ipcm® 47 Magazine (September/October 2017) - English Version by ipcm® International Paint&Coating Magazine

The first international magazine for surface treatments

ISSN 2280-6083

ipcm digital on In this issue :

SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & DESIGN

www.myipcm.com 2017

8th Year - Bimonthly N° 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

www.mascom.it

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Scope of Exhibits Mechanical Finishing; Pre-treatment Technologies & Plating Process; Raw Materials & Equipment for Electroplating; Paint & Powder Coating Applications (include Coating Equipment & Accessories); Functional Coating Products; Environmental, Safety & Protection; Inspection, Measuring & Test Equipment, etc.

Scale of Exhibition 320+ exhibitors from 21 countries/regions will showcase on a gross exhibition area of over 18,000 square metres SPONSORING EXHIBITORS

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Qianci Qixiangda Raiser RIMP Rongqiang Ruifeng Machinery Ruifu Ruiteliang Shang-Po Shengda Ultrasonic Shuren Kechuang Solution SPM Subao Techuang Terasun Thermphos Tian Jian Tianze Topway Ultra Union Winsun WIN-WIN Technology XinBaoNing Xingfa Xingyi Xingzhongda Yangde Yiding YinHe Yunli Yunnan Tin Yuxing Zhenhua Zhong Yi Xin Chemical Zhongtian Anodes

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TAIWAN REGION, CHINA Der-shine Everwin HOPAX Hung Yi Machinery Kingyorker PAT Proplus Reach Sung Ho Tai Chyang Electric TSFA Zi Yi

FRANCE Coventya SIEBEC SAS TMW / DST

GERMANY

AMT Atotech Aucos Bergische BMWi Fischer GSTC Harter IFO KRUESS Kruess Scientiﬁc Instruments Linnhoff & Partner Longheng Munk HONG KONG SAR, QUBUS CHINA Raschig Bayton Schloetter JNEC SurTec Hangzhou Metﬁn SurTec Int'l Pionmi Umicore PSTS Galvanotechnik Umicore Germany Transnational

Umicore Hong Kong Wheelabrator WMV

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ITALY Falco

JAPAN Daiwa Fine Daiwa Special JASCO Kanigen Kanigen Mihara Sangyo Shimizu Uyemura YAMAMOTO-MS

KOREA L'BESTE

THE NETHERLANDS Meﬁag

RUSSIA JSC NPCC Nornickel

SINGAPORE Ensoo Chemicals Vale

SWEDEN Kraft

USA ACTi MacDermid Enthone PAVCO SIFCO ASC Univertical

Environmental, Safety & Protection

Gaoyimei Haikeshun HYTURN Jiangsu T&B Jinnuoda Karno Kingﬁt Environment

Leide Longjing R&J Rockaway Shuangcheng S-King Transcend

Hall

Xiangyu Yahong YMJ Zemfons

GERMANY

FRANCE

USA

Ampere

AHC KIESOW ChemTec Sager + Mack

Applications & 2 Coating Coating Products Jiewei Jingli Joihey Jufu Juliang Junhe Technology Stock K.tech Kedian Instrument Kodest Kurita Labor Liangdi Maxlink Meite Meitu Mingyi Nailong Odyssey PACO Prona Scitech Senyi Shangduo SMT Sqrobot STS

Sunﬁlter Product Sunshine Coating Tenshoo TILO TZ ME UNI VTL Wave Wingold Xinhuanbao Xinliguang Yongqi Youbang Yuhong Zhengli Zhongbang

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FRANCE Sames Kremlin Sunkiss Matherm

NOROO Paint (Shanghai)

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GERMANY

AMOVA

Doerken Heraeus Noblelight Heraeus Wagner

SIDASA

GREECE NIKO-HELM HELLAS

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SPAIN SWEDEN ECCO

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EFFCO

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RKT Yu Tung

USA

TAIWAN REGION, CHINA Kylan

KOREA

KCI NOROO Automotive Coatings NOROO BEE Chemical

Oxford Instruments Graco MAGNI CHINA Metal Nordson

Exhibitor list & data updated as of August 28, 2017

The 22nd China Int'l Exhibition for Coatings, Printing Inks & Adhesives

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Electroplating & Finishing Technology

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CONTENTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

Powder Coatings Accelerate the Possibility of a Greener Tomorrow

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Test Track For Coatings

ANALYSIS

S PE C I AL ALU MINIU M & DESIGN

ANALYSIS

FEM-Based Bearing Load Calculation – Ensuring Safety in the Chain

05 EDITORIAL 08 BRAND-NEW 26 HIGHLIGHT

OF THE MONTH Arsonsisi: 100 Years of Colour History

36 94

S PE C I AL ALUMI N I UM & D E S I GN

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

Blyweert Aluminium: the Strategic Nature of a Reliable Coating Supplier for Architectural Aluminium

118 INNOVATIONS:

PRESENT&FUTURE

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE Electrostatic Phenomena in Powder Coating: Methods of Improving Faraday-Cage Coating, Finish Quality and Uniformity, and Recoating Operations

Greater Process Stability with WAGNER S-Cube CleanAssist

122 INNOVATIONS:

PRESENT&FUTURE Chemical Products for Surface Treatment of Hot Dip Galvanised Metal – Past, Present and Future

INNOVATIVE PRE-TREATMENT SOLUTIONS Pre-treatment is changing. You need solutions that meet the real demands of the industry: efficiency, savings, and most of all, safety. You need solutions that are reliable and adaptable to your operations – not someone else’s. That’s why you need Quaker Chemical. Our new heavy metal free solutions can be tailored to your particular requirements to ensure not only excellent corrosion protection but also reliable adhesion to subsequent paint coatings. Because at the heart of the metal surface treatment industry, you’ll find us.

It’s what’s inside that counts.®

CONTENTS SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017

S P E CI A L A L U M I N I UM & D E S I GN

Alufinish: Built on Trust

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

Total Synergy Between a Coating Contractor and a Manufacturer for High-End Results

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

S PE C I AL ALU MINIU M & DESIGN

S P E CI A L A L U M I N I UM & D E S I GN

90 128 130

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Alit Introduces Fastrip and Fastrip MT: Innovation in Inline Paint Stripping of Hooks and the Recovery of Aluminium Profiles

BRAND-NEW HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH Helmut Fischer Srl Tecnica di Misura Turns 40!

134

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH IST Celebrated its Thirty Years of History with a Rich Three-Day Program

137 138

106

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

With Verindplast, Coating Becomes Art: A New Plant to Continue the Industrialisation of Artisanal Quality in the Coating of Plastics and Metals

BRAND-NEW

144

BUSINESS TRAINING

146

Customer Satisfaction Analysis & Management – Part 4

142

STANDARD & LEGISLATION - UCIF Informs CETA: Protocol on Conformity Assessment

TRADE FAIRS & CONFERENCES ZOOM ON EVENTS

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EDITORIAL

How can surface and finishing treatments contribute to sustainability? Actually, in two ways. On the one hand, with the development of more sustainable and safe technologies and products than in the past. On the other one, with new functions that can help sustain the creation of products, structures and infrastructure elements with less impact on the environment, and therefore able to ensure the sustainable development of society and consumption. For many decades, the surface treatment field has faced the challenge of reducing the environmental impact and the dangerousness of the technologies and chemicals used in the various processes. A few examples are as follows: the ban on triglycidyl isocyanurate (TGCI), a crosslinking agent used in powder coatings since the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;70s; the replacement of high VOC-content liquid coatings with water-based products; the ban on Cr (VI) from pre-treatment products; and the implementation of ATEX regulations in electrostatic applications and of REACH regulations to protect the health and safety of humans and the environment from chemical risks. Research studies and innovations have followed one another more and more rapidly in the last ten years. This has led to the development of highly sophisticated products and technologies, which now enable to perform finishing operations more ecologically and safely than in the past: reduced or zero VOC emissions, improved energy efficiency, use of renewable resources, coating and pre-treatment nanotechnology, and much more. What about the products manufactured with these technologies? The main contribution of finishing processes to sustainability is their ability to give specific functions to surfaces and to extend the useful life of buildings, products, vehicles, as well as extending their maintenance and replacement intervals. Let us think about the heat reflection property that can be given to buildings by using special coatings: it reduces their internal temperature in very sunny climates, enabling to save more energy. Finishes thus become a strategic factor for green building projects. Let us think about the possibility to replace steel with suitably treated and coated aluminium alloys, with the same resistance and durability performance but a significantly lower weight, thus ensuring energy saving. The lightweighting trend would not be possible without the right finishes. Finally, let us think about the lengthening of the service life of a product. It is true that there are no eternal materials, but, thanks to increasingly corrosion-resistant treatments and maintenance-free coatings, the first restoration intervention is to be performed only by the generation next to the one that built a structure.

Alessia Venturi Editor-in-chief Direttore Responsabile

Finishing is not only a matter of colour: in this issue of ipcmÂŽ, with a special focus on aluminium & design, the technical articles, news and case studies presented offer an interesting overview of the possibilities ensured by surface treatments to work in a sustainable way and to create sustainability. Finally, finishing is also artisanship, especially in the field of product design, be it a piece of furniture, a bike or a motorcycle: in these pages, you will find the story of a company that turned the artisanal quality level of its coating process into a springboard to attract international customers.

international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

Opening photo: The project of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum where the Jotun Powder Coatings have been used. It is located on the Saadiyat Island Cultural District, in Abu Dhabi, UAE and it will be opened on 11 November 2017.

ANALYSIS

Powder Coatings Accelerate the Possibility of a Greener Tomorrow Yulia Gvozdeva Jotun Powder Coatings, Dubai, UAE

yulia.gvozdeva@jotun.com

s buildings consume a lion’s share of resources, there is no doubt they impact the environment in many ways. Today, they utilize half of the Earth’s natural resources and generate enormous amounts of waste and emissions. For this reason alone, it has never been more important to improve the way they are planned, constructed, maintained and operated, making use of ground-breaking technologies to preserve resources and ensure a better and greener tomorrow for all.

Beyond alleviating environmental concerns, green buildings make good business sense for all parties involved, be it the developer, tenant or owner. While developers are able to generate quicker sales and higher sales price by building green, tenants will benefit from the healthier environment these buildings provide aiding comfort and productivity, and owners can make use of lower operating costs. With green buildings contributing in such a big way towards the environment, it is no wonder that governments are investing in

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

the green building movement, which has quickly gained momentum across the world. According to a report by Research and Markets1, the number of green buildings doubles every three years, and the global green buildings market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 13 per 1 Green Building Materials Market Analysis By Product (Structural, Exterior, Interior, Others), By Application (Framing, Insulation, Rooﬁng, Exterior Siding, Interior Finishing, Others) And Segment Forecasts To 2022, Research and Markets. http://www.businesswire.com/news/ home/20160215005637/en/Global-Green-BuildingMaterials-Market-Analysis-2015-2022

