High Velocity Wicket Ovens for 55 Gallon Drum Manufacturer
Executive Summary
The customer — a manufacturer of 55-gallon steel drums — needed an efficient and reliable curing line for drum lids (tops/bottoms) to meet high-volume production demands. The process required a specialized oven capable of handling flat sheet-metal parts (drum lids), curing coatings or treatments, and ensuring fast throughput while maintaining stable part handling and quality. Epcon was contracted to design, build and commission a dual-laying / triple-laying high-velocity wicket oven custom-configured for drum-lid production and integrated into the manufacturer’s existing production line.
Project Overview
The customer — a manufacturer of 55-gallon steel drums — needed an efficient and reliable curing line for drum lids (tops/bottoms) to meet high-volume production demands. The process required a specialized oven capable of handling flat sheet-metal parts (drum lids), curing coatings or treatments, and ensuring fast throughput while maintaining stable part handling and quality. Epcon was contracted to design, build and commission a dual-laying / triple-laying high-velocity wicket oven custom-configured for drum-lid production and integrated into the manufacturer’s existing production line.
The Challenge
The production scenario posed several interlinked challenges:
- High throughput requirement — the line needed to cure the drum lids at a rate of 720-750 drums per hour, far beyond what conventional batch ovens could support.
- Part handling stability — lids (flat steel sheets) must remain securely positioned during the curing process; any shifting, warping or misalignment would cause defects or rejects. A conventional conveyor or oven design might risk lid movement under high-speed conditions.
- Uniform, controlled heat treatment — the curing process demanded reliable temperature control (in this case ~500 °F) to ensure coatings or treatments cure evenly and deliver the required finish and durability.
- Durability and materials compatibility — given the heavy usage and high throughput, the oven needed to be built robustly (interior materials, conveyor system, carriers) to handle continuous operation without excessive maintenance or downtime.
Engineering Requirements
To meet production, quality, and reliability goals, the system design needed:
- A wicket-oven design: using long “wickets” (carriers) attached to the oven conveyor; sheet-metal lids are stacked between wickets and transported vertically (or appropriately oriented) through the oven — keeping parts secure and ensuring space-efficient conveyance.
- High-speed conveyor system: engineered for heavy duty, with stable carriers, precise spacing and synchronization to achieve the target output (720–750 drums/hr) without damage or misalignment.
- Oven constructed with suitable materials (e.g. aluminized steel interior, carbon-steel exterior) to withstand repeated thermal cycles, ensure longevity, and resist wear or corrosion under production conditions.
- Precise thermal control: the oven must sustain ~500 °F cure temperature, with stable airflow and heat distribution to guarantee uniform curing across all parts, even under high-speed throughputs.
- Turnkey delivery: design, fabrication, installation, commissioning — providing a ready-to-run solution that integrates into the customer’s production line without lengthy downtime or complex retrofits.
The Solution
Epcon delivered a bespoke high-velocity wicket oven system tailored to the drum-lid manufacturing application, featuring:
- Dual-laying / triple-laying wicket configuration: long wicket carriers on a conveyor system; drum lids (tops/bottoms) are placed between wickets and transported through the oven, ensuring secure orientation and efficient space usage.
- Heavy-duty oven construction: interior aluminized steel, exterior carbon steel — providing robustness, durability, and resistance to thermal wear under continuous operation.
- High-speed conveyor & material-handling system: engineered to handle the target throughput (720–750 drums/hr), ensuring stable travel, minimal part shifting, and reliable processing under production conditions.
- Controlled thermal cure at ~500 °F: optimized oven heating and airflow to deliver uniform curing and avoid hot/cold spots — critical for coating adhesion, finish quality, and drum durability.
- Turnkey implementation: Epcon handled design, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and field start-up — delivering a fully operational solution ready to meet production demands.
Technical Specifications
System Type: Wicket Oven — dual-laying / triple-laying configuration for drum-lid (sheet-metal) handling
Application: 55-gallon drum lids / tops & bottoms (steel sheet parts)
Target Throughput: 720–750 drums per hour (drum lids)
Operating Temperature: Approximately 500 °F curing temperature
Construction Materials: Interior: aluminized steel; Exterior: carbon steel
Conveyor & Carrier Design: Wicket carriers (sheet-carrier), stable conveyors for high-speed operation, part stacking between wickets
Delivery Scope: Custom design, fabrication, installation, commissioning — full turnkey solution
The Results
After installation and commissioning, the high-velocity wicket oven delivered:
- ~ 20 % increase in throughput capacity for drum lids — enabling the customer to meet high-volume demand more efficiently.
- Stable, reliable handling of sheet-metal lids during curing, avoiding shifting or misalignment, ensuring consistent product quality and minimizing rejects.
- Durable, long-term operation with robust construction and proper design — supporting continuous production without frequent maintenance or downtime.
- Improved operational efficiency — high-speed conveyor + wicket handling + curing oven = streamlined workflow for drum-lid production, reducing labor and handling time compared to manual or slower systems.
- Proven customer satisfaction and loyalty — Epcon has supplied over 100 voucher ovens for various applications and maintained a long-term relationship with this customer for decades, demonstrating trust and consistent performance.
This project highlights Epcon’s ability to deliver high-speed, heavy-duty, container industry ovens tailored to the demanding throughput and reliability needs of 55-gallon drum manufacturing.
