The drum shell is manufactured in a special laser welding process by butt welding the sheet metal together. The result is a high-quality, smooth and clean weld seam.
Schütz has a high level of vertical integration: the company develops and manufactures both packaging and production equipment in-house. This is an ideal basis to ensure high quality products and develop numerous innovations in a wide range of segments. The extensive Schütz steel drum portfolio also profits from the company’s decades of expertise in steel processing. Customers benefit from this know-how – not least through Schütz’s own Steel Service Centers with two locations in Germany and locations in Asia and the USA. Now, thanks to a revolutionary production process, Schütz can present the latest development in the steel drum sector: the fully galvanized Schütz Laser Drum stands out with its comprehensive corrosion protection, high process and supply security, topped with enhanced delivery flexibility for customers.
With the new Laser Drum, Schütz combines high-quality material with the latest production technology, setting a completely new standard. The innovation: the global player uses sheet steel that is hot-dip galvanised on both sides directly from the coil to manufacture the steel drums. By galvanizing the steel sheets in the zinc melting bath before the coil is wound, the base material has a high-quality, comprehensive and uniformly distributed layer of zinc. The drum shell is manufactured in a special laser welding process by butt welding the sheet metal together. The result is a high-quality, smooth and clean weld seam.
The Laser Drum was tested as a prototype in a development project; Schütz made the necessary investment and developed the drum to serial-production readiness. After lid and base assembly, it has comprehensive protection against corrosion on the inside and the outside and is immediately ready for dispatch. The new drum type is a real alternative for complex and sensitive filling products for which conventionally galvanised or lacquer-lined drums are frequently used. Customers benefit especially from optimised manufacturing quality and corrosion protection – as well as the fact that no interior or exterior coating is required.
Schütz produces the Laser Drum in various designs: as a tight-head drum with a volume of 216.5 litres and as an open-head drum with a volume of 213 litres, or alternatively as a necked-in 210-litre version suitable for ISO containers. In addition, this product innovation is also available for particularly demanding filling goods in the form of a composite drum with a plastic liner, which offers optimized corrosion protection, high-quality processing, and an improved eco-balance. Schütz also offers the open-head drum with a plastic inliner that covers the inside of the drum like a second skin, allowing it to be used to transport sensitive liquid and solid filling goods. Key application advantages include the ability to fully discharge the filling product and the option of using an impeller and suction pump. The simple separation of the material fractions of steel and plastic reduces disposal costs and enables easy reconditioning. All steel drum models are available now. Using the latest logo screen printing technology Schütz can also add individual branding at the customer’s request – thus boosting the recognition value.
Effective production process also reduces the risk of contamination
Overall, the Laser Drum impresses with its high, clean production quality. Thanks to the corrosion-protected and especially clean material, quality risks are minimised right at the start of production. Conventionally galvanised barrels have to be treated in downstream painting lines and kilns to ensure an adequate level of protection. During this process it is impossible to completely rule out paint drips, inclusions, pitting or remaining residues. These defects not only affect the appearance, but also pose a contamination risk and require downstream treatment steps in production.
Due to the direct corrosion protection of the Laser Drum, no subsequent treatment steps are required which, in turn, avoids all the associated internal transport processes. This particularly effective production method saves time, costs and energy and helps to reduce the use of resources, all of which adds up to a positive impact on the environmental balance. Yet another benefit for customers is that Schütz can store large quantities of the hot-dip galvanised coils for the production of the Laser Drums, which increases delivery flexibility and supply security in comparison with conventionally produced galvanized drums, which take up more space during storage.
Further information is available from May 4 to 10 at the Schütz booth D22 | E34 in Hall 10 at interpack in Düsseldorf, where the Schütz Laser Drum will be exhibited and demonstrated.