On the initial startup of your dehydrator, you will be presented with the BenchFoods Welcome Screen. From here, you can navigate to the Manual Control page, the Program Control Page, or view the status of all system alarms.

Manual Control is used when you want to run a single batch cycle recipe that will not be used again and is simply a one-off cycle. The Manual Control Page allows you to set the dehydration environment variables. These consist of the time, temperature, and the exhaust variables. Once you have confirmed that all the settings are correct, you can run your cycle.

The right-hand panel will display the internal feedback metrics during your drying cycle, including your internal chamber temperature, internal product temperature, humidity level & drying cycle time remaining.

Delay Start - This refers to the delay set on the exhaust fan before it starts running through its On/Off cycles; recommended times will be found in your user manual. This allows the unit to get up to temperature quickly and build humidity up in the chamber before the initial exhaust cycle starts.

Cycle On - This is the amount of time the exhaust fan runs every time it cycles. Cycle Off - This is how long the exhaust fan closes every cycle. Cycling the exhaust system on & off throughout the drying cycle allows the moisture to be wicked out from the center of your product. This allows for even consistent drying throughout your product and prevents case hardening.

The Select Program Screen displays a list of programs or recipes that can be pre-set to allow for quick access in the future. Program Control allows multiple time and temperature stages to run automatically during a single drying cycle. This is ideal for saving recipes for different products that you may be dehydrating.

Select the program number that you wish to set or access. This will display the program's edit screen. You can update the required fields and save the program for later. If you want to use multiple steps during your cycle, set the temperature and hours/minutes for which this stage should last. If you do not wish to use all the steps, leave them at 0.

The cooldown cycle is the time the unit's air fans stay on after your total drying cycle has been completed. The cooldown timer can be modified and allows for the product and trolleys, and trays to cool down before removing them from the drying chamber. The cooldown cycle for Manual Control is set to the default time of 30 minutes.

To start or run a set Program, open the Program Edit Screen and click the "Operate" button. From there, you will enter the Program Control screen to see the program overview and run the cycle.

Here you can view the selected program, total duration, and remaining time. You can also see the chamber and material temperature and the chamber humidity.

Here you can monitor your cycle's progress, including the current step, the inputted time of the step, the remaining time in the step, the step's set temperature, and other functional equipment feedback.

Analog control panels are available upon request. Please get in touch with one of our industrial experts for more information.