ANALYSIS

cent between 2015 and 2020. The green buildings solutions market is billed to be worth US$364 billion by 2022. Currently on par with global averages and in sync with global trends, the level of green building activity in the MENA region is expected to further increase and will ultimately contribute to the progression of green building worldwide in the years ahead (ref. Opening photo). This rapid growth in the region will largely be recorded in the commercial and institutional sectors, which is mostly influenced by environmental regulations. Organisations such as Emirates Green Building Council, Qatar Green Building Council and Saudi Green Building Forum are responsible for the advancement of sustainable construction in the region. Well-known green building standards including Estidama, Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and many other programs used to certify buildings, are aimed at mitigating their impact on the natural environment through sustainable design. Of these, the most widely used third-party verification for green buildings globally is LEED. The newest version of this standard, LEED V4, is designed to be more flexible and improve the overall user experience. When it comes to the Middle East, the UAE ranks number one with 609 LEED registered projects and has the eighth-largest amount of LEED certified buildings outside the United States of America. The UAE is followed by Saudi Arabia (99), Qatar (82), Lebanon (37), Oman (27) and Jordan (23).2 As projects pursuing LEED certification earn points across several areas that address sustainability issues, the construction industry is focused on using technologies that help minimize the negative impact on the environment. Today, powder coating solutions are quickly replacing other commonly used technologies for aluminium decoration and protection such as anodizing process and liquid PVDF coatings. This is because powder coatings are VOC-free, ensure minimal waste and need a much lower amount of product for the same protection and decorative performance when compared to liquid PVDF coatings. Similarly, powder application uses a fraction of resources

such as water, gas and electricity, as well as chemicals that are usually required for anodizing process. Lately, the number of projects upgrading to materials with higher durability has risen as it helps increase the lifecycle of buildings and reduces maintenance, ensuring buildings will last longer with fewer resources needed to preserve their appearance and functionality. The Gulf region has also witnessed a growing interest towards heat reflective materials due to its scorching weather conditions. Nowadays, many architects are using aluminium elements with wood effects on the facade of buildings. This is just one of the many trends that is expected to grow as latest technology makes their appearance very realistic, and compared to natural wood, decorated aluminium is more durable and easier to maintain in the Gulf climate. Developers and architects can both make use of powder coatings and earn extra LEED points for their projects. For example, the application of heat reflective coatings such as Jotunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cool Shades collection contributes to up to 2 LEED points when used on roofs, parking and shading elements of projects. These coatings considerably reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the coated surfaces, and as a result, lower the overall energy consumption of the building. Additionally, powder coatings that do not contain any materials included in the REACH Candidate List of Substances of very high concern and those that are supported by third-party certified environmental product declarations (EPD) can each contribute to 1 additional LEED point of the project. As the number of green building projects continues to grow and architects increasingly choose powder coating technology for their projects, the powder coatings market is expected to reach $12 billion by 2019 and is growing at a CAGR of 6.5% between 2014 and 2019.3 Across the world, building green is becoming more of a necessity than a trend as it helps to reduce the negative impact on the environment. From developers to regulators, architects to designers, the use of innovative technologies and selection of materials in line with green building practices is indispensable to drive sustainable engineering forward in the years to come.

2 UAE named one of top ten markets for green building space.

3 Source: MarketsandMarkets.

Spare Parts for Industrial Plants Catalytic panel for ďŹ xing oven Components for pre treatment tunnel Transport systems, Water treatment Electric Motors, Electrical components Filtering elements for Industrial Filters Gearboxes for various applications Normal and special Fans for high temperature Oven Burners, Pumps p p Spare parts for conveyor

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BRAND-NEW

Ransburg Launches New ‘Direct Charge Waterborne’ and ‘Quick Fan Adjust’ RansFlex Electrostatic Manual Spray Guns

RansFlex Direct Charge Waterborne and Quick Fan Adjust Manual Spray Gun Highlights: - Lightweight applicator provides operator comfort and easy maneuverability - Ergonomic handle design eliminates operator fatigue

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Figure 1: The new RansFlex Direct Charge Waterborne Manual Spray Gun by Ransburg.

- Protected strategic components: divorced turbine air supply cartridge, sealed nozzle/atomization passages and strategic turbine location - DeVilbiss atomization technology coupled with Ransburg electrostatics. The best of both worlds - Simultanious fan and atomization pressure-adjustment with tool adjustable compensation valve - ATEX / FM tested and approved. For further information: www.carlisleft.eu

Figure 2: Another new RansFlex manual electrostatic spray gun by Ransburg: Quick Fan Adjust.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

sburg © Ran

ansburg has introduced two new manual electrostatic spray guns into its popular RansFlex cordless manual electrostatic spray gun range; namely the RansFlex Direct Charge Waterborne (Fig. 1) and Quick Fan Adjust Manual Spray Guns (Fig. 2). The new RansFlex Direct Charge Waterborne is designed for compatibility with waterborne materials, whilst the RansFlex Quick Fan Adjust electrostatic spray gun features the new quick trigger technology that allows the gun to go from a full spray to a round spray with the touch of a button. These advanced manual electrostatic spray guns have been engineered to utilise the world-renowned air cap atomization technology from DeVilbiss. This coupled with Ransburg’s electrostatic power, provides superior atomization, transfer efficiency and performance, all backed by a 5-year limited warranty. An advanced internal turbine with a patented design is enclosed within the guns body. This new design provides an extra level of protection across the whole RansFlex range. This feature prevents turbine contamination and gives a more durable, harder wearing product. The ergonomic design and lightweight construction materials provide a balanced feel in the hand for reduced operator fatigue.

BRAND-NEW

Interpon D2000 Flexible by AkzoNobel ustomers ask AkzoNobel challenges finally achieved every day and the correct AkzoNobel experts have formulation to work hard to develop to offer the new technologies requested ahead of time. flexibility and High quality system the weathering suppliers, like Metra, performances in want to offer Super Class 2. Durable technology AkzoNobel is to the market. Some very grateful products, especially for the support matt and texture, of Metra in this are not suitable with process, as quality requirements as they allowed Super Durable cracks to test the 1 during fabrication. products after It is well known that 1 day, 1 week Figure 1: Metra, an Italian manufacturer of windows, frames and integrated systems for standard powder is and 1 month to architecture, has worked with AkzoNobel to develop the Super Durable technology. more flexible but has really prove the poor weathering, while benefits (Fig. 1). insertion, but even for some small Super Durable has good weathering With Interpon D2000 Flexible, bending processes. The first challenge but is not flexible. This means that AkzoNobel can now offer an was the time lapse, as it is well known system producer cannot be sure of improved Super Durables quality that, even if a system is good on day achieving the high quality they need. to the market. The company is one, it can be less flexible after one AkzoNobel experts worked on already working on a Generation 2 to week or one month. polyester polymers to develop an improve further the flexibility. Together with the internal laboratory improved Super Durable system team and customer partnership, for that would work not only for simple For further information: industrial trials directly on the plant, fabrication like thermal break www.akzonobel.com

THE ROTAMAT – THE IDEAL SOLUTION FOR COATING OF SMALL PARTS • anti-friction coating • coating with bonding agent • decorative coating of plastic, metal and wooden parts

www.walther-trowal.com | Tel. +49(0)2129-571-0

BRAND-NEW

EcoInCure Permits the Best Possible Topcoat Appearance and Maximum Process Reliability

1 Figure 1: EcoInCure uses nozzles with long throw distances to heat bodies from the inside. The air ﬂow conduction in the innovative drying process guarantees the best possible topcoat distribution.

coInCure is a new body drying process developed by Dürr which heats and cools bodies from the inside. The technology meets all the requirements for future drying tasks connected to electromobility and new

materials. The transverse mode of operation is the first of its kind and the key factor for a compact system design. The new heating concept also reduces power consumption by 25%. The conduction of the air flow with EcoInCure is the key to the best possible

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

topcoat appearance and maximum process reliability (Fig. 1). Nozzles with long throw distances are aimed into the inside of the body through the opening for the windshield and heat it up from the inside out. This guarantees extremely even heating and cooling conditions for

BRAND-NEW

the entire body. Thermal component stresses are reduced, and the heating times for the body are reduced by up to 30%. This new body drying method offers a particular advantage for the increasing number of electric vehicles. Among other things, these need well-reinforced rocker panels to protect the batteries in the event of a side impact. The EcoInCure principle, where bodies are heated from the inside, works especially well when drying these rocker panels with their increased material thickness. The same goes for future vehicle generations with new materials and material combinations in conjunction with new joining methods. Here, specifically, the reduced thermal component stresses achieved by the new drying method ensure increased process reliability. On the outer skin EcoInCure allows for minimal flow velocities, which greatly improves the appearance and distribution of the top coat. EcoInCure enables efficient drying of different body types since the temperature and volumetric flows can be adapted individually. Custom heating and cooling processes can be defined for each body. This is made possible by the cyclic mode of operation of EcoInCure and the option to assign a separate unit to each module. A new feature in EcoInCure is the heating concept based around a central heat exchanger. Instead of the local heat exchangers in the circulating air units, centrally heated circulating air heating gas is fed to each zone. This type of air circulation is highly variable and more precise, reduces the pressure losses, and accordingly the total electrical energy requirement of EcoInCure by 25%. The new system design, with bodies passing through transversely, permits an extremely space-saving layout: it halves the dryer length of EcoInCure compared with conventional dryers. In addition, integration of the recirculating air units on the same level means that less steel structure is needed. As a result, body drying in new paint shops as well as modifications in existing paint shops is much more spaceefficient and thus also more variable with respect to capacity reserves. Each body gets an individual, software-supported quality certificate for the entire drying process. It accurately tracks the drying conditions both during drying of the paint as well as during bake-hardening of the steel and aluminium for the purpose of crash safety. The data is acquired and evaluated using the software solution iTAC.MES.Suite (previously EcoEMOS). iTAC.MES.Suite, the new generation of production control systems from DĂźrr, permits continuous digital tracking of the drying conditions for each body. For further information: www.durr.com

BRAND-NEW

New 5L4 Matt Collection: All the RAL Colours Available in Matt Version

uropolveri presents a new collection of powder coatings: Figure 1: 5L4 Matt Collection features all Europolveri the 207 RAL Colours in matt presents a new version. The new 5L4 Matt Collection collection of powder coatings, 5L4 Matt is part of the 5L Pural Series, Polyester Collection, which Qualicoat without TGIC, suitable for features all the 207 aluminium profiles or steel application RAL Colors in matt 1 version. and wherever high resistance to weathering is required. Indeed, all the products ensure Europolveri’s technical support is always excellent durability and high resistance increase the presence on the market. available to give practical and technical to atmospheric agents, because This new Collection - together with the information to recommend the best they are developed in compliance 750 products already on stock – gives coating cycles that involve specific primer with Qualicoat Class 1 technical Europolveri a range of around 1.000 homologated for QSC cycles. different products, with requirements and were implemented For further information: very short delivery time that grants high for the architectural www.europolveri.it quality service to the final customer. market (Figs. 1 and 2). The products available on stock are RAL colours - in compliance with C.E.P.E. (05-05-2014) - with gloss level of 25 ± 5; there is availability also of the 17 pearled colours present in the K7 RAL Chart. Using correct coating cycles the final user can reach the highest protection to corrosion C5M-H (EN ISO 12944-2) in compliance with Qualisteelcoat (QSC) requirements. These 207 products of the 5L4 Matt Collection are all available on stock, with a minimum order 2 of 25 kg, as to show the willingness to widen the Figure 2: These products are suitable for aluminium proﬁles or steel application and wherever high resistance to weathering is required. product range and to

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

BRAND-NEW

Evonik Construction of a Specialty Copolyester Plant in Witten is on Schedule for Start-up in Early 2018

vonik Industries is building a new production plant for specialty copolyesters at its Witten site in Germany. As binders for paints, specialty copolyesters are used in coil coatings and, increasingly, in food can coatings. The company is investing a mid-double-digit million euros sum in the plant, which will have annual production capacity of several thousand metric tons. The project is on track to reach mechanical completion by end of November 2017. Following the successful Mechanical Completion the commissioning phase will be commenced and commercial operation is planned to start in Q1/2018. Polyester based coatings are perceived as a good alternative to substitute the standard epoxy based coating systems to ensure a bisphenol a free food packaging. Evonik has early on anticipated this trend and decided at the end of 2015 to invest in additional capacity to be well prepared to accompany further growth in this market. Evonik is one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading suppliers of polyesters for pre-coated metals and reactive hot melts. The company has production facilities at its sites in Marl, Witten and Shanghai. Polyesters from the DYNAPOLÂŽ brand serve as binders for paints. In addition to coil coatings, they are also increasingly used for food can coatings well as in flexible packaging. Polyesters from the DYNACOLLÂŽ brand are used in reactive hot melts applications. For further information: www.evonik.com

BRAND-NEW

A Brilliant World First in Surface Finishing: TIGER Drylac® 3D Metallics

Figure 1: TIGER Drylac® 3D Metallics: A new generation of liquid paint look-alike metallic effect powder coatings.

hether for individual architectural applications, in the automotive or sports equipment fields or as stylish interior design elements: Effect metallic surfaces are in demand more than ever. They underscore the quality of an object, turning it into a distinctive, one-of-a-kind piece. A process known as “bonding” is often used to make powder coatings with metallic effects: Here, powder and effect pigments are mixed homogeneously using shear force and temperature, a process in which the pigments bond on to the powder grain surface. The result is impressive – however standard single-coat effect powder coatings cannot quite compete with the optical performance of corresponding liquid paints. In order to meet the various demands for brilliancy and depth,

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

TIGER developed a spectacular product innovation that perfectly combines the high demands of powder coating for finish and visual effects.

