The Future is Cylindrical

The evolution of floor care has been like a slow freight train pulling out of the station.  But, it now appears that new floor equipment technologies are evolving at a rapid pace.  “In the future, for both large and small floor areas, we will see more and more cylindrical floor machines,” says Mark Cuddy, eastern regional sales director for Tornado. “They offer a number of benefits and features that simply do not exist on conventional rotary machines.”

The cylindrical floor care machines Cuddy is referring, such as Tornado’s NEW Family of BR and BD Automatic Scrubbers including the BR 18/11 small walk-behind scrubber, have counterrotating brushes on each side and rotate at 1,000 rpm to more than 1500 rpms at 3.5 psi (pounds per square inch) floor contact, which is six times the contact pressure provided by a rotary machine.  And, these machines also have a multidirectional capability, which means they can be operated side to side or back and forth in a straight line, and are effective in most floor care situations.

One of the unique features of cylindrical machines is that they are designed to line-up right against baseboards and walls, providing excellent edge cleaning.  In tests at Colorado State University, custodial supervisor Janet Vigil noted, “I used it to strip a hallway that was damaged pretty severely.  It worked well getting into the doorways and there was no splattering of slurry against walls or even the baseboards.”

The cylindrical machines, unlike rotary machines, are also very easy to operate and are often called “smooth as a Cadillac.”  But “smooth driving” should not be mistaken for lack of cleaning power.  In tests at Iowa State Prison, maintenance supervisor John Gultrop said his cylindrical machine was able to remove spots and stains that a conventional rotary machine could not remove.

Cylindrical machines are also very versatile and can work on a variety of different floor types.  “They have a low profile, making them easy to get in and around restroom partitions, and under counters and benches, where rotary machines often cannot go,” says Cuddy.  “And, as they discovered at Colorado State University, there is no need to ‘tape-off’ edges and baseboards to protect them from the machine’s solution splatter, a common problem when stripping with a rotary machine.”

The machines’ compact design is ideal for environments such as hospitals, nursing homes, kitchens, school classrooms, hotels, etc.  “Additionally, the brushes used on cylindrical machines are quite an innovation as well,” says Cuddy.  “They can outlast 100 conventional pads and do not need to be cleaned, or obviously replaced, as often.  This is a major savings for the facility manager or BSC.”

Cuddy believes cylindrical floor machines are the floor care systems for the 21st century.  “Your first test drive will sell you on them,” he says.  “They incorporate the best of the floor machines that have come before, but are lighter, more versatile, much easier to maneuver, and more productive than many rotary machines.”