of freeze dryers: "manifold type" and "shelf type."
They come in various sizes, from small ones used for laboratory research to large ones for manufacturing purposes. Drying capacities range widely, from 150 mL for small models to over 100 L for large models.
The manifold type is relatively small in scale and primarily suitable for basic research, whereas the shelf type can be used on a broader scale.
Shelf-type freeze dryers can control temperature by heating the shelves. They can efficiently compensate for the thermal energy required for sublimation, making them suitable for drying samples. Some shelf plate-type products also have a stoppering function. By using stoppering vials as sample containers and operating the stoppering shelf, the chamber can be automatically stoppered while maintaining a vacuum.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Hosokawa Micron Powder Systems, established in 1923 and headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, is a manufacturer and supplier of powder processing solutions. The company's product rangeincludes coarse to ultra-fine grinding, classification, containment, compaction, and analytical equipment. With an emphasis for team of engineers, it offers tailored system designs and collaborates with esteemed global brands, ensuring quality solutions that serve diverse industries, including power, oil and gas, aerospace, and industrial sectors. Its services includes engineering, installation, maintenance, and repair. Courtesy of its ISO 9001 Certification, the company stresses quality and always surpasses expectations in both product and service.
Labconco Corporation, founded in 1925 and located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a manufacturer of laboratory equipment. Its diverse product line includes freeze dryers, forensic enclosures, water purification systems, glassware washers, and glove boxes. The company’s products are used for moisture removal while preserving sample integrity, safe handling of hazardous materials, producing pure water for experiments, efficient cleaning, and providing controlled environments for sensitive material work. These products serve industries such as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, research, quality control, and enhancing safety. The company is also ISO 9001-certified for its quality management system.
Labstac LLC, founded in 2012, is a manufacturer and supplier of laboratory, scientific, and medical equipment headquartered in Pittsfield, MA, USA. The company operates in over 34 countries with an extensive distributor network covering American, European, the Gulf, and South Asian regions. The company's product lineup includes biosafety cabinets, centrifuges, incubators, autoclaves, and various other medical laboratory supplies. With an annual turnover of $50K USD, the company specializes in both buying and selling as a Limited Liability Partnership. The company's products are used in the pharmaceutical and medical industries as well as in biotechnology, hospitals, and research centers.
Lowtemp Industries, LLC, established in 2015, is a Denver, Colorado based manufacturer and supplier specializing in solventless processing solutions. The company is popular for producing quality, American-made rosin presses, hash washing systems, and related accessories. With a strong quality, Lowtemp Industries aims to provide affordable solutions for both home and commercial solventless extractors. Since its inception, the company has been delivering quality and effective equipment, catering to the needs of the solventless extraction industry.
ZIRBUS technology GmbH is a global manufacturer of autoclaves, thermal plants, and freeze dryers established in 1984 and is headquartered in Lower Saxony, Germany. It offers laboratory and bench autoclaves, high-pressure autoclaves, production freeze dryers, vacuum dryers, and steam generators. The company also develops and produces customized products ranging from single instruments to complete systems. The company adheres to ISO quality management systems. Likewise, it caters to the food and pharmaceutical industries and customers in research and medicine in over 30 countries globally.
NOVAIR SAS, established in 1977 and based in Roissy-en-France, France, is a manufacturer and supplier specializing in gas production systems. The company's product portfolio includes membrane nitrogen generators, oxygen generators, and air and gas compressors. These products are used in various industries, including defense, food and beverage, and the oil and gas sectors. The company provides services including technical support, maintenance, and installation of its systems. The company exports its products globally to various countries, including the United States, Denmark, and Australia.
Ningbo Dscientz Technology Co., Ltd., based in Ningbo, China, is a manufacturer of freeze dryers and other scientific instruments. The company has developed in exploring the application of ultrasonic technology and has one of the largest production bases of freeze dryers in China. It provides relevant scientific instruments for many fields such as biomedicine, healthcare, IVD, disease prevention, environmental protection and new material research. Some of its main products are constant temperature water baths, and ultrasonic & drug testing instruments. The company has acquired various ISO certifications for quality management, environmental management and occupational health and safety management.
Moon Environment Technology Co. Ltd., established in 1956 and based in Yantai, China, is a diversified manufacturer of refrigeration, central air conditioning, and environmental heating equipment. Its other business areas include hydrogen energy development, chemical equipment, and precision castings. The company has research, production, and service centers in over 40 countries worldwide and provides products to more than 120 countries and regions. It has 263 national patented technologies and has participated in the making of 32 industry and 20 national standards. It has also won two national awards, including the National Technology Invention Award.