TIGER Drylac® 3D Metallics A new generation of liquid paint look-alike metallic effect powder coatings that open up optical dimensions never before achieved and cannot be distinguished from liquid paint in terms of effect (Fig. 1): • Design and technology for all applications; • 3D-effect depth visible from all angles of observation (Fig. 2); • High application reliability; • Extremely weather resistant; • Very good batch consistency; • Top results with just one coat.

Superior Technology – Signiﬁcant Savings © TIGER Coatings

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Figure 2: Stunning 3D-effect: visible from all angles of observation.

Upgrade to gain competitive edge Patented production process In the TIGER Drylac® 3D Metallics production process, which is registered for a patent, the effect pigments are first added to a clear or transparent powder coating melt and ground particularly gently. Then a special mixing process is used to create a homogeneous blend from this master batch with a second, opaque powder coating. During the melting and curing phase, TIGER Drylac® 3D Metallics form channels of clear powder coating between pigment and coating surface. As a result, similar to fiberoptic conductors, the pigments deep inside the powder coating matrix become visible as well and the 3D metallic effect can be seen perfectly from any angle. This innovative product offers a decisive advantage compared to liquid paint: TIGER Drylac® 3D Metallics are for use in a single-coat process, are environmentally friendly, and are suitable for any surface. For further information: www.tiger-coatings.com

Tired of changing worn venturis and constantly adjusting your spray system settings? Upgrade to Encore® HD Spray System to enjoy thousands of hours of maintenance-free operation with unmatched output stability. Is colour change important for you? Encore HD Spray System automatically purge-clean themselves and are ready for the next colour in less than a minute. The Nordson spray systems utilize HDLV® (High Density Low Velocity) pumps to delivers unmatched performance through independent control of the powder and air volumes for soft, highly repeatable powder application. Signiﬁcant powder savings due to higher efﬁciency and tight process control No pump maintenance up to 4,000 hours Easy upgrade for existing cartridge or cyclone booths Intuitive advanced controls for operator convenience Fast, reliable and automated colour change Experienced factory-direct service and technical support

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Opening photo: The new, fully automated high-throughput system for testing coating formulations enables to cut down signiﬁcantly on time spent searching for the optimal formulation.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Test Track For Coatings Claudia Bramlage and Ellen Reuter Evonik – Essen, Germany

claudia.bramlage@evonik.com - ellen.reuter@evonik.com

bout 40 million metric tons of coatings are used globally every year. These coatings protect surfaces from corrosion, impart special properties such as electrical or thermal conductivity, and increase the lifetime of consumer goods. Expectations for coatings are steadily increasing. Due to increasing complexity and regulatory pressure, customers are continuously faced with new challenges. Formulating a coating is an intersection of art, craft, and science. In addition to the main binder component, coatings may also contain organic solvents or water, pigments and fillers, catalysts, co-

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solvents, and additives. For each of these components, a variety of different chemical substances may be used. The number of possible combinations of the various ingredients is enormous. If in developing a coating formulation, only ten curing agents, ten binders, ten pigments, and ten additives are being considered, then the number of possible combinations is already 104 or 10,000. And that doesn’t even take into account variations in the relative amounts of the components. In practice, it is impossible to cover the full range of possibilities and to test the properties of all combinations and proportions.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Figure 1: A track system for transporting panels and containers extends through the entire 120-squaremeter HTE system.

On the other hand, the prerequisite for a systematic search for the optimal coating formulation is to investigate this range as extensively as possible at reasonable expense in terms of finances and manpower — because this is the only way of ensuring that nothing is left to chance. Evonik’s coatings experts have now found a way to overcome this challenge, by developing a high-throughput system that is exactly tailored to meet the requirements for developing and formulating a coating (ref. Opening photo).

that, depending on their chemical composition, the additives can interact with other coating components. The new system is invaluable because it allows for the systematic testing of more formulations than previously possible within a given time frame. For customers, this means they can optimize and develop coating formulations faster, saving valuable time in the market launch of new products. The system is two meters high and occupies a 120-squaremeter area in an air-conditioned room (Fig. 1). It doses the raw materials automatically and, in the first step, formulates them into coatings on the “formulating island.” In the second step, substrates — also known as panels — are coated with the formulated coatings, dried, and transported to the test island, Formulating a coating is an where the properties of the intersection of art, craft, and science. formulations are characterized In addition to the main binder as soon as the coating component, coatings may also contain formulation is cured (Fig. 2). All organic solvents or water, pigments of the steps run automatically and fillers, catalysts, co-solvents, and in accordance with a precisely additives. For each of these components, defined program that is a variety of different chemical reproducible at any time — and substances may be used. that is one strong point of the The number of possible combinations of system. the various ingredients is enormous.”

Faster testing for the perfect formulation With this system, Evonik has improved its chances of zeroing in on the additive or specialty binder that perfectly matches the other system components and accounts for the coating’s purpose (end use). This is not an easy task. Additives, for example, make up a very small percentage of the formulation, but they have a major influence on the coating’s properties. They can impart a defoaming effect, prevent pigment agglomeration, and ensure that the coatings behave thixotropically — that they are easily applied but do not sag or drip on vertical surfaces while drying. Other additives can increase the scratch-resistance of coatings. Many additives are available for perfecting a formulation. The search for the optimal additive(s) is also complicated by the fact

2 Figure 2: Formulations from various projects.

international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

Figures 3, 4 and 5: Precise and cautious: A robot designed for this unique purpose draws the coating into a pipette, applies coating droplets onto a panel, and uses a doctor blade to produce a precisely deﬁned coating thickness.

Formulate, coat, characterize: It sounds simple enough, but in fact the machine is tasked with performing a large number of complex steps. The system consists of 52 elements that combine to give 30 functionalities. Each functionality represents the performance of a particular task, such as applying a coating formulation on a panel.” Complex steps fully automated Formulate, coat, characterize: It sounds simple enough, but in fact the machine is tasked with performing a large number of complex steps. The system consists of 52 elements that combine to give 30 functionalities. Each functionality represents the performance of a particular task, such as applying a coating formulation on a panel. The 52 elements are linked by a track system that extends through all parts of the HTE system; on this track system, containers and panels are transported by shuttle. There are also 13 robots performing

various tasks, such as loading shuttles or placing panels in the oven. On average, 120 samples can be formulated in the system within 24 hours. While they are being applied to a panel and characterized, experiments for a new project can be initiated, hence the name High-Throughput Equipment (HTE). The dosing and mixing of the raw materials are particular challenges for the system. For example, the viscosity of the liquid raw materials being used can vary from extremely free-flowing to so viscous that the substances must be heated before they can be dosed and filled. Moreover, certain liquids can attack the materials of containers and tools by dissolving them. Pigments and fillers in powder form can also be tricky to handle. Their bulk density and flowability varies; depending on the powder, this could complicate accurate weighing and dosing. While a welltrained technician quickly learns how to handle these raw materials, this is not an easy task for an automated system. But the new HTE system rises to the occasion, thanks to well-developed software that allows for the setting of all the parameters required for dosing. For liquids, these parameters include pressure, temperature, and the opening times of valves. For powders, on the

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

other hand, these parameters include the speed of the metering screw during gross dosing, the region of fine dosing, and the fine-dosing amplitude. In the master RaceLab software, developed by Evonik itself, all of the input and output data required to operate the system are collected in a single database. Thanks to optimized engineering, the HTE system doses reliably and reproducibly. It registers any deviations from target values and saves the information. In case of anomalous results, it is then easy to trace whether irregularities occurred in the workflows. The strengths of the system are also evident in the production

The strengths of the system are also evident in the production and testing of pigment concentrates. Pigments must normally be ground by grinding media in a highly timeconsuming process. The HTE system has a special mixer for this purpose, in which double rotation of the mixing cup ensures significantly faster grinding and dispersion.”

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

and testing of pigment concentrates. Pigments must normally be ground by grinding media in a highly timeconsuming process. The HTE system has a special mixer for this purpose, in which double rotation of the mixing cup ensures significantly faster grinding and dispersion. Moreover, a specially provided air cooler prevents excessively high heat generation, which could destroy the raw materials. The subsequent separation of the grinding beads from the sometimes highly viscous mixtures, as presently performed in the laboratory, is highly labor-intensive; in the HTE system, this is done by a centrifuge. A specially developed filter adapter allows the coating material to pass through while retaining the grinding beads; the necessary movements are performed by a robot.

Objective parameter instead of a subjective test To evaluate the storage stability of a pigment concentrate in the laboratory, a visual inspection and the use of a spatula reveal whether a sediment has been formed. Transferring the corresponding optical and tactile capabilities to a machine would have required enormous expenditure and effort. The developer of the HTE system found another solution: A measuring head determines the mechanical resistance it encounters when lowered into the sample. In this way the somewhat subjective human assessment is replaced by an objective parameter. Another step that poses a challenge to the fully automated system is the application of a coating formulation using a doctor blade. The panel must not slip during application,

the quantity of the coating must correspond to the desired coating thickness, and the surrounding area must not be soiled, because that would contaminate the following panel. These tasks are assumed by a robot specially designed for this purpose. Panel after panel, the robot applies exactly the same quantity of coating in exactly the same thickness and cleans the doctor blade in various wash solutions before repeating the procedure (Figs. 3, 4 and 5). The HTE system also offers advantages in the rub-out test for assessing pigment stabilization. In the laboratory, this is performed by rubbing the freshly applied coating layer with a finger; if the pigments are not sufficiently stabilized, the shear forces applied result in a visible color change of the rubbed surface. The skill in this test lies in not displacing material while

Flexible use around the clock

RaceLab allows all workflows to be planned in detail. No fewer than 40 different work steps can be precisely defined with up to 600 parameters in the HTE system. This allows Evonik to freely combine individual steps into a workflow so as to satisfy the most diverse customer requirements. The HTE system can therefore be used very flexibly — and around the clock. In addition, RaceLab also records all measured data and allows analysis of complex test series; this is a huge advantage because the HTE system produces much more data in a significantly shorter 6 time than is currently the case in the laboratory. A Figure 6: Since 2012 Claudia Bramlage is the responsible of the High constantly growing data Throughput Equipment (HTE) System pool is generated, which at Evonik Resource Efﬁciency, Coating can be analyzed in the Additives business line. future by data mining methods. It may even be possible to reduce the number of experiments necessary. Using the data already available, computational intelligence would extrapolate what might be found within the 1 scope of the options or, at

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

the least, indicate where more detailed investigation would be worthwhile. In this way customers could further speed up the innovation process with the help of Evonik and the HTE system.

The strengths of the HTE system - Operates fully automatically, provides reproducible results, can be used flexibly - Formulates coatings from a wide variety of different raw materials - Characterizes the fluid formulations prior to application - Coats the panels precisely and dries or cures the coating - Characterizes the finished coatings - Produces a continuously growing data pool as a basis for future analyses via data mining. © Evonik

rubbing and not causing gaps to occur in the coating layer. The HTE system replaces this subjective test with a precisely coordinated control system whose parameters are individually adjustable for any coating system via the software. Altogether, the high-throughput system reduces the burden on laboratory staff by taking over onerous routine tasks, leaving employees free to concentrate on planning experiments and analyzing the data.

