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Drum Conditioner

The Rheo Drum Conditioner provides a safe and reliable means of conditioning hardened product within raw material containers. The breakup of hardened product allows for easier product flow out of drums later in the manufacturing process. Safety, containment, and productivity are all addressed with this simple to use machine.

Safety: The Rheo Drum Conditioner eliminates the need for a mallet or baseball bat in the product conditioning process. The Drum Conditioner uses hydraulic actuators to break up hardened material in drums so that operator intervention for breaking up material is eliminated. All moving parts are guarded to keep operators safe.

Containment: The Rheo Drum Conditioner can break up material throughout the drum without removing the lid. This allows the material to stay contained within the drum instead of exposing the product to break up the material using other means.

Productivity: The Rheo Drum Conditioner can be programmed to automatically condition a drum using a customized recipe for each drum that can ensure repeatability with breaking up the material and can significantly reduce the time required by an operator. An operator can load a drum, press a button to start the conditioning sequence, and then walk away to work on another process while the drum is being conditioned.

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Drum Conditioner with drum ready to go. Hydraulic actuators will add more than 7,000 pounds of pressure to condition even the hardest materials.

How the Drum Conditioner Works

The Drum Conditioner utilizes two hydraulic actuators to provide up to 7000 lbs of force to the sides of the drum in order to condition even the hardest of materials. This system has three primary functions:

  • Conditioning Arms: two guided arms are actuated using two separate actuators that apply up to 7000 lbs of force to the sides of the drum. The end effectors can be changed for different profiles per the client drum type and application requirement.
  • Drum Elevator: this function moves the drum up and down between the conditioning arms to allow total contact along the height of the drum.
  • Rotating Drum Platform: the drum platform is built on a rotary bearing that allows the drum to rotate, allowing the conditioning arms to contact all points along the circumference of the drum.

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Features

The Drum Conditioner has several benefits when implemented in the manufacturing process:

  • Automated/Repeatable Conditioning
  • Improves Material Transfer Efficiency
  • Easy to Clean
  • Simple Controls
  • Conditions All Parts of Drum
  • Customization for Any Drum Type/Size
Drum conditioner with features call out.

Transparent Polycarbonate Safety Shrouding

NEMA 4X Washdown control panel

Dead-Man controls with E-Stop

Forklift Pickup Point

Drum Elevator

Rotating Drum Platform

Heavy duty stainless steel frame construction

Dual acting high force actuators

Common Specifications [customized per application]

Load Capacity 440 lbs [200 kg]
Maximum Drum Size 24 inches [610 mm] diameter, 40 inches [1,000mm] height
Material of Construction 304 stainless steel frame structure
Surface Finish 35 µin [0.89 µm] Ra with smooth welds as laid
Utility Electric: 120 VAC, 1 Phase, 60 Hz
Pneumatic Utility Option Available
Controls touch-screen HMI
Hazardous Rating configurable for use in Hazardous Locations: Class I Divisions 1 and 2 [ATEX Zones 1 and 2] or Class II Divisions 1 and 2 [ATEX Zones 21 and 22]
Drawings and design of an Rheo Drum Conditioner

Customizable

The Rheo design library and fast track design services allow our team to efficiently tailor our products to meet the specific requirements of each application. During the design phase, the Rheo engineering team analyzes the application to develop a custom and comprehensive material handling solution. By using standard options as well as custom-designed features, a GMP operator centric design can be achieved. Load capacity, drum size, conditioning force, and conditioning sequence are all easily customized to fit a specific application.

Control Options

For a plug-in electric power configuration, the Drum Conditioner comes standard with a fully automated conditioning sequence controlled by a PLC with touchscreen HMI. The automated conditioning sequence is customized for each specific drum in order to optimize the conditioning cycle and ensure repeatability.

For an all-pneumatic power configuration, the Drum Conditioner uses momentary push buttons to control each function.

With both control options, safety interlocks prevent any operation when the loading door is open to ensure proper guarding is in place.


Automated controls for the Rheo Drum Conditioner
Power configuration options from Rheo for equipment

Power Configurations

The Rheo Drum Conditioner has several power configuration options available.

  • Pneumatically-powered Hydraulic: This option is the simplest design if compressed air is available. Compressed air is used to power a hydraulic pump which provides pressure to hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic motors.
  • Plug-in Electric:  This option is the most common configuration because of the speed that it can provide. The Drum Conditioner can be configured to use any voltage input and the motors can be sized to deliver the desired speed. A hydraulic pump is used to power hydraulic cylinders and hydraulic motors.

Higher Throughput Capacity Option

For continuous conditioning of a single drum type, a conveyor can be integrated with a drum conditioning frame in order to simultaneously condition multiple drums.

  • Features multiple hydraulically powered conditioning arms to carry out the simultaneous conditioning of multiple drums at different heights.
  • Integrated powered conveyor system allows for high drum throughput without operator intervention.
  • Conditioning sequence is customized for each specific drum type and is controlled by a PLC with touchscreen HMI.
  • Different drum types can be programmed to work with the conveyor and drum conditioning system.

Add a conveyer system to the automated Drum Conditioner to allow identical drums to be conditioned with minimal manual labor.

Cleanability

All exposed surfaces on the Drum Conditioner can be fully washed-down for cleaning. Most exposed surfaces are stainless steel, with the exception of some small plumbing components.


Surface Finish

Rheo offers several different surface finish options to fit your application needs.

Visit our GMP Compliance page to learn more.


See common applications for the Rheo Drum Conditioner

Common Applications

  • Warehouse
  • Weigh and Dispense
  • Any Products without Anti-Caking Agents

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