Ulvac Inc., established in 1952 and headquartered in Kanagawa, Japan, is a manufacturer of vacuum equipment, components, peripheral devices, and materials for the solar cell and semiconductor industries, among others. The company operates businesses in six areas, including materials, components, electronic devices, semiconductors, and flat panel display production equipment. Some of its products include roll coaters, semiconductor production equipment, LED production equipment, leak detectors, and vacuum brazing furnaces. It is ISO9001 certified, and its net sales in the 2022 fiscal year were 227.5 billion Japanese Yen, with 34% of this amount coming from semiconductor and electronic device production equipment.
Cuddon Freeze Dry, Established in 1963, is a distinguished manufacturer of freeze drying and vacuum drying equipment. This company specializes in producing a diverse range of freeze drying machines, ranging from pilot models to large-capacity industrial units. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cuddon Freeze Dry has a strong track record of expertise in this field, adding up significantly to advancements in freeze drying technology. The company's equipment makes it a player in the freeze drying industry. Cuddon Freeze Dry's quality and excellence has made it a choice for those seeking efficient drying solutions.
GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft, founded in 1881 with headquarters in Germany, is an integrated manufacturer of process technology, machinery, and production plants. The company offers various products, including complete turnkey solutions for beverage plants, as well as beverage packaging services. The company has more than 18,000 employees working across five divisions and has facilities in over 60 countries, serving the food and beverage, chemical, marine, pharmaceutical, and energy markets, among others. GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft's service division works with clients to improve their production plant productivity, especially in the food and beverage industry.
Walley Machinery, established in 1994 and based in Shaoxing, China, is a manufacturer of commercial-grade fruit and vegetable processing machines. The company has over 20 patents and is available in 40 countries. It stocks several pre-treatment machines to sort, clean, and cut before processing. The pre-treatment equipment has several categories, including blanching, washing, and cooling. The company will also customize the machine based on the customer’s needs and offer single and multi-layer conveyor, tunnel, and box dryers. The company also provides various services to its customers, including consulting, technical installation, and training.
LeadTop Pharmaceutical Machinery Co. Ltd is a manufacturer and supplier of pharmaceutical production equipment that was established in Ruian, Zhejiang, China in 2002. The company primarily produces gelatin encapsulation machines for producing gel tabs in different sizes or shapes, capsule filling machines for measuring and dispensing exact dosages of granules or powder, and rotary tablet presses for compressing powder or compounds into uniform shapes and sizes. The company is ISO 9001 and CE-certified, and mainly serves clients in the pharmaceutical industry.
Huanghua Faithful Instrument Co.,LTD is a manufacturer and supplier of laboratory equipment and medical equipment. The company was founded in 2011 and is based in coastal city-Huanghua The company offers a comprehensive range of products which include laboratory balances, spectrophotometers, centrifuges, and more. The company products have been extensively used in domestic and foreign research institutes and university laboratories. The company is aimed at providing tailored solutions to meet diverse needs across research, healthcare, manufacturing, and education sectors.
Yenchen Machinery Co., Ltd., established in 1967, is based in Taoyuan, Taiwan, as a manufacturer and supplier of pharmaceutical machines. It specializes in manufacturing pellet and coating machines, high-shear mixers, and solid dosage lines. Its products are equipped with HEPA filters and thermal ristribution instruments to ensure product quality. Its manufactured products are utilized in pharmaceutical, food, biotechnology, chemical, and cosmetic sectors across Europe, America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The company has partnered with several companies, such as Pfizer, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Daiichi-Sankyo. It acquired ISO 9001:2015 certification and received the Honorable Mention Award in Intelligent Product Competition in 2023.
Atlas Copco UK Holdings Limited, established in 1974 in the UK, is a distributor and supplier of a wide range of industrial tools and machinery used in the aerospace, mobile construction, air motors, and electric motor industries. The company's product portfolio includes air compressors, N2 and O2 generators, tools, and industrial assembly solutions. Atlas Copco UK Holdings Limited also offers a range of products for mobile construction, including power generators, as well as providing clients with 24/7 tool and equipment rental solutions.
SiccaDania A/S, Established in 2014, is a manufacturer and supplier specializing in evaporation and drying machinery for processing dairy, starch, and food products. With a global impact, the company has offices in Denmark, France, Singapore, China, and New Zealand. SiccaDania's expertise lies in offering a range of products including bag filters, evaporators, flash dryers, fluid beds, freeze dryers, spray dryers, zeta dryers, and membrane filtration systems. The company's approach is built on the collective knowledge and experience of its employees and management, within the industry.
