What the Compact Freeze Dryer Fits on a Counter
Five stainless steel trays give 3.75 sq ft of shelf area. Ice capacity is 3 L, and a cycle is rated at 3.75 to 5 lb of wet material, which comes out near 0.9 to 1.25 lb dry. A cycle finishes inside 24 hours. The cabinet stands 25 in tall on a 16.5 x 18.5 in footprint and weighs 98 lb. Power is a standard 110 V outlet, so no electrical work is needed to install it. Measured noise is 52 decibels, about what a household refrigerator makes. A Premier vacuum pump ships with it, along with pump oil, an oil filter, the five trays and the Guide to Freeze Drying. Built-in control manages the cycle, holding vacuum pressure and shelf temperature to the profile the material needs. The process itself is sublimation under vacuum. Frozen water leaves as vapour without melting first, so cell structure stays where it was and volatile compounds are not boiled off. That is the whole reason a lab reaches for this rather than for a warm-air oven. Warranty runs one year in full on the dryer and the pump, with limited cover on the sealed refrigeration system through year three. Part number is HRFDSPH with UPC 854877008221.
Choosing a Small Pharmaceutical Freeze Dryer
A small pharmaceutical freeze dryer suits work where the batch is defined by a formulation rather than by a harvest. Tinctures, extracts, herbal preparations and compounded material all arrive in quantities that fit five trays. Counter footprint matters as much as capacity in a room that also holds a scale, a hood and a bench. Freeze the material solid before it goes in. Loading warm or part-frozen material makes the machine do the freezing, and that is the slowest part of any cycle. Spread each tray to an even depth and keep the edges short of the rim. Material heaped against a tray wall dries last and skews the end-of-cycle reading. Set the vacuum hose with a gentle fall toward the pump so condensate cannot run back. Keep the pump off the same surface as the cabinet in a quiet room, since the cabinet carries pump vibration. Oil is the consumable that decides how this machine ages. Water carried in used oil raises the lowest pressure the pump can reach. A shallow vacuum then shows up as a cycle that never quite finishes. Filter or change it on the schedule rather than on symptoms. Seal finished material with desiccant the same day it comes out, because freeze-dried material pulls moisture out of room air quickly.
Key Features
- Five stainless trays: 3.75 sq ft of shelf in a counter-sized cabinet.
- 3 L ice capacity: Rated at 3.75 to 5 lb wet per cycle, near a pound dry.
- Cycle inside 24 hours: A batch in and out within a working day and a night.
- Standard 110 V outlet: No dedicated circuit work needed to get it running.
- 52 decibels: About the sound level of a household refrigerator.
- Premier vacuum pump: Ships with the pump, its oil and an oil filter.
- Counter footprint: A 16.5 x 18.5 in base, standing 25 in tall.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Trays | 5, stainless steel |
| Total tray space | 3.75 sq ft |
| Ice capacity | 3 L |
| Wet material per cycle | 3.75 - 5 lb (about 0.9 - 1.25 lb dry) |
| Cycle time | Within 24 hours |
| Overall dimensions | 16.5 W x 18.5 D x 25 H in |
| Weight | 98 lb |
| Power | 110 V |
| Noise level | 52 dB |
| Vacuum pump | Premier, with oil and filter |
| Included | Premier vacuum pump, pump oil, oil filter, 5 stainless trays, Guide to Freeze Drying |
| Warranty | 1 year full; sealed refrigeration system limited through year 3 |
| Manufacturer part number | HRFDSPH |
| UPC | 854877008221 |