The experts

7 Figure 7: Ellen Reuter is the responsible of the raw materials development for the particles stabilization and for the High Throughput Equipment (HTE) system.

Claudia Bramlage (Fig. 6) and Ellen Reuter (Fig. 7) are responsible for the operation of the new HTE system in Innovation Management of the Evonik Resource Efficiency Segment.

Discover the new test track for coating formulations from the inside: 1 High Troughput

Equipment - VR shuttle tour | Evonik 2 High Troughput

Equipment - VR technical tour | Evonik

New Interpon D2015 Précis Superdurable Ultra Matt powder coating With gloss levels of only 10-15 (a typical matt is 25), Interpon D2015 Precis is a designer’s dream. Available in a range of stylish metallic shades it will enhance objects and achieve a look never before seen in a powder coating. 5VU YLÅLJ[P]L • Aesthetically pleasing • Soft to the touch • Selection of metallic colors ;OL WLYMLJ[ \S[YH TH[[ ÄUPZO Meets AAMA 2604, Qualicoat Class 2, GSB Master.

www.interpon.it

Ulttra matt surffaces are a designer’ss dream – opening up new possibilities in n aesthetics and the interaction off light with surffaces. This dream is a reality with Interpon D2015 Précis from AkzoNobel. Using ground-breaking technology developed in its polymer center in the UK, this hard wearing powder coating has gloss levels of only 10-15 (a typical matt is 25), delivering an attractive ﬂat matt ﬁnish. The super-durable backbone of Interpon D coatings, with a proven track record spanning over 30 years, ensures long term resistance against the weather. This new technology is available in a range of stylish metallic shades to enhance objects and achieve a look never before seen in a powder coating.

Technical Speciﬁcation:

Valode & Pistre architects. Les Rives de L’Orne

Designed to meet the demands of AAMA 2604, BS EN12206 “enhanced durability”, and with Qualicoat Class 2 and GSB Master approvals where required, Interpon D2015 Précis will maintain its appearance long-term, having been developed to survive 5 years in South Florida without major change in color or gloss level.

For more information please contact your local AkzoNobel representative or visit our website: www.interpon.it Tel: 0039 (0)31 345 111 Email: marketing.italia@akzonobel.com

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Dark Bronze

Pure Gold

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Colors shown are purely for information and not a true representation. Request a sample panel for matching.

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Powder coating lines since 1976. V E R O N A

I T A LY

B A R C E L O N A S A N T A

S P A I N

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Opening photo: The painting area should be utilised in an optimum manner and the respective handling should be as easy as possible.

ANALYSIS

FEM-Based Bearing Load Calculation – Ensuring Safety in the chain Hendrik Kühling JÜRGEN EMPTMEYER GmbH, Zürich – Switzerland

hen mounting frames and ensuring resilience, paint shops are trying to achieve the best possible level of efficiency. The painting area should be utilised in an optimum manner and the respective handling should be as easy as possible (ref. Opening photo). However, safety should be always at the forefront. For this reason, JÜRGEN EMPTMEYER GmbH, the German

kuehling@emptmeyer.de

paint accessories supplier, not only offers various hanging solutions for the coating industry, but also carries out resilience tests. Resilience testing and the certification of hooks and brackets is an area of service, which is becoming more and more important. JÜRGEN EMPTMEYER GmbH has therefore introduced two processes, which vary in regard to their respective approach and cost factor.

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Both approaches in comparison: tested and stamped hooks During this process, each individual hook is tested under realistic conditions. Should the hook be able to withstand the respective load, each hook is then marked as having been tested by means of a stamp. This process is not only laborious and time-consuming, but also expensive, and therefore often only relevant

CONVEY YOUR SUCCESS

ANALYSIS

Figure 1: Representation of the maximum static displacement with min-max values.

in terms of heavy duty hooks with a diameter of more than 12 mm. As part of this test, the client will receive a certificate indicating the resilience and the according safety levels.

Static calculation

Better planning during the development phase

Particularly in regard to special constructions, it is now possible to calculate the maximum bearing capacity during the development phase. Whilst taking into account the respective safety factors, it is possible to identify deformations in advance. This means that the construction can be easily optimised, as the parameters, such as the dimensions and the material, can be easily changed with just a few mouse clicks. Another advantage in term of this message is that projects may be realised within extremely short development times,

A cheaper and very much reliable test would be the static finite elements method (FEM) for bearing load calculations (Fig. 1). This technical simulation is much quicker and may be realised in a cost-effective way. FEM is utilised in regard to complex stability and deformation calculations, where manual calculations would be too laborious or where it is not possible to ensure realistic load depictions. The computer-based process offers new opportunities, calculates reliable bearing load data for the painting craftsman and takes into account individual hanging situations within the respective workshop. This means that it is therefore possible to develop concrete handling recommendations and according work instructions.

The FEM process was first utilised in astronautics and is now well established in the area of vehicle manufacturing, where the main area of utilisation of the method is in product development. Mechanical stability calculations in terms of individual components and complete vehicle and body structures help to reduce the number of laborious crash tests.

INTERNAL HANDLING SYSTEM IMPIANTI MOVIMENTAZIONE INTERNA

2 Figures 2 and 3: Change of net density.

info@tras-mec.it www.tras-mec.it

4 Figure 4: Representation of the distribution of the safety factors with min-max values.

FEM calculations work as follows The calculation programme divides the surface of the component, such as a hook for coating, into triangular elements, which can then be calculated separately. As depicted on the image, these elements cover the entire paint hook like a net. In this context, the net density shall determine the accuracy of the calculation (Figs. 2 and 3). The smaller the respective mesh, the more

Conclusion FEM is a modern and extremely flexible application, in order to calculate reliable bearing loads. For paint workshops, who are striving to improve internal safety procedures or who are obligated to meet quality management requirements, this is a cost-effective alternative to laborious certification processes. © JÜRGEN EMPTMEYER GmbH

as the production of prototypes, as well as bearing load tests may be avoided. Furthermore, the method can be utilised to identify cheaper materials, which are able to withhold the same kind of strain. The material may be selected using a large database containing more than one hundred materials, such as various steel, stainless steel, titanium alloys as well as plastics and silicones. The finite elements method may therefore also be used to identify potential cost savings.

detailed and more time-consuming is also the calculation. In case of a wire diameter of 12 mm, JÜRGEN EMPTMEYER GmbH assumes a safety factor of 2 in regard to the respective calculations, which is a common value used in mechanical engineering (Fig. 4). If the wire diameter is more than 12 mm, a safety factor of 4 is utilised. Of course, this safety factor may be adjusted to client requirements for each calculation. Around one hour of labour is usually charged, depending on the complexity of the component to be calculated. Regarding this method, it should be said that the true difficulty lies with the ability to depict the reality of the calculation in a detailed manner. This means that the component has to be recorded in such a way, as it is utilised in practice and that the application of force has to be realistic (Fig. 5).

Figure 5: Representation of the maximum stress with min-max values.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

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Opening photo: Main headquarters of Arsonsisi in Lainate (Milan).

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Arsonsisi: 100 Years of Colour History Alessia Venturi ipcm®

ot many companies in the paint and coatings industry can claim a history that stretches back a century. Even fewer those that boast a name originating from the anagram of the founder’s surname. Arsonsisi Technological Coatings (ref. Opening photo), which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2017, falls into both categories. Started in 1917, Arsonsisi has had an eventful history. The name was formed by the anagram of the surname of the engineer Norsa, company founder, who christened the company “ARSON” tacking

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

on the name of a brand of paints produced for the U.S. market, “SISI” (Fig. 1). In the early years, the company became known for a range of paints that were particularly oriented to industrial applications (Fig. 2). Due also perhaps to this key strength, the company was expropriated during WWII and became a supplier to the Italian Air Force to provide coatings for military aircrafts (Figs. 3 and 4). Company management was handed to Pietro Zelaschi, who took on the role of Managing Director. During the war, the original factory in Lorenteggio (Milan, Italy) burnt down following bombardment and production was moved

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

In 1972 Arsonsisi was one of the first companies in Italy to produce powder coatings. In 1987 it was acquired and became part of the holding company Junionfin. The full acquisition in 1990 was completed when the holding company bought the entire block of shares and the company took the name Arsonsisi SpA.”

with global solutions capable of satisfying the whole coating cycle of any product, with a system of integrated specialised cycles that are designed to guarantee the aesthetic and chromatic qualities without sacrificing the best performance of the entire sector. Several factors are behind this course of growth: an enormous amount of research; the use of highly advanced technologies; and the joint efforts of people with complementary experiences and innovative ideas – not to mention of course ambition, flexibility and the spirit of customer service.

to Mariano Comense (Como, Italy). After the war (Fig. 5), the factory went back into the possession of the Norsa family, who transferred the company to their Masciadri cousins. In 1972 Arsonsisi was one of the first companies in Italy to produce powder coatings. In 1987 it was acquired and became part of the holding company Junionfin (Fig. 6). The full acquisition in 1990 was completed when the holding company bought the entire block of shares and the company took the name Arsonsisi SpA. In 2009 the parent company Junionfin concluded a set of important acquisitions: the branch of powder coatings of BASF Coatings; the producer of special liquid paints Sebino Industria Vernici S.p.A.; and Elcrom Srl specialising in anticorrosion and specialty coatings. In 2012 Arsonsisi became Arsonsisi Technological Coatings. It opened branches in Europe and Russia and commenced large-scale distribution. In 2015 another acquisition, Tecnocolor Industria Vernici e Smalti S.r.I., specialising in specialty liquid coatings, further added to the range, allowing Arsonsisi to cover all segments of the market of coating products for industrial use.

On occasion of the company’s centenary, we interviewed the Junghanns family (Fig. 7): Carlo, founder of the holding company Junionfin, and children Julie and James who now lead Arsonsisi Technological Coatings along with their father. Ipcm®: Junionfin acquired Arsonsisi in 1987. What were the market goals at the time? CJ: It was a key acquisition for laying the base for a growth strategy on the market of industrial coatings. During those years, Arsonsisi was one of the few Italian companies that could claim valuable experience in powder coatings, which has been one of our company’s specialties since the 1970s.

Arsonsisi today Born in Italy but raised in Europe, Arsonsisi is active on the world market of industrial powder coatings, liquid coatings and coatings for electrodeposition, with two production facilities in Italy and one in Turkey, and branches or logistics centres in Spain, Estonia, Turkey and Russia. Added to that, it makes use of the facilities of its sister company J Colors S.p.A. and ELCROM Srl for the production of those product types. Thanks to the knowledge developed through constant research performed in

Ipcm®: How did Arsonsisi react to the financial crisis of 2009? CJ: By investing and broadening the offer. It was in 2009 that we started a series of important acquisitions and a reorganisation of production processes, which allowed us to satisfy the whole coating cycle for any kind of product and to consolidate our position internationally.

Figure 1: Business letter of ARSON Industria Prodotti Chimici Puri dated 1921.

its laboratories and a series of strategic acquisitions, Arsonsisi offers state-of-theart solutions for all industrial applications and is a leader in Italy in Specialty Coatings and anticorrosion products. Arsonsisi’s mission is to provide industry

international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

Arsonsisi’s mission is to provide industry with global solutions capable of satisfying the whole coating cycle of any product, with a system of integrated specialised cycles that are designed to guarantee the aesthetic and chromatic qualities without sacrificing the best performance of the entire sector.”

On the other hand, the restriction or prohibition of the use of some substances deemed hazardous for the environment and humans caused another important change in direction of technology, a clear example being the ban of hexavalent chromium for chrome-plating of metal and chromate conversion coating of aluminium. All that was accompanied by a growth in competition among coatings producers with regard to prices and services offered.

