Our story
In 1962, Finland was a poor country lacking foreign currency. Buying production machinery from aboard was next to impossible. Antti Viljanmaa, a mechanical engineer and a son of the tannery owner Wiljo Viljanmaa, decided to build a vacuum dryer for the family tannery, and then sold machines to other Finnish tanneries as well.
In 1964 he invented a new vertical type of vacuum dryer. The innovative design raised interest also abroad. The first export dryer was shipped to the USA in 1965.
Finvac Dryers has now delivered over 600 machines all over the world. The current CEO and chief engineer Jussi Viljanmaa is proud to continue the family tradition.
Our machines keep working. So we are not a mass producer. But we take pride in building machines that deliver value every day in tough conditions.
In our design choices we have optimized operating reliability and easy maintenance by even non-specialists. Our machines may not be the cheapest ones on the market, but they are the best for keeping the tannery running without interruptions in production.
We build our vacuum dryers always to customer specification.
In spring of 2018 we made first delivery of our newest model F4TC-E, a machine that brings modern recycling efficiency to vacuum drying. The dryer utilizes an internal system to recycle water and energy. A traditional vacuum dryer needs approx. 25 000 litres of water over an 8-hour shift for cooling, but our new Finvac E series doesn’t need an external source of cooling water. The recycling system also reuses the heat produced in drying. This leads up to 70 % savings in energy.
Perhaps even more importantly, the design allows for lower table temperatures, which means better quality for the leather.
Our most popular models are two- and three-table dryers with drying cycles ranging from 40 to 60 seconds depending on leather thickness. Four-table models are recommended for thicker leathers up to 2mm. For leathers over 2mm we recommend double vacuuming with a resting period of 1-2 hours for best quality.
If your tannery has one of our earlier models, modification packages for upgrading to the Finvac E recycling technology are available.
Please ask for a quote! Kindly mention number of tables and table size, or ask for our assistance in determining the optimal dryer specifications for your production line.
F1 Lab
F2T / TC (E)(D)
F3T / TC (E)(D)
F4TC (E)(D)
PRODUCTS
Spare Parts
Finvac Dryers have been in service all over the world since 1965. Our sturdy machines work decades with little maintenance, but sometime parts wear out. Spare parts can be ordered for machines built since the beginning. Please refer to the part list provided with your machine or, if the part number is not known, send an enquiry with a picture of the part and the machine plate.