Tiermax is a Toronto, Ontario-based company that serves as an equipment supplier for processing equipment and material handling systems in the sectors of food, chemical, plastic, environmental and mineral, and water treatment. The company offers different products specific to each sector, but standard products include feeding & dosing, bulk material handling, extrusion & compounding, and filling and bagging machines. The company partners with other manufacturing and design companies such as MF Techno for weighing, and wrapping bulk products, Köllemann for screw conveyors and related products, and NAKANIN for high-performance rotary piston pumps.
Genyond Machinery Industrial Group, established in 2018 and headquartered in Shanghai, China, is a food processing machine and equipment manufacturer and B2B supplier. With six factories across China, each specializing in a type of processing equipment, the company supplies a wide range of food processing lines, including lines for vegetables, dairy, and beverage products. It also produces filling and packaging machines, as well as edible oil processing machines. The company has completed numerous projects, including a 2000-liter cheese vat packed and shipped to the United States and a 150-square-meter freeze dryer shipped to Russia.
U-THERM International HK Limited, established in 2008 and headquartered in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloong, Hong Kong, is a supplier of laboratory analysis, testing, and measuring instruments and equipment. Its extensive product range includes analytical balances for precise laboratory weighing, spectrophotometers for quantitative analysis across scientific fields, DRS spectrometers, as well as ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma) instruments for detecting metals and nonmetals in liquid samples, and lab or medical refrigerators for storage purposes.
Ranking as of November 2024
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Hosokawa Micron Powder Systems. |
22.6%
|
2 | Labstac LLC. |
8.9%
|
3 | Labconco |
7.7%
|
4 | Cuddon Freeze Dry |
6.3%
|
5 | Tiermax Inc. |
6.1%
|
6 | ULVAC, Inc |
5.4%
|
7 | Lowtemp Industries, LLC |
5.0%
|
8 | GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft |
4.8%
|
9 | SiccaDania A/S |
4.3%
|
10 | Nihon BUCHI K.K. |
3.8%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the freeze dryer page as of November 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History
*Including some distributors, etc.
*Including some distributors, etc.
Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
---|---|---|
United States of America | 5 | 25.0% |
China | 5 | 25.0% |
Germany | 2 | 10.0% |
Japan | 2 | 10.0% |
France | 1 | 5.0% |
New Zealand | 1 | 5.0% |
Taiwan | 1 | 5.0% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 5.0% |
Denmark | 1 | 5.0% |
Canada | 1 | 5.0% |
10 products are listed.
Cell Diagnostics joint company
100+ people viewing
This product is a vacuum frozen dryer designed for food. It can be easily operated with a touch panel. The water catch capacity is 16L. Approximate...
Cell Diagnostics joint company
100+ people viewing
The trap capacity is 2L with a small freeze dryer for home use. This size is the lowest in the industry. It is a reliable vacuum frozen dryer (free...
Cell Diagnostics joint company
60+ people viewing
The trap capacity is 8L. This size is the lowest in the industry. It is a reliable vacuum frozen dryer (freeze dryer). Powerful support for molecul...
Cell Diagnostics joint company
40+ people viewing
■ Characteristics ・ Trap capacity is 4L with plenty of room ・ The indicator is informed that the vacuum pump will be automatically operated after...
Cell Diagnostics joint company
40+ people viewing
■ Characteristics ・ Touch panel controller that can set up work programs ・ Painted steel plate or stainless steel specification can be selected (...
Cell Diagnostics joint company
50+ people viewing
This product is a vacuum frozen dryer designed for food. It can be easily operated with a touch panel. The water catch capacity is 16L. Approximate...
Cell Diagnostics joint company
50+ people viewing
The trap capacity is up to 6L. This is the lowest in the industry and the reliable vacuum frozen dryer (freeze -dryer). ■ Characteristics ・ Touch...
Cell Diagnostics joint company
40+ people viewing
The trap capacity is 8L. This is the lowest in the industry and the reliable vacuum frozen dryer (freeze -dryer). ■ Characteristics ・ Touch panel...
Cell Diagnostics joint company
50+ people viewing
■ Characteristics ・ Touch panel controller that can set up work programs ・ Painted steel plate or stainless steel specification can be selected (...
Shimakawa Seisakusho
50+ people viewing
Last viewed: 10 hours ago
It is the best dryer for a sample that has a large amount of water, such as food, pharmaceutical, and bio. The system is dehumidified and dries by...