Ipcm®: How do you believe the market was reconfigured after the economic crisis ended? CJ: Without a doubt, the crisis affected the industrial coatings sector and will continue to have effects in its rearrangement. The main factor is definitely an acceleration in the consolidation of some players to the detriment of others, who were either bought up or closed their businesses. That’s not all, though: the constant pursuit of greater competitiveness in general of industrial customers has led to significant changes also in the technology of products. Take for example the now common use of the powder-on-powder system that speeds up coating and yields notable energy savings.

Figure 3: 1937. Stand of ARSON-SISI dedicated to specialty coatings for civil and military aviation. Original photo conserved at the Archivio Storico Fondazione Fiera Milano.

Figure 2: Leaﬂet of “pittura ARSONIA” of ARSON-SISI Industrie Riunite Vernici Smalti dated 1937.

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Ipcm®: What are the current objectives of the Group? JJ: The objectives of the Group can be summed up in a word: internationalisation. Arsonsisi by now possesses such a wide range of technologies on products for industry that puts it in a position to meet any demand, so it’s only logical to concentrate now on expanding internationally.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Ipcm®: What are the industrial sectors of reference for powder coatings? Julie J.: All major industrial sectors, also the most complex: automotive, architecture, furnishings, household appliances and heating with large production batches. Our multipurpose epoxy powders of the BASEPOX® series have been sold around the world for some time and represent a solid point of reference in the industry devoted to the design and protection of pipelines for hydrocarbons. We are also active in the sector of coatings for third parties. Overall, we offer a full range with over 400 colour codes in stock, updated to meet market demands. Ipcm®: And what are those for liquid coatings? Julie J.: Definitely automotive, where we are suppliers to the major producers of alloy and steel wheels, both for OEM and the aftermarket; to the lighting industry and the general industry. The growth strategy of the Arsonsisi Group for general industry

4 Figure 4: Advertising for ARSON-SISI Industrie Riunite Vernici Smalti, dated 1941.

materialised in 2015, when Beckers Industrial Coatings Italia granted the exclusive license to Arsonsisi for the production and sale of liquid paints for drums, tanks, GPL cylinders and pipes. Over the last year we have also strengthened our presence in the industry of agricultural machinery, construction and earthmoving machines (ACE). The variety and special features of our range of specialty coatings allows us to reach more specialised and sophisticated sectors, such as coatings for glass, eyeglasses, packaging, cosmetics and jewellery. With the products for electrodeposition and water immersion we cover the heating and household appliance sectors. The selection of protective coatings for anticorrosion includes a range of specialised cycles approved by public and private entities complying with the most stringent industry specifications and in line

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international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

Colour fidelity has always been one of Arsonsisi’s strong points; we count many joint collaborations with the world of architecture and design where colour quality is of extreme importance. Today, the big innovation at Arsonsisi in the tinting system market is called Gemini System, a new tinting system that can realise all types of industrial products, either solvent or water-based, utilising the same set of 24 colouring pastes. Basically, it is like having two tinting systems in one. Besides being compatible with all types of industrial paints, Gemini System is supplied with a database including over 2500 institutional colours and numerous corporate colours.

5 Figure 5: Share certiﬁcate dated 1947 of ARSON-SISI Industrie Riunite Vernici Smalti.

6 Figure 6: Arsonsisi S.p.A. – old billboard for powder coatings. © Arsonsisi Technological Coatings

with standards UNI ISO 12944-2-2001 for the protection of steel structures. Arsonsisi’s technological capital in the anticorrosion derives from the experience gained by Elcrom, a company highly specialised in the development of protective coatings and dedicated tinting systems that allow production costs to be optimised by utilising bases in common with other systems.

7 Figure 7: The Junghanns family: from left to right James Junghanns, Carlo Junghanns and Julie Junghanns.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Ipcm®: How is the Group structured as regards marketing and sales? JJ: Arsonsisi is part of the Junionfin Group together with J Colors, which deals in paints for wholesale and the building industry, and Elcrom which produces anticorrosive coatings and tinting systems for industry. Jointly with the sister company Elcrom, Arsonsisi has four production facilities in Italy: Verbania for powder coatings (Fig. 8), Lainate for electrodeposition (Fig. 9), Berlingo (Fig. 10) for industrial liquid coatings and Udine for anticorrosion and tinting systems. In Turkey, we have a joint venture for production of powder coatings, whereas in Spain, Estonia and Russia the company relies on its own sales force. We cover the national territory and the major

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Figure 8: Production facility in Verbania for powder coatings.

European markets with a network of agents and specialised direct representatives. Ipcm®: How is Arsonsisi positioned on its foreign markets of reference? JJ: We export about 60% of our

production. France, Spain, Estonia and Russia are the chief markets for powder coatings for household appliances and the general line, while the products for automotive, pipelines for hydrocarbons and the heating plants reach countries of the Middle East and China. These latter

countries are the same markets that have an interest in our paints for anaphoresis and dip coating. Exports of liquid coatings are concentrated in Europe, especially in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland, where some of our long time clients have relocated production over the years, and then in Turkey. The UV-curing coatings and other special products, such as paints for glass and plastics see a demand in France and the U.S. Ipcm®: Where is innovation in the powder coatings industry heading? JJ: Technologically speaking, the powder

10 Figure 10: Aerial view of the factory in Berlingo (Brescia), which produces industrial liquid coatings.

coatings market is saturated. The current tendency is somewhat towards research into colour and solutions for optimising processes. Recently, we launched a new series of polyesters for architecture, the Top Quality Collection J 20.20 (Fig. 11), which anticipates the trends in the design sector with a selection of 35 iconic colours that embrace pastels, soft textured finishes and bonded metallic finishes which assure better application of the paint and a more even finish compared to the classic ones. I’d also like to mention the development of a new primer for the powder-on-powder cycle. This is a one-coat cycle that is economic and excellent as far as corrosion protection is concerned, a feature that leads to savings with respect to traditional double layer cycles with separate curings.

technologies for replacing galvanic treatment which requires the use of hexavalent chrome with a UV cycle and sputtering/plasma vapour deposition (PVD).

s ical Coating Technolog © Arsonsisi

Figure 9: Ofﬁces of the sales headquarters in Lainate.

Ipcm®: Besides the J 20.20 collection, what other products are you focusing on? Julie J.: The polyesters J Superdurable certified Qualicoat Class 2; the anti-microbial/anti-bacterial paints IONatura; the ANTHERM line, a new generation of coloured athermic powder coatings that enhance thermic insulation performance. As regards the liquid coatings we’re focusing on those with UV curing which reduce production times, and coatings for PVD/ Sputtering. Our liquid coatings laboratory is constantly at work on the development of paints with high solids and low content of solvent to reduce emissions and environmental impact as a result.

Ipcm®: And what about innovations in liquid coatings? CJ: We are making heavy investments in technologies with a low or non-existent content of formaldehyde, the elimination of bisphenol-A and the reduction of 11 solvent content. In addition, we strongly believe Ipcm®: Do you foresee the Group Figure 11: making further expansion through in UV technology; in fact, at the beginning of The new J 20.20 colour chart for powder coatings. other acquisitions in the short or the year we set up a new R&D laboratory for medium term? UV-curing paints in Berlingo. Our range UVcolor CJ: We’re always keeping our eyes on includes coatings with 100% dry residue, the movements of the market and changes in progress so we solvent- or water-based, suited to an array of applications can take advantage of them positively. So I’m not ruling out any including the hybrid coatings “Dual Cure” with mixed heat and new commercial agreements or additional expansions, especially UV vulcanization for complex three-dimensional objects. In internationally. collaboration with our partners, we have developed important

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY TALEX: Excellence in Extrusion and Finishing Technology for High-Tech Hard Aluminium Alloy Profiles

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY Blyweert Aluminium: the strategic nature of a reliable coating supplier for architectural aluminium

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE SAT Smart-Coat: A Profile Vision and Recognition System

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY Dense Phase Technology to Powder Coat Aluminium Profiles

68 72

BRAND NEW

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH Alufinish: Built on Trust

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY Total Synergy Between a Coating Contractor and a Manufacturer for High-End Results

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY Anaphoresis Technology Without Dialysis cells: A Decisive Advantage for GLOBAL Radiatori

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH Alit Introduces Fastrip and Fastrip MT: Innovation in Inline Paint Stripping of Hooks and the Recovery of Aluminium Profiles

SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & DESIGN

ÂŠ TALEX

Opening photo: Taweelah Aluminium Extrusion Company LLC is an integral part of the Economic Vision 2030 of Abu Dhabi.

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SPECI AL AL UMI N I U M & DE SIGN

TALEX: Excellence in Extrusion and Finishing Technology for High-Tech Hard Aluminium Alloy Profiles Alessia Venturi ipcmÂŽ

bu Dhabi is a thriving global business centre on the Arabian Gulf coast. With the government investing billions of dollars in the diversification of its economy and infrastructure, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates is rapidly turning into one of the most important economic, industrial and commercial centres in the world. The Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi (KIZAD) is an integral part of the Economic Vision 2030 of the Emirate, an ambitious multi-

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

year economic transformation program to be completed by 2030 to further develop all non-hydrocarbon activities. Aluminium, iron, steel, glass, metal, plastics and petrochemical are just some of the heavy industry fields selected to stimulate growth in the manufacturing sector and create new job opportunities for the citizens of the UAE. The strategic location of this industrial area connecting the East with the West, coupled with multimodal transport infrastructure

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aluminium products around the world. (sea, air, road and rail), facilitates the The presence of a unique aluminium smelter TALEX’ Chairman Ali Murshed Al Marar has business activities by providing easy concentration, state of the art port and stated that, “As part of the effort to diversify and efficient access to more than 4.5 logistics facilities and a well-established the economy of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, billion consumers across four time zones. aluminium extrusion industry have enabled TALEX is the result of the amalgamation of key In the middle of KIZAD (Fig. 1), there is us to establish the ultimate extrusion plant strengths available in the UAE as well as the Taweelah Aluminium Extrusion Company that increases the region’s industrial capacity drive of its two leading shareholders. LLC (TALEX, ref. Opening photo), the most and capabilities to unprecedented levels. advanced aluminium extrusion Our goal is to establish Abu and finishing plant in the Middle Dhabi and the UAE as one of TALEX designs and produces high quality East and the 2016 winner of the the world’s leading aluminium Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) extrusions centres of excellence. aluminium profiles. No other material features award in the category Industrial TALEX will enable us to exploit the same versatility and environmental Project of the Year. TALEX is a joint new possibilities in the upcoming compatibility characteristics, and TALEX venture between SENAAT, the architectural landscape and takes advantage of these unique qualities to Abu Dhabi Holding Company, and will also be an enabler for the design innovative components and solutions Gulf Extrusion, a company of the automotive and aerospace starting from the selection of the most suitable Al Ghurair Group, with extensive industries as they seek to aluminium alloy for each application. ” manufacturing expertise achieve the demanding and a global sales network. technological leap and associated weight A fully vertically reduction that these integrated industries must attain in production process the coming years. TALEX designs and Across the world, produces high quality innovation cycles are aluminium profiles. No shrinking and companies other material features that do not respond the same versatility to these changes risk and environmental being left behind. We compatibility have spared no effort in characteristics, and TALEX equipping our plant with takes advantage of these the finest technology unique qualities to design available. We have 1 innovative components maximized our level and solutions starting from of automation so that Figure 1: KIZAD is the commercial, logistic and industrial hub of Abu Dhabi, the capital the selection of the most our objective, which is city of the United Arab Emirates. suitable aluminium alloy to deliver a complete for each application. TALEX’ production solution to our customers and grow with TALEX in numbers process starts from liquid primary molten their needs, can be achieved.” Investment: 240 million $ metal delivered by EGA to its own cast For TALEX, choosing the best available 2 house converting to precision machined technology has meant to rely on a pool Factory Size: 200,000 m aluminium products in it is fully vertically of Italian suppliers of surface treatment Extrusion capacity: 50k MT/year integrated premises. Its plant plot area, equipment. Trasmetal (Milan) designed Powder Coating Capacity: 13k MT/year 2 covering 200,000 m , 72,000 of which are and installed its horizontal powder Anodizing capacity: 14k ton/year covered, and built on a greenfield site in coating system (Fig. 2), one of the Cast house capacity: 45k ton/year less than five years with a total investment largest, versatile and technologically Natural Gas consumption: 1.8 MM scf/day of over 240 million dollars, provides to its advanced in the world. This integrates Electricity consumption: 17.1 MW connected load prestigious customers casting, extrusion, a power & free conveyor (Fig. 3) with a Process water: 1,200 m3/day surface treatment and fabricated capacity of 1,000 kg (including bars) per

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2 Figure 2: The large size of the horizontal powder coating plant supplied to TALEX by Trasmetal (Milan, Italy).

rack, designed by Futura Convogliatori Aerei (Robecco Pavese, Pavia). Cisart (Coccaglio, Brescia) provided the two anodising systems, a “short” one for bars up to 7 metres and a “long” one for bars up to 14 metres (Fig. 4). CIE Srl (San Zenone al Lambro, Milan) developed an innovative treatment system for the coating and anodising processes’ waste water, which will be implemented in three phases, about two years apart; it will enable the company to achieve a closed-loop operation and recover 95% of the water used (Fig. 5), a key factor in competitiveness and environmental compliance given the region’s water scarcity and the severity of the government’s drainage limits.

