First All-Plastic Drum for Highly Aggressive Chemicals
Rikutec’s 200 L HDPE drum-in a drum competes with metal and plastic-metal versions.
Rikutec Group of Germany, a specialist in blow molding large parts—both a processor and machine builder—has introduced what it says is the packaging industry’s first all-plastic drum that meets the highly stringent demands of Packaging Group 1 regulations specified by the ADR European agency for safe storage and transport of highly aggressive chemicals. The blow molded “tank in a tank” requires no secondary container and also meets U.S. Dept. of Transportation regulations. “Rikutec has developed the highest rated dual-containment drum in the industry,” says Andreas Amberg, president of Rikutec America.
The 200-liter Twin Drum is said to be suitable for ultra-clean transport of chemicals, such as for the pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries. It is said to offer advantages over competing all-metal and plastic-metal drums, including corrosion resistance, high-pressure resistance, and 100% recyclability. Further, the Twin Drum can be filled and dispensed with QC-Dip tubes, which reportedly prevent any contamination of the contents.
The Twin Drum consists of a two-layer inner drum of HDPE—the inner layer of a special resin without additives for ultra-clean packaging—and an outer drum container of three HDPE layers, the outer layer UV-stabilized, and the center layer foamed for rigidity and weight reduction. After molding, the top of the outer drum is cut off and then welded back on after the inner drum is inserted. The hot-plate welding operation also joins the two tanks together. Both drum components are coextrusion blow molded on a patented Rikutec machine in a clean-room environment at the company’s plant in Westerwald, Germany. The drum is distributed worldwide, including in the U.S.
The Twin Drum reportedly withstands the 45° “on-rim” drop test (three times) from 2.8 meters (9.2 ft) and is 320 kPa (46 psi) pressure rated for packaging group 1 (X) HDPE materials up to 1.9 g/cc density.
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