Companies within the food industry use a variety of machines to process their products. Tumbling drums are just one of the types of machines used within this industry. There are two basic types of tumbling drums, one of which is used for wet tumbling and the other for dry tumbling. The most popular types of barrels are those that vary in length and diameter. A tumbling drum can, for example, be 18 inches to 42 inches in length, and 18 inches to 36 inches in diameter.
Wet Tumbling Barrels
In terms of speed, a horizontal barrel’s will vary from 20 to 38 rotations per minute. This speed will depend, of course, on the size of the barrel as well as what items are being tumbled. When loading the barrel, the optimum height is 50%. This is because the combination of parts and media should’t be at a capacity of less than 45% or greater than 60%. If a load height is at 40% to 45%, then the finish will be poorer.
It’s important to keep in mind that there are several factors that will determine how many parts will safely fit inside a particular barrel. In addition to the barrel’s size, the other aspects to consider include the parts’ fragility, shape, weight, and desired result. Given these factors, the parts will generally comprise one-third of the total load. Since it’s important to keep the parts from impinging, there should be roughly three parts media for each part. In general, it will take between six to 24 hours to complete the entire tumbling process. This will depend, however, on the amount of material that needs to be removed from the parts.
Dry Tumbling Barrels
When dry tumbling, horizontal octagonal barrels are almost always used. These barrels may have a metal skin and a hardwood lining. Since the hardwood lining can be replaced when necessary, this is one of the reasons why these barrels are used almost exclusively for dry tumbling. The standard size of these barrels is 30 inches in diameter by 36 or 42 inches in length. Dry tumbling barrel speeds are usually between 28 to 32 rotations per minute.
Learn More About Food Industry Equipment and Services
In addition to the different types of tumbling drums, you may also be interested to learn about other types of industry-specific equipment and services. Whether you’re already in the factory-level food production business or are planning to enter this industry, it’s important to be apprised of technological advancements and current trends. Given the vital nature of this industry, it’s also important to engage in continued research and development to discover even more efficient ways to produce food products.