TALEX’s job is to select the most suitable alloy for the costumers needs. It also committed to a continuous improvement process. Aluminium is highly corrosion resistant, it is lighter than steel and, when using the right alloy, it ensures excellent mechanical properties. TALEX receives primary aluminium molten metal at 950 °C from the neighbouring smelter EGA, and during casting and alloying process it mixes the primary metal with TALEX own scrap and other alloying elements to cast TALEX’s exclusive alloys. These hard alloys, especially of aluminium and magnesium, have higher mechanical properties and corrosion resistance compare to the commercial ones.”

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Hard aluminium alloys for high-tech proﬁles “TALEX offers different products and services to a wide variety of industrial sectors, supporting their projects to improve the performance, efficiency and competitiveness of their products and structures,” TALEX’ General Manager Stylianos Tsoktouridis (Fig. 6) says while welcoming us at the company headquarters, located along the highway linking Dubai to Abu Dhabi. “TALEX is an extrusion company that provides to its prestigious customers innovative aluminium alloy solutions to further develop and improve their products. Our job is to select the most suitable alloy for their needs. We are also committed to a continuous improvement process.

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Aluminium is highly corrosion Impressive equipment resistant, it is lighter than steel TALEX owns an impressive number of “This project officially started and, when using the right alloy, in 2011, but the construction of plants and systems and the layout has been it ensures excellent mechanical the factory only began in 2014: developed to ensure that the production flow properties. We receive primary it took us almost three years is perfectly optimised. For example, all the aluminium molten metal at 950 °C to choose the best available extrusion lines are oriented in one direction from our neighbouring smelter EGA, technologies needed for this and followed by the logistics area, so that and during casting and alloying ambitious extrusion, surface the profiles are safely and cleanly handled process we mix the primary metal treatment and manufacturing and transferred to the coating and anodising with TALEX own scrap and other plant. We have been supported plant. Finally, the unloading stations of the two alloying elements to cast TALEX’s surface treatment systems have been designed by a European consulting firm exclusive alloys. These hard alloys, in this long journey,” says to facilitate packaging and shipping.” especially of aluminium and Sajid Hussain, the Operation magnesium, have higher mechanical properties be able to reduce the weight of its trailers by 2 Manager of TALEX (Fig. 7). “The project was and corrosion resistance compare to the tonnes, resulting in greater sustainability and completed in the first quarter of 2017, with commercial ones. For instance, we are currently greater profitability, since it will be possible to the exception of two buildings that will be performing some tests for an automotive tier increase the load on each trailer and reduce the finished during Phase 2. In full operation, 1 manufacturer to select the most suitable number of trips. Our goal therefore is not only the factory will have about 380 employees. aluminium alloy for replacing steel profiles. The to extrude for architectural building systems, It owns an impressive number of plants and weldability tests’ results have been excellent, which anyway remains part of our business, systems and the layout has been developed and we are now carrying out the fatigue tests. but also to supply niche and high-added value to ensure that the production flow is If all the tests will be positive, our customer will products for industrial use.” perfectly optimised. For example, all the

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3 Figure 3: The power & free conveyor designed and built by Futura Convogliatori Aerei has a net load capacity of 500 kg.

European, Indian, and of course the Middle East markets.” As for powder coating, TALEX has ordered Trasmetal a cutting-edge horizontal plant able to treat up to 8.2 metres long profiles meeting the Qualicoat standards (Fig. 8) and achieve a © ipcm ®

extrusion lines are oriented in one direction and followed by the logistics area, so that the profiles are safely and cleanly handled and transferred to the coating and anodising plant. Finally, the unloading stations of the two surface treatment systems have been designed to facilitate packaging and shipping. “TALEX also has an advanced foundry with an annual capacity of 45,000 tonnes of billets with five different diameters, 7”, 8”, 9”, 10”, and 11”, with the possibility of increasing the number of diameters available in the near future. After quality control in an ultrasonic station, the billets are processed in a continuous homogenisation and cascade air cooling line. The cutting and packaging line supplies billets with a maximum length of 7 metres. The extruded profiles are available with three different surface finishes: mill finish, anodized or powder coated aluminium. The two extrusion presses, with a capacity of 25 and 35 tonnes, can extrude profiles with any kind of shape, even the most complex ones and aluminium alloy. The extruded profiles are primarily intended for the architecture, automotive, transportation, marine, defence and general engineering applications of Australian, USA, Canada,

As for powder coating, TALEX has ordered Trasmetal a cutting-edge horizontal plant able to treat up to 8.2 metres long profiles meeting the Qualicoat standards and achieve a productivity of up to 14,000 tonnes/year, corresponding to about 5 million square metres of aluminium surface. There are two anodising lines, both fully meeting the Qualanod standards: a “short” one for profiles up to 7.2 metres and a “long” one for profiles up to 14.2 metres. Both surface finishing areas are equipped with a dedicated lab that constantly monitors the quality of processes according to the European regulations.”

4 Figure 4: Cisart provided two anodising lines, one for proﬁles up to 7.2 metres and one for proﬁles up to 14.2 metres.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

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A horizontal coating plant for greater ﬂexibility “When signing our contract, TALEX asked us to design a very innovative coating plant, especially in terms of automation, in order to reduce the number of operators on the line and achieve maximum flexibility,” says Franco Gioia, the Area Manager of Trasmetal. “The choice fell on a horizontal painting line for two main reasons: the considerable weight of some profiles and the versatility required to coat profiles with different sizes and shapes, and above all intended for very different applications, which translates into equally differently paints and thicknesses to be applied. Moreover, the plant was designed and equipped with all the devices needed to dedicate the right time to each process stage, with the aim of obtaining high-quality finishes. Vertical lines ensure high quality and high productivity, but they do not allow for the integration of any touch-up stations. However, these are crucial for a firm that mainly manufactures profiles for industrial use like TALEX, since the homogeneity of thicknesses and the variability of shapes call for greater application accuracy also in the most difficult to reach areas. “An important feature of this plant is Futura Convogliatori Aerei’s power & free conveyor. With a net load capacity of 500 kg (1,000 kg, including the weight of bars), it is impressive for an aluminium profile coating line (Fig. 12). It is characterised by several storage buffers along the path of the jigs, ensuring a flexible process flow with no bottlenecks nor productivity losses (Fig. 13). For the loading and unloading stations, we were asked to keep the general layout of the factory in consideration, in order to allocate as much space as possible for these two stages and, at the same time, integrate some downstream

5 Figure 5: A bird’s eye view of the waste water treatment system developed by CIE Srl. In the foreground, the transfer pit area and the buffer area.

productivity of up to 14,000 tonnes/year, corresponding to about 5 million square metres of aluminium surface. There are two anodising lines, both fully meeting the Qualanod standards: a “short” one for profiles up to 7.2 metres (Fig. 9) and a “long” one for profiles up to 14.2 metres. Both surface finishing areas are equipped with a dedicated lab that constantly monitors the quality of processes according to the European regulations. For its coating and anodising plants (Fig. 10), TALEX ordered CIE Srl a fully automated chemicalphysical waste water treatment system. It will be implemented in three phases up to 6 achieving the zeroliquid discharge goal Figure 6: Stylianos Tsoktouridis, the (Fig. 11). General Manager of TALEX. The high-precision manufacturing unit integrates crimping, precision machining with 4 and 5 axis high speed CNCs, cleaning, deburring and custom-length cutting processes. The mechanical properties of the crimped profiles are tested in compliance with the BS EN 14024 and the international standards. Finally, TALEX has created a fully automated logistics and handling unit to ensure fast, flexible and responsive packaging and dispatch.

7 Figure 7: From left to right, Trasmetal Area Manager Franco Gioia, TALEX Operation Manager Sajid Hussein, TALEX Surface Treatment Manager György Hegedüs, and CIE Srl Technical Manager Rosario Patricelli.

international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

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LONDON | UK

o t t a f n e B NEW FETTER LANE

8 Figure 8: A side view of the coating system.

operations such as packaging. Since the jig management structure is located at the second level, the loading station has two precise drop sections from which the jigs descend to enable the profiles to be hung (Fig. 14) and through which they return to be automatically transferred to the robots of the immersion pretreatment line (Fig. 15). The robots have a lifting capacity of about 2,000 kg because they handle 3 bars at a time. The immersion pre-treatment line is also ready for the possible integration of an alkaline degreasing process and its related rinsing stages with countercurrent fresh water, which are not included at the moment. “As for the powder application phase, TALEX required two high productivity booths with a quick colour change system. We opted for Gema’s Magic Cylinder booths (Fig. 16) featuring a conventional powder feeding system with Venturi injectors (Fig. 17).

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* UV 30 PROTECTION

* 3 years South Florida

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» INGEGNERIA ITALIANA PER FACCIATE » VERNICI IN POLVERE AUSTRIACHE

The choice for the coating plant fell on a horizontal painting line for two main reasons: the considerable weight of some profiles and the versatility required to coat profiles with different sizes and shapes, and above all intended for very different applications, which translates into equally differently paints and thicknesses to be applied. Moreover, the plant was designed and equipped with all the devices needed to dedicate the right time to each process stage, with the aim of obtaining high-quality finishes.”

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e n o d l l e W

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Figure 9: The “short” anodising line.

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The peculiarity of this solution is that the two booths can also work simultaneously, if there is the need to reduce the line speed due to the geometrical complexity of the profiles, without this resulting in any loss of production. However, in the case of a standard production, one of the two booths is devoted to light colours, the other to the dark ones (Fig. 18). Again with the aim of maximum flexibility, they both feature downstream and upstream automatic buffers to ensure a fluid and adaptable process flow. Trasmetal collaborated with other suppliers of TALEX, such as the company that produced the in-line packaging machine, in order to integrate all the coating plant stations with the general layout. The profile unloading area (Fig. 19) has two workstations: one in line with the packaging machine and the other devoted to special profiles that cannot be packaged.” “The high-water saving pre-treatment process starts with an acid degreasing stage in two tanks working in parallel,” states TALEX’ Surface Treatment Manager György Hegedüs. “This is followed by two rinses with countercurrent cascade fresh water and a rinse with demineralised water to safeguard the surface conversion phase. The conversion process uses a chrome-free, zirconium-titaniumbased product. The last stage is another rinse with demineralised water. We chose to install two parallel drying ovens in order not to “stress” any process stage for time reasons and to be able to seamlessly tackle any increase in productivity in future. Currently, the plant handles 15 jigs/hour with a takt time of 4 minutes.”

