Steel drums are widely used in various industries, from chemicals to food processing, where they play a crucial role in packaging and transportation. Choosing the right drum lining, however, is often an overlooked yet critical aspect of ensuring the integrity of the packaged materials and the service life of the drum itself. It is important to understand how to select the right steel drum lining to ensure the safety and integrity of the contents inside.
Understanding the Importance of Drum Linings
Drum linings are a protective barrier between the contents of the drum and the steel surface. They serve several essential functions:
- Chemical Compatibility: Different materials require specific linings to prevent chemical attack or contamination. It’s vital to ensure that the lining is compatible with the stored substance to maintain product quality and safety.
- Preventing Rust: Steel drums are susceptible to rust when exposed to moisture. The proper lining choice helps prevent this issue, especially during transportation and storage of the unfilled containers, prior to use.
- Enhancing Durability: Linings also contribute to the drum’s durability, protecting the packaged contents from contamination caused by damage that might occur during handling operations and transportation.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Drum Lining
Selecting the right drum lining involves careful consideration of several factors:
- Chemical Compatibility: Determine the chemical compatibility of the lining with the substance to be stored. Consulting drum lining manufacturers can often reveal that many of the chemicals in question have already been specifically tested for compatibility, and packaging such materials can be done in confidence. Chemicals of an unknown nature can also be the subject of lining compatibility studies that will identify the lining best suited for those chemicals.
- Temperature Resistance: Some materials may require specific linings to withstand high or low temperatures during processing and packaging. It is important to ensure the lining can handle the intended packaging conditions.
- Regulatory Compliance: Industry regulations and safety standards related to both the application of the lining as well as the packaged materials is an important aspect that needs to be considered. Operating permits must be adhered to for VOC and HAPS content, along with many packagers’ and end users’ need for compliance with many other regulations, including but not limited to FDA, CONEG, Prop 65, and OSHA, to name a few.
- Cost and Serviceability: Linings represent a very minor cost to an industrial package when compared to the other materials used, labor, and processing methods. It is important to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the lining on an applied cost basis, which may reveal a very different decision than just comparing costs per gallon. Choosing the wrong lining can mean costly lining failures and claims. Not all linings are the same, even from the same manufacturer.
Introducing UNICHEM’s RESCO® Interior Linings
UNICHEM’s RESCO® Interior Linings are engineered to meet the diverse needs of various industries. Whether you require a lining for chemicals, food products, or pharmaceuticals or agriculture, RESCO® Interior Linings offer a comprehensive solution.
RESCO® linings are designed with a keen understanding of chemical compatibility, temperature resistance, and durability. They provide an extra layer of protection, ensuring that your valuable materials remain intact and uncontaminated.
RESCO® Interior Drum Linings: Solvent-borne & Water-borne Features
UNICHEM offers an array of RESCO® interior drum linings in various chemistries, including our exceptional “Universal” lining solution. Our solvent-borne interior chemical linings come with an impressive set of features:
- Available in 350°F & 425°F cure temperatures
- Recoatable capability for added cost savings without compromising performance
- Low VOC and Low HAPS content
- Available in both standard and BPA-free versions
- Compliant with CONEG, FDA, Kosher, REACH, and other regulations
- Demonstrates superior chemical resistance, surpassing the performance of comparable coatings and linings
- Available in spray, roll-coat and high speed, coil coating versions
What sets UNICHEM’s drum and pail linings apart is its superior chemical resistance, providing container integrity and performance where others have failed, along with its unique ability to be recoated after full cure, a feature not found in most other products.
Our water-borne interior chemical linings also offer noteworthy features:
- Low VOC and Low HAPS content
- Recoatable without compromising performance
- Less flammable with safer flashpoints, potentially qualifying for insurance discounts
- Comparable chemical resistance to our solvent-borne product line
- These linings have been successfully commercialized for over 40 years
- Available in both spray and roll-coat versions
Furthermore, UNICHEM provides rust inhibitors and size coats with the following features:
- Available in both solvent and waterborne versions
- Options for force-cured or air dry applications
- Available in both spray and roll-coat versions
UNICHEM’s diverse range of drum linings and coatings is designed to meet your specific needs, offering superior protection and performance in various applications.
Exploring AQUALON & FLEXLAIN Coatings
In addition to interior linings, UNICHEM also offers a complete line of AQUALON & FLEXLAIN coatings for exterior protection of the container.. These coatings provide an additional level of defense against environmental factors, ensuring that your steel drums remain in excellent condition even in challenging conditions.
AQUALON coatings are known for their more environmentally friendly, water-based technology that significantly reduces VOC and HAPS levels rendering many of our products non-hazardous and being cured at a lower temperature for energy cost savings while still delivering an aesthetically pleasing high gloss finish that resists rust and corrosion. FLEXLAIN coatings, on the other hand, is a more conventional exterior paint solution offering color stability at higher temperatures, flexibility, and durability. Both product lines offer a full array of formulations for different application methods, including all varieties of spray application, sheet coating as well as high-speed coil coating.
Selecting the right steel drum lining is a critical decision that impacts the safety and integrity of your packaged materials. Consider factors such as chemical compatibility, temperature resistance, and regulatory compliance. UNICHEM’s RESCO® Interior Linings, along with AQUALON & FLEXLAIN coatings, provide a comprehensive solution for all your drum lining needs.
UNICHEM offers drum linings and exterior coatings based on decades of research and development and delivering the best solution possible to the drum and pail industry. Make the right choice for your drum linings, and safeguard your valuable contents. Contact us today to learn more about how our products can enhance the protection and serviceability of your steel drums with our superior drum and pail coatings.