The drum flaker transforms a molten product into a solid by cooling it under the solidification temperature. The process that takes place is a crystallisation process. The end product is a flake or needle that is ready for bagging.
A heated dip tray under the cooling drum holds the product in its molten state. The cooling drum slowly revolves through the dip tray, and picks up a thin layer of molten product. For viscous products, an applicator rolls assists in applying the product to the cooling drum. The product starts to cool and solidify the moment it comes into contact with the cold drum. On the inside, a coolant such as cooling water is accurately sprayed against the drum’s inner surface. The entirely closed cooling system ensures no cross-contamination between coolant and product can take place.
After almost a complete revolution, a scraper knife removes the completely solidified product layer from the drum. It breaks up into easy manageable flakes or needles. The form and size of the flakes depend on the nature of the product, and to some extent on the process conditions also. Changing the settings of the process such as speed and immersion depth will slightly alter the dimensions of the flakes or needles to get the desired end result.
Advantages
Opposed to other technologies, the small foot print of the drum flaker is a great benefit: It fits most process rooms. The water cooling system is a closed loop system so cross-contamination between coolant and product is not possible during normal process operation. For standard applications are hoods effectively covering the process space. For toxic products are gas tight models available as well as inert gas blanketing to allow for the processing of sensitive products. A range of different materials is available to chose from for the different product and process environments.
Contact us and let us discuss how the drum flaker can be the right solution for your process.