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Figure 10: A bird’s eye view of the building housing the surface treatment and automatic packaging department.

from the IR panels (Fig. 20). Finally, the polymerisation time is adjusted according to the profile size, the paint thickness and the intended use of the product.” “We chose Trasmetal as the supplier of our horizontal line based on its experience, technology, technical assistance and, last but not least, its ability to find the best solution to our needs. The most difficult request put to them was the design of a line that was perfect for different types of products, not just for architecture profiles,” states Sajid Hussein.

“Trasmetal manufactures only tailormade lines: we do not have any standard product,” says Franco Gioia. “In time, we have built a few vertical lines for profiles up to 12 metres, but these are quite rare. Considering the requests of TALEX, we thought that a horizontal plant would have been more appropriate, especially because they produce items for both architecture and industry, including very heavyweighted profiles. In the future, TALEX may well decide to add a vertical line devoted to architectural components only, if there will be an increase in the demand for this type of profiles.”

Figure 12: A bottom view of the power & free conveyor.

“The coating booths are air conditioned, pressurised and dust-free,” says György Hegedüs. “Once out of the drying ovens, the bars are diverted to one of the two application booths – all these transfer areas are closed to keep them separate from the working environment and they are equipped with an air recirculation and conditioning system that maintains the same temperature and humidity parameters in all seasons. Before entering the polymerisation oven, the profiles pass through an IR station with profile automatic recognition bars to adjust the distance of the jigs

Figure 11: The chemical-physical treatment plant for the coating and anodising processes’ waste water.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Figure 13: One of the storage buffers created along the conveyor to avoid any loss of productivity.

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Trasmetal collaborated with other suppliers of TALEX, such as the company that produced the in-line packaging machine, in order to integrate all the coating plant stations with the general layout. The profile unloading area has two workstations: one in line with the packaging machine and the other devoted to special profiles that cannot be packaged.”

Waste water treatment: a strategic element for competitiveness and sustainability Sustainability is an important component of TALEX’ mission, especially considering that this aluminium extrusion giant is located in an area where water is scarce and where the government has imposed much more restrictive discharge limits than the European ones. “Waste water treatment is a critical stage: for us, it is vitally important to reuse process water and optimise its consumption,” says Sajid Hussein. “The

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14 Figure 14: The loading station. The two drop sections can be clearly seen.

technology of CIE (Compagnia Italiana Ecologia) stands out amongst all the other in terms of efficiency and ease of management.” “The waste water treatment and recovery system that we supplied to TALEX handles the whole amount of process water of the finishing department,” adds Rosario Patricelli, the Technical Sales Manager of CIE. “As we said, water is a major issue not only due to its cost and scarcity – TALEX currently receives water in tanks since the water connection is being completed – but also to the quality

standard imposed on discharges in terms of fixed residue (Total Dissolved Solids, TDS). That is why they asked us to implement a step-by-step project with the ultimate goal of creating a Zero Liquid Discharge plant, i.e. recovering at least 95% of process water. TALEX is now in Phase 1: we installed a chemicalphysical treatment plant with the PURAL technology, which recovers all acidic waste water, i.e. the process water coming from the anodising and pretreatment stages, and enables us to reuse it in alkaline rinses, thus achieving a 50%

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Figure 15: The immersion pre-treatment line can handle 3 bars at a time to ensure the highest possible productivity.

Figure 16: For the powder application, TALEX chose two Magic Cylinder booths with a quick colour change system, supplied by Gema Europe.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

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reduction in the water required by the finishing will involve the installation of energy-recovery lines. The alkaline attack baths of the anodising evaporators (vacuum multi-effect devices) process are currently stored and disposed of by to treat the liquid coming from the osmosis a specialised firm, since systems. This will create treating them in this Phase a closed loop system for would not enable us to the recovery of waste Sustainability is an respect the conductivity limit water, with an efficiency imposed on waste water, of no less than 95%.” important component of equal to 2,500 μS/cm. “By applying our TALEX’ mission, especially “During Phase 2, the proven PURAL system, considering that this recovery of the process we provided a very aluminium extrusion giant water used on the finishing special water treatment is located in an area where lines will increase to 75% process that enables water is scarce and where thanks to the installation of TALEX to purify its the government has imposed special membrane recovery acidic waste water by much more restrictive systems, i.e. ultrafiltration recirculating it in its discharge limits than the and reverse osmosis. Also alkaline baths, thus European ones.” the concentrates from the cutting consumption alkaline attack baths of by 50% and meeting the anodic oxidation process will be treated on all the local regulations,” says Patricelli. “We the existing plants and will be not disposed of have considered the different streams of water anymore. The last stage of the project, Phase 3, separately since the beginning. The waste

17 Figure 17: The booths have 16 guns each and use the conventional Venturi powder feeding technology.

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aluminium and COD. The discharged water meets the limits imposed by the local authorities. All machine operations are automatic (Fig. 23): the plant features all the BAT for SCADA systems, electronic devices and controls in order to minimise the maintenance times and facilitate the work for operators. It is ready for the implementation of Phases 2 and 3.” “Waste water does not make any profit,” states Rosario Patricelli. “Therefore, our goal is to design plants that require a minimum staff and the minimum possible time for every operation. CIE also supplies the closed-loop production plant of demineralised water used for the anodising and coating lines, while for the sludge treatment we have installed fully automatic filter presses without any operator supervision.”

TALEX: an industry 4.0 company Similarly to all other production machines, both the coating and the water treatment systems have their own software package and an

Figure 18: The inside of the booth applying dark colours.

Waste water treatment is a critical stage: for TALEX, it is vitally important to reuse process water and optimise its consumption. Water is a major issue not only due to its cost and scarcity – TALEX currently receives water in tanks since the water connection is being completed – but also to the quality standard imposed on discharges in terms of fixed residue (Total Dissolved Solids, TDS). That is why they asked CIE to implement a step-by-step project with the ultimate goal of creating a Zero Liquid Discharge plant, i.e. recovering at least 95% of process water.”

water is conveyed into a transfer pit area where it is selected depending on its quality. Then, it reaches a large storage area ensuring a flexible production and avoiding any “stresses” even in the water treatment stage, because the quality of water is closely related to the quality of production (Fig. 21). From the buffer area, the waste water is sent to the treatment system: the chemicalphysical process (Fig. 22) is already sufficient to significantly reduce the content of sulphates, aluminium, and organic residues and reach the quality level needed to feed the alkaline baths. In future, the alkaline stages’ water will be treated by removing any kind of contamination, especially

19 Figure 19: The proﬁle unloading station is in line with the packaging machine.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

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TALEX equipment in numbers Extrusion

Long anodizing

Fabrication

• Direct presses 25MN & 35MN

• Based on QUALANOD requirements and DIN17611

• State-of-the-art fabrication unit providing services for crimping, precision CNC machining and customized cut-to-length profiles

• Automated log storage • Gas and induction heated saw cut to length billets

• Fully automated line with 3 cranes • Maximum profile length: 14,200 mm

• Double bench double puller with controlled cooling, 64m length

• Layer thickness: 5-25 microns

• Mechanical properties of crimped profiles are tested as per BS EN 14024 and comply with international standards

• Up to 14.2 m final cutting saw

Powder coating

• 5 & 3 – axis CNC machines

• Fully automated stacking and aging processes

• According to QUALICOAT requirements

• Double & single head cutting saws

• Bottom loaded single and double chamber aging ovens ±1.5 °C accuracy

• Maximum profile length: 8,200mm

• Precision machining

• Water and air quenching

• Stretch bending machines

• Fully automated line Automated handling

• Chrome-free conversion technology Short anodizing • Based on QUALANOD requirements and DIN17611 • Fully automated line with 6 cranes • Maximum profile length: 7,200 mm • Layer thickness: 5-25 microns

• Fully automated die storage and die handling system with storing capacity of 7,000 pieces • Fully automated finished goods storage with capacity of 4,000 crates

Alodine2040 Passivation • Chrome-free passivation 2

• Coating weight: 2-10mg/m

• Low surface resistance, after long storage • Guarantee of weldability • Guarantee of long-term bonding

• Fully automated extruded profiles management and handling by three overhead cranes • Fully automated profiles management before and after aging process with bottom loaded aging furnaces

20 Figure 20: The IR station is used to gel the applied powders and avoid any possible contamination among different shades inside the oven.

• Hot water sealing

• Gema Magic Cylinder booth

21 Figure 21: The quality of water is strongly linked to the quality of production.

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22 Figure 22: Chemical-physical treatment tanks.

Similarly to all other production machines, both the coating and the water treatment systems have their own software package and an integrated PLC. However, they are also interconnected with the main management software used by the company to fully track each profile. These “dynamic brains” interact with all production machines, taking and supplying useful data at the same time.”

with all production machines, taking and supplying useful data at the same time. “TALEX has fully applied the Industry 4.0 concept,” says Sajid Hussein. “The system

integrated PLC. However, they are also interconnected with the main management software used by the company to fully track each profile. These “dynamic brains” interact

creates all processing reports, from liquid metal to packaged products. We can track the whole production process of every single profile, up to the molten metal used.” TALEX is an advanced company operating in the United Arab Emirates, a booming market that is also totally open to the outside world to grasp opportunities of innovation wherever they occur. “The production capacity of our coating plant is 7.5 t per hour, far greater than that of an average vertical system. There are not many horizontal plants in the world with such capacity; indeed, their productivity is normally six times less than ours is. TALEX’ ultimate goal is to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the huge investment made and become a strategic player for the global industry.”

23 Figure 23: The touch-screen control of the waste water treatment system.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Alit Technologies Srl • Via Francesco Perlini, sn • 37047 San Bonifacio (VR) • www.alit-tech.com • info@alit-tech.com

Opening photo: The range of Blyweert Aluminium systems.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

SPECI AL AL UMI N I U M & DE SIGN

Blyweert Aluminium: the Strategic Nature of a Reliable Coating Supplier for Architectural Aluminium Alessia Venturi ipcm®

he Polish aluminium architecture market has very particular characteristics: Poland is home to some of Europe’s leading manufacturers of profiles for façades, windows and doors, but the domestic demand for architectural aluminium is six times lower than that of the German market. Eighty percent of production is exported globally and it is difficult to precisely track the final destination of each extruded aluminium profile manufactured and coated in Poland.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Another peculiarity of this market is the very short lead times requested of these profile companies: Blyweert Aluminium in Czosnow (ref. Opening photo), near Warsaw, has a lead time of just five working days from production to packing, and it is one of the companies with the most extensive aluminium coating expertise in Poland. Founded by Peter Blyweert in 2009 as a retailer of profiles, the

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

“In this business, innovating means decreasing the time it takes for customers to prepare the finished product. Our new system will allow installers to focus on cutting and assembly on site because the profile will be prefabricated and connected to all accessories, like seals, here in our factory. Being a very sophisticated system, the new product requires modern CNC machines for its preparation”. One of the key quality factors for Blyweert is the powder coating and the reliability of its supply. 1 “We need products of guaranteed quality that do not Figure 1: Section of a ﬁnished window based on Blyweert systems. cause any surprises during application, because in order to maintain a lead time as short as Another peculiarity of the Poland market ours the coating process has to Innovation and quality go smoothly. We cannot afford is the very short lead times requested of these Blyweert is well known for the high expensive and long reworks profile companies: Blyweert Aluminium in quality of its coating, its flexibility Czosnow, near Warsaw, has a lead time of just five due to non-conformities with and very short lead times. the coating”, explains Grzegorz working days from production to packing, and it “The quality of our finished Ciszewski. “We work with is one of the companies with the most extensive product is a combination of several suppliers, some of whom aluminium coating expertise in Poland.” various elements: the have warehouses or technology we use, distribution centres our experience and very close to us, in expertise, and, last but the Warsaw area. not least, the powder For some of the coatings. While the most important company is only seven architectural years old, our technical projects, our loyal staff has had many partner since 2012 years of experience with has been the Italian aluminium. We have a company Ripol”. sophisticated research Blyweert’s and development relationship with department and we are Ripol, based in preparing to introduce Santo Stefano a very innovative Ticino, Milan, began aluminium profile in 2012, when 2 system after two years the latter opened of research and the Polish market Figure 2: From the left Tomasz Bazylak, Ripol Sales Country Manager for Poland, Grzegorz testing”, continues through an inCiszewski, Blyweert Production Manager, Alessia Venturi and Gilberto Vercesi, Ripol Ciszewski. country manager. International Sales Manager. following year the company started building its own manufacturing and coating plant, which has been in operation since March 2011. Blyweert is a systems manufacturer (Fig. 1) that directly supplies contractors and construction companies, but also sells to third parties as it has a coating line with a very large capacity. “On average, 50% of our production is dedicated to coating jobs for other system operators”, explains Grzegorz Ciszewski, production manager at Blyweert (Fig. 2). “For the most part our customers are Polish, but they export 70% of this production throughout Europe, mainly to the United Kingdom, Benelux, France, Germany”.

