The Primary Components of a Wiped Film Evaporator

Whether you’re a cannabis business owner looking to level up or a large-scale operation head hoping to expand, you should use the best tech in the industry. Without high-quality equipment, cannabis extraction and distillation is challenging—not to mention slow-going and time-consuming.

Change the narrative by learning about and incorporating a top-of-the-line wiped film evaporator. Discover the primary components of a wiped film evaporator ahead.

Heat-Controlled Feed Tank

Wiped film evaporators couldn’t operate without the proper conditions. The heat-controlled feed tank holds a large volume of crude oil—the thick, dark brown, highly viscous post-extraction material. Due to the oil’s high viscosity, the feed stock must be warmed to increase its ability to flow.

Evaporator Surface

The core of the wiped film evaporator is the evaporation chamber. The outermost shell of this chamber is the interior-facing evaporator surface. The crude oil mixture enters this sidewall and comes into direct contact with the evaporator surface, which is at the distillate phases’ boiling point to force the liquid-gas state change. Without the evaporator surface, the residue and distillate would never separate.

Sintered Mesh Baffles

SinterTek is the sintered mesh baffle technology that Beaker & Wrench has patented. We are the only company to offer this technology. The sintered mesh increases the fractioning surface of your wiped-film evaporator, and the result is increased purity in one run with unmatched beautiful color and clarity. Most of our customers are seeing an increase of 10%* in the cannabinoid content of their oil within one run. This reduces the need to “re-run” the oil to obtain 90%+ purity.

Wiper Blades

In between the sintered mesh baffles are the wiped blades. These are the most active portion of the machine, whirling around inside the chamber. These long, serrated blades rotate at high speeds via the motor. The friction, speed, and movement of the wiper blades create the thin film on the evaporator surface, giving the machine its name. These blades ensure that the crude oil stays in contact with the evaporator surface all the way down the chamber, forcing all distillate to separate.

Internal Condenser

Once the distillate transitions from liquid to vapor, it passes through the sintered mesh to the center of the unit, where it encounters the internal condenser. The condenser coil sits at a cooler temperature than the evaporator surface, creating the ideal landing spot for the vaporous distillate. As it settles on the internal condenser, the purified distillate drips down the coil into the gear pumps that will dispense your oil at the bottom of the chamber.

To achieve maximum purity, the internal condenser is quite close to the thin film on the evaporator surface, creating a short path. The minimized distance reduces molecular oxidation and deterioration, which would diminish the quality of the distillate product. At the end of the process, the primary components of a wiped film evaporator create the residue and distillate phases in separate containers. The distillate phase, rich in THC or CBD, then continues on for product application.

While the science behind this technology isn’t new, Beaker & Wrench has the world’s most innovative improvements to the wiped-film evaporator. As the premier turn-key wiped film evaporator manufacturers, we can answer all your questions and help you find the perfect distillation system for your operation.