Trommel - mini wash plant

[1968falconxt]

I have been toying with the idea to make a trommel for some time. They are the coolest type of wash plant. I recently used a Gold Fox unit and as cool as they look they are just absolutely pathetic to use. So I thought I would come up with a much better design. After more than 160 design hours, the CAD is ready for parts to be fabricated.

SPECS:
Barrel 6 diameter, 600mm long. Zinc plated mild steel
Body: 2.0mm powder aluminium bolt together components
Hopper: 400mm x500mm
Internal spray bar and spray bars right around the edge of the hopper
10 Dream mat sluice
Motor: 12V 2 speed wiper motor, steel gear driven
Weight: CAD estimation is 24kg

I have found a company to roll the barrel for me and I will be dropping off the laser cut blank today. I have the motor, rollers, dream mat. I will make all the aluminium components this week and hopefully will have something I can test over the xmas break. 6 diameter may be too small but I have invested way too many hours designing it to change now!

Here are some CAD pics:

 

[goody2shoes]

Looks like a great bit of kit you are building,

Let's us all no how you get along with it,

Very interesting.

Goody

 

[Jarrod R]

I like the wash pipe up the barrel instead of on the outside. erfect:

 

[AussieChris]

The Gold Fox no good huh?

Was contemplating saving up!

You are very talented with CAD :Y:

Well done, hope it kills it. :goldpan:

 

[1968falconxt]

The Gold Fox no good huh?

Was contemplating saving up!

You are very talented with CAD :Y:

Well done, hope it kills it. :goldpan:

As good as the gold fox looks, I was very disappointed. I was lucky to try before buying.

The gold fox hopper is essentially a laundry basin with a tap in the corner. It just fills up with water and you have to massage the mud and rocks with your bare hands before they even start working their way though and into the trommel barrel. The rocks then need to be stuffed into the barrel by hand.

To get material through the unit, such a steep angle was required causing the material to race through the barrel, barely getting washed by the external spray bars. The company has tried slowing the material down with a half moon baffle at the end of the barrel. It doesn't act like a trommel at all. I thought I just had a bad experience but all the videos on youtube show the same thing.

I think it was a 5" trommel. I designed mine to be 6". If I was to design it all again I may have gone 8". But hopefully I will soon find out if the 6" is big enough to get a decent tumbling action.

 

[Simmo]

Do step by step photo's of the build.
I built one in a weekend once, I'll try to find the video!

Here 'tis!
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=783

 

[1968falconxt]

Here are the first lot of bits made up. Monday I should have most of the parts finished. I am hoping my barrel gets rolled for me in the next few days

 

[HeadsUp]

The feed hopper is generally considered the heavy bit when operating.

is there enough structural integrity where the hopper meets the frame around the drum ?

It looks like around a 5 : 1 leverage ratio of length of hopper versus width of attachment where it bolts up.

Your drawing also shows the mass of the trommel drum and feed hopper being transferred into the support struts on the sluice box halfway between the support legs.

Is there a possibility that the sluice box will bend due to the weight ?

What if you put those load struts that support the trommel a bit closer to the front support legs so you dont buckle the sluice ?

Also , are you going to have any grizzly at the feed hopper so rocks bigger than 2 - 3 inch get "classified out" before having to make that hurdy gurdy trip through the trommel or do you intend shovelling in to buckets to separate out oversize rocks and then tip the buckets into the hopper ?

hope you have fun with it.

 

[1968falconxt]

Hi, The strength where the hopper mounts is a concern of mine, but I won't know what it is like until I make it. If need be I will add bracing or support struts to the hopper.

The same goes with the main support struts for the unit. I was just planning on trialling it and modifying if/when need be.

The hopper grizzly has me a bit stumped at the moment still and I have not started fabrication of the hopper yet due to not knowing which direction to take. I would love a grizzly on top, but I also don't want rocks falling down and hitting the sluice underneath. The plan is to design a grizzly that lets rocks fall away from the sluice

 

[Campfish4x4]

Rough price please

 

[1968falconxt]

Just picked up the heart of the beast

 

[Jaros]

Good progress..

 

[AussieChris]

Getting there! Will be eating dirt in no time. :Y:

 

[1968falconxt]

I've been pushing hard to have everything done before all the suppliers and shops close for the year. Unfortunately it doesn't look like my drive gears will be cut in time so it won't be turning this side of Xmas

The hopper will hopefully be made tomorrow and then it's just a few small things needed

 

[Simmo]

Certainly excellant fabrication skills there mate if thats your handywork?!!

 

[1968falconxt]

Haha not really my handywork as such, it is all laser cut and CNC folded

 

[AussieChris]

Bloody awesome progress! Looking very professional erfect:

 

[1968falconxt]

I went to an industrial store today to get some rivnuts and bolts. Bought the bolts and forgot about the rivnuts. So I'll have to wait until tomorrow to start assembling. I was annoyed when I got home!

 

[HeadsUp]

I went to an industrial store today to get some rivnuts and bolts. Bought the bolts and forgot about the rivnuts. So I'll have to wait until tomorrow to start assembling. I was annoyed when I got home!

The process makes Great brain food

When you request cutting and folding do you ask them compensate for gains or losses in bend radius plus material thickness compounding itself onto the finished dimension ?

Gains in folded leg are less when the brake press has a sharp die ( small radius )

 

[1968falconxt]

I 3D model everything in solidworks and it has a package specifically for sheet metal. It works out where material needs to be added based on bend radius and material thickness (I am using an internal rad of 1mm on 2mm thick aluminium). The laser cutter I use runs an offset to compensate for holes so they don't come out slightly undersized too.

The software is great but it doesn't always get things perfect. Hopefully this weekend everything lines up when I start assembling