"The updated options and enhancements are a direct response to what our customers have told us they need," says Thomas Braun, business unit manager, Chemical Handling, Colder Products Co., a leader in the design and manufacture of quick-disconnect couplings. "We're offering a huge upgrade in efficiency, safety, and versatility for organizations in fields from food packaging to chemical manufacturing."
The new NPS thread will give steel drum and IBC users access to the safety benefits of the DrumQuik PRO system. Approximately 50 percent of the millions of drums and IBCs in circulation in the U.S. and the rest of the world are steel and require two-inch NPS thread connections. Colder's product update offers a significant increase in flexibility for its customers using these drums. In addition, users will be able to prevent misconnections of incompatible media using the new physical keying system. The user-friendly physical keying system is an extension of the convenient color-coding feature launched in 2006. The color coding and physical keying systems are easy to install on new and existing DrumQuik PRO systems, making it a low-cost and flexible way to implement safety at drum suppliers, chemical packagers, or in critical end-user applications.
Finally, Colder has added to its backflow check valves and foot valves offering. The valves are now available in a variety of sizes and materials so that customers can prevent liquid from flowing back into the drum. This feature increases worker safety.
"Maintaining a prime in a hazardous fluid system keeps the liquid right at the point of dispense and avoids dangerous disruptions in a critical process," explains Braun. "Back flow check valves and foot valves ensure proper function and help users avoid loss of prime that could disrupt the flow of critical media to the end process."
Ideal for single-use applications, DrumQuik PRO is made from FDA-approved virgin polyethylene and polypropylene materials that are compatible with most general chemical uses including food handling, fragrances and flavorings, paint and coatings, pharmaceuticals, water treatment chemicals, car wash soaps, and industrial laundry detergents.
For instance, in a recent interview with CHEM.INFO magazine, Ron Revelle, a retired Canadian Forces major who now manages the laundry at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown, lauded the simplicity and safety features of the DrumQuik PRO system. His laundry, which operates from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. five days a week as well as some weekends, takes care of the 4,000 military soldiers on the base as well as 1,500 cadets that are trained each summer. Despite this volume, Revelle says he has experienced no difficulties nor downtime since the system was put into place nine months ago. "I attribute it to the setup and the very simplified system," he explained. "The system here is so easy to use. I was able to learn it very fast and find it very efficient." The laundry uses five 55-gallon drums from Zepp Manufacturing, which have DrumQuik PRO connectors on them. These drums contain the various detergents and bleaches used in the laundry.
Colder Products Co., St. Paul, MN; 866-671-9165; www.colder.com
