Spray Drying Equipment Market Size - By Type, By Drying Stage, By Application, & Forecast, 2025 - 2034

Spray Drying Equipment Market Size

The global spray drying equipment market generated significant revenues in 2024 and is expected to grow at a healthy CAGR during 2025-2034, due to growing demand for processed or convenience food. Spray drying is an effective way to convert liquids or slurries into dry powders for use in products across many sectors. This conversion adds considerable shelf life to products, improves solubility, and conveys particle size precision. The efficient and effective process that spray drying technology offers is increasingly necessary for temperature or heat-sensitive products.

The strong fundamentals in the global spray drying equipment market are largely the result of various factors involving product quality and scale efficiency in production. Demand for technological advancement for better processes and product efficiency exists in numerous industries. Other areas of improvement involve producing multiple product formats, drying rate efficiencies, and verification of allergens.
 

There are several key drivers fueling market growth. Liquid-based products are in increasing demand in the processed foods and nutritional supplements industries, and powdered forms are being heavily promoted to these industries consistently in consumer-facing applications. For instance, the pharmaceutical industry is transitioning to utilizing spray drying technology as an easier, quicker, and more effective way of making amorphous solid dispersions, where it can enhance drug solubility and drug bioavailability.
 

Likewise, food manufacturers utilize spray drying to successfully convert liquids into stable dry powders, enabling easy storage, transportation, and reconstitution of products. There are some restraints that could inhibit market growth. Capital Expenditures (Capex) and Maintenance Costs (Maintex) are aspects of spray drying systems and multi-stage systems, as specific technical systems can be an obstruction for many small and medium enterprises, due to cost. Review of energy use is of high concern in spray drying as it is an energy-intensive process. Energy use may seem counterproductive as it would risk raising operational costs on materials.
 

Spray Drying Equipment Market Trends

The spray drying equipment industry is going through a major transition driven by innovation and changing requirements from end-users. One of the more significant trends is the increased use of closed-loop systems that improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions and comply with stricter environmental regulations and corporate sustainability initiatives. There is also an increasing amount of spray dryers with intelligent controls and automation, which enable real-time monitoring of processes, better control of drying conditions, and consistent product quality. This is particularly important for applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries, where there is a heavy reliance on accuracy and repeatability.
 

The increasing interest in multi-stage drying technologies, which are hybrid drying methods that combine spray drying with fluid bed drying, can improve some powder properties like flowability and moisture content. In the pharmaceutical industry, spray drying processes are more frequently used to produce inhalable drugs and to create encapsulated delivery systems with desired stability and targeted release. Manufacturers are experimenting with new materials and new nozzle types with the aim of improving drying efficiency and the morphology of the products.
 

Spray Drying Equipment Market Analysis

In the spray drying equipment industry, the rotary atomizers segment held sizeable growth in 2024 due to their ability to produce fine, uniform particles from larger raw materials. Rotary atomization is particularly well suited for applications requiring consistent particle size distribution, as in the case of dairy powders in powder manufacturing, certain detergents, and, to some extent, in pharmaceutical formulations. The rotary atomizer segment has gained prominence for its drying efficiency with viscous and heat-sensitive material, which makes this segment particularly desirable for larger-capacity food and other high-volume chemical manufacturing. Rotary atomizers are preferred because they ensure continuous operations and adaptivity to various feedstock requirements.
 

Nonetheless, rotary atomizers are more complicated to maintain and expensive to operate than nozzle-based systems, primarily as the rotating parts are typically exposed to elevated temperatures and therefore require more energy. The manufacturers are making a case for continued use by using more corrosion-resistant materials and sealing systems to ensure a long lifetime. They also encourage that this segment will continue to absorb escalating material costs, by offering innovative and better atomizer disc designs to improve performance, whilst reducing energy costs.
 

The pharmaceuticals industry segment generated significant revenues in 2024 owing to the demand for better drug delivery systems. Spray drying continues to be key in the development and production of solid dispersions, inhalable drugs, and microencapsulation for controlled release. As spray drying can produce small particles with a large surface area, drug solubility and bioavailability - both needed for the performance of oral and pulmonary drugs – are improved. As pharmaceutical companies increase their focus on the development of complex molecules like biologics and poorly water-soluble compounds, spray-drying technology is increasingly utilized for both R&D and process optimization and for manufacturing at a commercial scale.
 

The segments also benefit from the emergence of personalized medicine and the need for tailored doses provided by spray-dried formulations as a delivery method. Equipment for pharmaceutical applications needs to conform to strict regulatory standards like GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), which is why suppliers are manufacturing hygienic designs, clean-in-place (CIP) systems, and automated control systems. The pharmaceutical segment is also increasing in demand due to the need for compact and closed-loop spray drying systems, which eliminate contamination and product loss.
 

Asia Pacific spray drying equipment market held a sizeable growth in 2024, driven by the rapid industrialization, expansion of the food and pharmaceutical sectors, and supportive government policies within the region. Key markets in the Asia Pacific, such as China, India, Japan, and South Korea, are making major investments in their food processing, biotechnology, and drug manufacturing infrastructure, creating end-market demand for evolving drying technologies. A population base with growing middle-class income and changing dietary preferences led to significant growth in demand for processed foods/dairy powders/nutritional supplements, all end-markets that require spray drying technology.
 

Both local and international manufacturers of spray drying equipment are focusing on Asia Pacific by setting up manufacturing facilities, distribution networks, and technical support/after-sales support centres. Emerging markets will always have price sensitivity. However, companies are beginning to invest in new spray drying systems that are modern, energy efficient, and focus on quality, compliance, and manufacturing efficiencies. As governments in the region implement policies to promote food security, innovation in health care, and manufacturing self-sufficiency, it will spur additional growth in the spray drying equipment industry.
 

Spray Drying Equipment Market Share

Key players operating in the spray drying equipment industry include:

• Dedert Corporation
• Changzhou Lemar
• GEA Group AG
• SPX Flow
• AVM Systech
• Acmefil
• Shandong Shungeng
   

Companies in the spray drying equipment market are diverse in their strategic planning, which helps to enhance their market positioning and address changing requirements. The most common strategies include investments in research and development to produce energy-efficient, automated, and compact spray dryers for both large and small manufacturers, cooperation and partnership programs. End-user industries, mostly in the pharmaceuticals and food processing sectors, develop solutions that meet product requirements and regulatory requirements. Companies are also increasingly improving after-sales service capabilities, training, maintenance, and optimizing the performance of the equipment to improve satisfaction and longevity of the equipment. Adopting differentiation strategies means companies can use multi-stage drying technologies and variable atomizer designs as a competitive strategy.
 

Spray Drying Equipment Industry News

• In July 2025, Aenova expanded its Killorglin site by adding a spray drying platform designed for producing amorphous solid dispersions (ASD) and inhalation powders.
   
• In April 2023, RELCO, part of Koch Separation Solutions, launched the Parvus pilot spray dryer specifically for food applications. The system was available in two versions: the Parvus Nomad, a single-stage dryer suited for test batches and smaller production runs with up to 10 kg (22 lbs.) of water evaporation, and the Parvus Multi-Stage dryer, which featured a wide-body design and could manage larger volumes of up to 25 kg (55 lbs.) of water evaporation.