The liquid or thin paste is sprayed into tiny droplets inside a chamber. Hot air blows through the same chamber, either in the same direction as the spray or in the opposite direction. As the tiny droplets meet the hot air, they dry almost instantly and fall as powder.
Because drying happens so fast, the material spends very little time exposed to heat. This makes spray drying perfect for delicate materials that can be damaged by too much heat, like vitamins, medicines, milk powder, and food ingredients.