Cangilones Drums:  All-in-one production and environmental solution

The Cangilones drum technology, characterised by an internal drum configuration with long eccentric paddles and low speed processing, has represented a revolutionary solution to the challenges inherent in the use of conventional drums in the leather tanning industry, optimising the mechanical effect and the interaction of hides with chemicals. Since their introduction to the market 25 years ago, these innovative systems have proven their efficiency and versatility, comprehensively addressing the mechanical and operational limitations that characterise traditional drums and reducing the environmental impact of wet processes in the tanning industry. Reports gathered from various users on the use of drums in the tanning industry over this period have been consistent in revealing a number of significant benefits in several key areas, ranging from environmental improvements to production optimisation and improved end product quality.

Innovation, water saving, energy efficiency and operational cost reduction are crucial elements for the sustainability of the tanning industry. Cangilones drum technology allows the highest leather quality with savings of 70% in energy, 60% in water, 48% in space, 30% in water treatment cost, 50% in maintenance cost and an important saving in the cost of investment in new facilities. In this sense, the Cangilones drum emerges as a modern, up-to-date and current solution, capable of offering significant benefits in terms of resource consumption, waste reduction and process optimisation, thus contributing to face the environmental and climatic challenges faced by the tanning industry. The Cangilones drum represents an innovative and efficient response to these challenges, highlighting their distinctive features and their role in transforming the tanning industry towards more sustainable and responsible practices.

Conventional drums in the tanning industry face significant challenges in terms of resource use, particularly with regard to water and energy. These drums require large amounts of water for the tanning process, which contributes to the scarcity of this natural resource. In addition, the operation of conventional drums involves significant energy consumption, mainly to reach the right float temperature and to operate the equipment. This combination of high water and energy requirements not only increases the operating costs of tanning companies, but also has a negative impact on the environment, contributing to the scarcity of natural resources and environmental pollution when waste effluents are not properly treated.

Apart from the challenges related to water and energy use, conventional drums also present other drawbacks in the tanning process. These include limitations in loading capacity, which some present as a requirement for obtaining a quality end product, but which can restrict the efficiency and productivity of the process, as well as the uniformity of the end product due to the non-uniform interaction of the bath and the mass of hides in traditional drums. Also, the need for higher chemical consumption and frequent and expensive maintenance costs add additional pressure on tanners. In response to these challenges, Cangilones drums, working at slower speeds, allow for a less aggressive but more efficient interaction between bath and hides, offering significant benefits in terms of efficiency, sustainability and end product quality.
The Cangilones drum answer offers an innovative solution to these constraints and problems. By not relying on centrifugal force to achieve a mixing and whipping effect, drums can operate at lower speeds, reducing the risk of knot or tangle formation, it also avoids the so-called dead zones where chemicals are less effective. This is because the Cangilones shelves on the drum can lift a large mass of hides and baths together up to approximately 75% of the total height of the drum, allowing a uniform, smooth and efficient mechanical effect, without the need for high rotational speeds, more aggressive to the leather grain.

This means that they can offer great advantages such as lower water consumption and the possibility of using more concentrated baths with reduced chemical input due to the ability to work with short baths, which not only reduces operating costs, but also reduces the amount of wastewater generated, with more exhausted baths, with less residual chemicals, resulting in more economical effluent treatment. In addition, it provides tanning technicians with enormous flexibility in the number of kilos to process in the way of processing different types of leather, much greater than that of conventional drums. The low noise level and the reduced need for infrastructure with the Cangilones drum count as another advantage that makes them an attractive and efficient option for the leather tanning industry today.

In production optimisation, the Cangilones drum allows for higher loading capacity and higher efficiency in terms of production. A significant reduction in the operating time required to perform the same tasks has been observed, which translates into greater efficiency in the use of labour and an optimisation of available human resources.

In terms of final product quality, in liming and tanning processes, the Cangilones drums have proven to be highly effective in improving the quality of the leather produced. More filling and hides more open and flat have been observed, especially in critical areas such as collars and skirts or flanks, resulting in smoother, more uniform and wrinkle-free hides. In addition, an improvement in the physical tensile values of the hides has been reported in both grain and split leathers, indicating increased strength and durability of the final product. Also, greater uniformity in dyeing processes, with more intense dyeing being obtained.

In short, Cangilones represent an opportunity to optimise production processes, improve the quality of the final product and move towards environmental sustainability in the tanning industry.

However, not just any wooden Drum, PPH or stainless-steel drum will do to achieve these processes, it must be constructed in a way that facilitates efficient operation and maximises the benefits in terms of production and end product quality. It must be constructed with the right timber, perfectly seasoned, have a solid and sturdy structure to withstand heavy workloads. It is essential that it is robust and durable to endure continuous use in industrial environments and it is important that it is equipped with efficient systems to maintain and control the temperature within the desired limits with temperature monitoring and control systems with maximum safety. Heavier loads require appropriate dimensions and expert construction to ensure the stability and safe operation of the equipment even when fully loaded with up to 22 tonnes of skin. In this case, the Olcina Group's experience accumulated over more than 25 years with its customers is a guarantee of success when facing the investment of this new machinery. 

Does working with the Cangilones drum require changing the way of working from one day to another? No. Cangilones drums also allow you to adapt your hides or skins processes,  to work perfectly, from day one, like a conventional drum. It is obvious that the mentioned advantages of savings, if they are desired, will be achieved by using short baths and maximum load, but it can be done gradually, step by step, until the optimum point is reached where the product is produced according to the requirements of each tannery. This flexibility is not only in terms of adaptation, but also in terms of workload. Being able to work from ⅓ to maximum capacity, achieving the same percentage of savings in all cases makes the Cangilones a very attractive option for dyeing processes or for those cases where a shortage of raw material forces us to work, for example, at half load or in the case of a special batch. 

Over time, Cangilones technology has also evolved in a process of continuous improvement and optimisation. From the initial four paddles model, the second generation responded to the main demand of the tanners who adopted the technology at the time, which was to increase the ease of unloading. This aspect was solved by Olcina with the  optimised configuration of the system called Cangilones Next. The operating principle and advantages of the Cangilones drum are maintained to the full extent, but in this new configuration we find inside the drum three paddles instead of four. 

This is not the last innovation in the Cangilones system. The circulation inside the drum of the baths and skins was very good, so much so that with a short bath and less chemicals a better result was achieved than with a conventional drum, but further optimising the circulation of the bath and skins was a present challenge. The third generation, Cangilones 3G, improves the bath and skin circulation inside the drum allowing an optimal and faster bath homogenisation even at full load. 

It is clear that new times present new challenges, but the solutions and those who execute them to perfection are also there. Cangilones is one of those solutions and Olcina has been executing it for more than 25 years. 

Cangilones, Cangilones NEXT and Cangilones 3G are developments and trademarks from Olcina Group Trading Co S.L., Lorca, Spain.  www.olcinagroup.com/cangilones cangilones3g@olcinagroup.com.

Olcina Group Trading is represented in Southern Africa by Leather Systems SA cc.