ConProTec plays instrumental role for drum company

Remo is known worldwide for the quality and excellence of its percussion products. It has maintained this global level of recognition with the help of ConProTec Inc.
Remo Inc., Valencia, CA, is in the business of making music. As the world's leading drum and drumhead company, the company exports its industry-standard drums and drumheads to over 100 countries.

When Remo was founded in 1957, it transformed an important segment of the musical products industry by inventing the synthetic drumhead. The company's founder, Remo Belli, who was inspired by aerospace industry glue and resin applications, started to experiment with emerging materials and techniques. From this beginning, he revolutionized percussion by developing the first synthetic drumhead, a solution that proved to be easy to manufacture, weather-resistant and more durable. Remo's synthetic drumhead has contributed significantly to the success of thousands of drummers and bands worldwide, and has laid the foundation for Remo's own success and its leadership position in advancing acoustical authenticity and technically superior drumheads.

Remo constructs its technologically advanced drumheads by gluing Mylar-composition “head” to a channeled ring called a “flesh hoop,” using a STATOMIX static mixer.
Prior to the synthetic advancement, drumheads were primarily made of calfskin, a material with limited supply and durability. In addition, calfskin can expand and contract when wet, ultimately affecting the instruments' fundamental tone. Synthetic drumheads are impervious to wetness; therefore, they can be played in any kind of weather. For example, a marching band parading in wet weather can expect their drums to produce the standard tones despite wetness or dampness.

Remo constructs its technologically advanced drumheads by gluing a Mylar-composition "head" to a channeled metal ring, called a "flesh hoop", using a STATOMIXTM static mixer from ConProTec Inc., Salem, NH, to distribute the adhesive that bonds the two elements. The disposable static mixer is used to apply the adhesive for Remo's production operations.

"Remo is known worldwide for the quality and excellence of its percussion products," said Richard Wilson, ConProTec technical director. "We are pleased that ConProTec products have played an important role in helping Remo to achieve this level of global recognition. Remo uses our innovative STATOMIX static mixers to bond dissimilar materials using a metering technology to distribute, dependably mix and apply the adhesive."

The STATOMIX disposable mixer reduces the amount of hazardous/material waste that is generated, reducing preparation time and improving employee productivity.
Finished drumheads are formed from three components. Circles of various sizes (the "head") are cut from large sheets of a Mylar-composition material. These heads are then placed in machine presses to fashion them with a sloped ridge around the edge, which creates a head shape that roughly could be described as an upside-down pie plate. A metal ring (the "flesh hoop") is formed from lengths of a U-shaped recycled aluminum material. The trough formed by the U-shape becomes the channel into which the head is placed prior to gluing.

Remo uses the MIXPAC hand-held adhesive dispensing system in its research and development operations for custom manufacturing and in repair applications.
In the bonding step, a flesh hoop is placed on the table of the machine that controls the gluing process. The head is inserted into the flesh hoop's channel, and this combination rotates on the table. Attached to the manifold on the meter mix machine is a STATOMIX static mixer, a customized mixer with an attached bent needle that directs the adhesive into the channel as the drumhead rotates.

"The mixer consists of a series of left- and right-hand helical elements," Wilson said. "When the adhesive is pumped through the mixer, the streams are progressively divided and recombined, resulting in a layering phenomenon."

In addition, the drumhead and trough have numerous patented design elements that contribute to an adhesive's even distribution and penetration. After the gluing process, the completed drumhead is cured for a specified time and then connected to the drum.



The STATOMIX static mixers allow Remo to bond dissimilar materials and to distribute and dependably mix and apply the adhesive.
"ConProTec and its products have offered unparalleled reliability, quality control and customer service, thereby helping ensure the continued high standards of Remo's products and our drumhead fabrication processes," noted Tim Ridgway, Remo's director of Communications. "Operators are assured of the precise application of adhesive. Using the STATOMIX disposable mixer reduces the amount of hazardous/material waste and cleanup that is generated, and enhances employee productivity by reducing preparation time."

Remo also uses ConProTec's MIXPAC hand-held adhesive dispensing system in its research and development operations, and in its custom manufacturing and repair business. For example, some marching bands use drums that have drumheads exceeding 9 feet in diameter. When such drums are constructed or repaired, their large size cannot be accommodated by machines using fixed static mixers. A hand-held adhesive dispensing system vastly expands the range of sizes and types of drumheads that can be easily constructed or repaired.

The MIXPAC system consists of manual or pneumatic dispensers, cartridges and static mixers, all designed to work as an integrated, high-performance, hand-held cartridge dispensing system for two-component adhesives. These are available in 25-490ml capacities and in volumetric ratios of 1:1, 2:1, 3:2, 4:1, and 10:1.

"ConProTec has provided the solutions we need to produce our products and have met every request that we've made. Working with a vendor who can meet these requirements without any problems is music to our ears," Ridgeway said.

For more information, contact ConProTec Inc., 8 Willow St., Salem, NH 03079; phone 603-893-2727; fax 603-893-3737; or visit http://www.mixpac.com .