international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

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“I know Tomasz Bazylak, Poland’s Sales Country Manager for Ripol very well and have known him For some of the most important for a long time”, continues Ciszewski. “As in all architectural projects, Blyweert’s loyal areas, the interpersonal relationship played an partner since 2012 has been the Italian important role in Ripol’s addition to our team of company Ripol.” paint suppliers. All the same, from the beginning we found the company to be a serious supplier suitable for working with serious customers and projects. In these five years we have never had any problems with quality or delivery. Indeed, Ripol greatly supports us from a technical and development point of view, allowing us to meet even the highest demands in terms of colour”. “For Blyweert we are the exclusive supplier of two custom corporate colours, a 4 grey (Fig. 3) and an opaque white, developed by the Figure 4: Equator IV (Cirrus) Ofﬁce Building in Warsaw: the Ripol coatings were Italian laboratory”, notes used to paint the building’s 46,000 m2 of aluminium surfaces.

Figure 3: One of the two corporate colours - matt grey - that Ripol supplies exclusively to Blyweert.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

SURFACE TECHNOLOGY “MADE IN GERMANY”

“Blyweert suggested Ripol coatings to the construction company”, remembers Gilberto Vercesi, International Sales Manager for the Italian coating manufacturer. “We started the colour selection by preparing project mock ups with the three colours initially chosen by the designer, but they didn’t have the desired effect. Subsequently, the customer opted for RAL 9022, and Some projects by Blyweert-Ripol Ripol, along with other three One of the most competitors, interesting projects that presented Blyweert has recently 10 variations worked on using Ripol with effects or paints are the aluminium otherwise, finally profiles for the meeting the Cirrus Building in demand of the Warsaw (Fig. 4), designer”. a shopping centre and Another office building located project that in the heart of the Polish 5 involved Ripol capital. as a supplier “The selection of the Figure 5: Olivia Business Centre in Gdansk. of powder colour effect for this coatings is project was rather the Olivia Business Centre in Gdansk (Fig. 5), long and involved an intense collaboration with an ultra-flexible office building in continuous the Ripol laboratory because we followed the development, designed to have a low customer’s whole decision-making process from a environmental impact. technical point of view”, says Bazylak. “Eventually a colour close to RAL 9022 The machine was chosen from a range inventory of 10 colours that we had Blyweert has a vertical plant Blyweert has a proposed. On average the vertical plant projects that we carry out produced by SAT of Verona, with (Fig. 6) produced with Blyweert are about a pre-treatment that performs 2 by SAT of 10,000 m of coated material. acid degreasing and chrome-free Verona, with a For the Cirrus Building passivation with Seaside quality pretreatment we supplied five tonnes for the entire production, and a that performs of coatings for more than vertical booth for the coating of 2 acid degreasing 46,000 m of coated profiles with a maximum length and chrome-free profiles”. of seven metres.” © www.oliviacentre.com

Tomasz Bazylak. “In Poland, the market share of matt colours has grown a lot and for Blyweert they represent 90% of production. While in the past the matte portion was 10%, now the positions have been reversed: the standard colour is matte and the glossy version is produced only on demand. Ripol is also a supplier for many architectural projects, including those where Blyweert is not bound to the use of a specific supplier”.

www.emptmeyer.it

SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & D E S I G N

Having reliable coating suppliers is strategic. Ripol is the Blyweert ’s partner of choice for large projects and for special colours in the NCS standard: their added value is that these colours can be delivered in a short time, even just a single box, because their factory is equipped to meet this need even outside the Italian market. For Blyweert this capacity of Ripol is a true strength.”

passivation with Seaside quality for the entire production, and a vertical booth for the coating of profiles with a maximum length of seven metres. “The required coating standard is Qualicoat 1, though requests for Qualicoat 2 coatings are on the rise”, comments Ciszewski. “The production capacity of our plant is 600 m2/h, but due to the frequent colour changes - almost 27 per day over two shifts - on average we produce 380 m2/h. Unfortunately this is the reality of the Polish market: we don’t have a minimum order that our customers can make, sometimes we even paint batches composed of just 3 profiles. To meet the lead time of five working days, including manufacturing and packing, we cannot programme the coating based on the colours”. Next to the vertical line is a small horizontal plant with manual application that Blyweert uses for coating accessories and metal sheets (Fig. 7).

“The quality of our aluminium is very high, the company is competitive with pricing and lead time: much of what we produce here is exported”, concludes Grzegorz Ciszewski. “For us, having reliable coating suppliers is strategic. Ripol is our partner of choice for large projects and for special colours in the NCS standard: their added value is that these colours can be delivered in a short time, even just a single box, because their factory is equipped to meet this need even outside the Italian market. For Blyweert this capacity of Ripol is a true strength”. “Indeed, it is our strength”, concludes Gilberto Vercesi. “RIPOL is a family business that is small enough to ensure proper care and personal attention to customer demands, but also large enough to handle the needs that can arise from major projects”.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Figure 6: Loading the vertical system for coating proﬁles up to 7 m.

7 Figure 7: The manual application of coating on the horizontal machine.

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Opening photo: The automatic proďŹ le recognition and coating system SAT Smart-Coat.

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

SPECI AL AL UMI N I U M & DE SIGN

SAT Smart-Coat: A Profile Vision and Recognition System Carlotta Trevisan SAT Spa, Verona (Italy)

carlotta.trevisan@sataluminium.com

AT presented its new technology at the ALUMINIUM 2000 conference held in Verona, Italy, in June 2017 (Fig. 1), through its Global Sales Manager Andrea Trevisan. This important innovation, resulting from the fundamental work of its R&D department, is SAT Smart-Coat, an automatic profile recognition and coating system (ref. Opening photo).

Preliminary remarks With the 2017 Budget Law, the Italian Government has committed itself to supporting innovative business investments, with a particular attention to the equipment related to the Industry 4.0 concept, i.e. the digitisation process occurring in the manufacturing sector aimed at creating

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

a production flow that is as integrated and automated as possible. Its benefits are greater productivity in less time, reduction in errors, better quality of products, reduced waste, increased product competitiveness due to the greater functionality resulting from interconnection, and remarkable energy savings.

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

which would result in the inappropriate SAT (Surface Aluminium Technologies) S.p.A. has pre-treatment of the surface. always been committed to develop innovative solutions to meet the pressing needs of the – The automatic dosing of chemicals in the tunnel industry’s players. That is why it has recently The automatic detection of the profiles’ section launched a new technology, the so-called enables to calculate in real time the amount of automatic profile recognition system, which square metres of aluminium pre-treated in the unit enables to achieve the integration and automatic of time. Therefore, it will be possible to manage management of all the process steps of an the automatic aluminium profile dosing of chemical coating system. SAT (Surface Aluminium products in the This improves tunnel, resulting in productivity and Technologies) S.p.A. has recently greater efficiency. product quality launched a new technology, the so-called while dramatically automatic profile recognition system, – The drying oven reducing the which enables to achieve the integration temperature after industrial waste due and automatic management of all the pre-treatment to incorrect machine process steps of an aluminium profile Knowing exactly settings and the coating system.” the type of plant’s energy profile that is passing through the drying oven, consumption. the burner can be operated in order to select the Automatic proﬁle recognition optimal temperature set for that particular batch. The purpose of this system is automatically Only the strictly necessary thermal energy will controlling and managing the different processes be consumed and, on the other hand, this will performed by a powder coating plant devoted to prevent the non-perfect drying of the profiles, aluminium profiles. which could jeopardise the subsequent powder coating stage.

Principle of operation This automatic recognition system can detect the section of the profiles and set the optimal process parameters based on the information thus collected. In particular, it enables to automatically manage and adjust:

– The parameters for the electrostatic application of powders on the proﬁles’ surfaces The common powder application parameters, such as the amount of powder dispensed by each gun in the unit of time, the voltage expressed in kV, and the current expressed in μA, can be automatically changed from the PLC to set the optimal values for the type of profile detected by the cameras, the overhead conveyor speed, and the profile hanging pitch (i.e. the distance between two consecutive profiles hung on the conveyor chain). This greatly reduces powder consumption and improves product quality, since this does not depend on the operator’s experience anymore, but is always certain and repeatable.

– The temperature of the aggressive stages of the pre-treatment tunnel Thanks to its interconnection with the existing PLC, it will be possible to operate the tunnel’s thermoregulation unit in order to automatically set the correct temperature for a given section for which the ideal pretreatment temperature is known. This will avoid the selection of too high a temperature set, which would result in excessive This automatic recognition system consumption of thermal energy, can detect the section of the profiles and or too low a set the optimal process parameters based temperature set, on the information thus collected.”

– The temperature of the polymerisation oven after coating

SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & D E S I G N

Knowing exactly the type of profile that is passing through the polymerisation oven as well as the type of powder coating applied on it, the burner operation can be controlled by acting on its high or low flame settings. It is possible to select the optimal temperature set for each batch in a fully automatic way, thus reducing the thermal energy consumption and obtaining the perfect polymerisation of the paint layer. It can be said that the really innovative aspect of this technology is the software package that uses advanced algorithms to detect the profiles’ section and automatically manage the process. The system, integrated into the PLC of the coating line, will therefore ensure:

It can therefore be easily seen that the installation of the automatic profile recognition system ensures a remarkable series of improvements and benefits that can be summed up as follows:

– Continuous real-time control of all process stages – Minimisation of human intervention resulting in increased repeatability of the results – High quality of the end products – Optimisation of the plant’s energy consumption, especially thermal energy – Optimisation of the consumption of chemical products during the pre-treatment phase – Optimisation of the consumption of coating powders, with the same quality level – Reduction in the management and operation costs of the coating line – Finally yet importantly, possibility to improve the production level thanks to the greater automation of the whole production process.

1) Complete interconnection with the factory’s IT systems, providing the line supervisor

with every possible information on each production lot. It will also be possible to manage the system remotely (possibly, even with a direct connection with the IT department of SAT S.p.A), loading instructions and/or program parts in order to constantly optimise the production process. 2) Automatic integration with the factory logistic system, but also and above all with the machines that make up the coating plant. 3) Simple and intuitive human machine interface, since all the information obtained from the automatic profile tracking will be made available to the operators via the PLC.

Figure 1: Smart-Coat, SAT’s proﬁle vision and recognition system, was presented at the ALUMINIUM 2000 conference held in Verona in June 2017.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Opening photo: Proﬁles coated with the phase dense system at the SARO facility in Vittoria (Àlava, Spain).

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

SPECI AL AL UMI N I U M & DE SIGN

Dense Phase Technology to Powder Coat Aluminium Profiles Alessia Venturi ipcm®

he dense phase pumps of powder coating systems are specifically designed for users consuming high quantities of paint and requiring long-term process consistency and repeatability. This is why one of the industrial coating sectors in which this technology is more widespread is that of aluminium profiles. On both ipcm® and ipcm®_Ibérica/LatinoAmérica, we have already dealt with several success stories of European companies performing powder coating operations on aluminium profiles and other workpieces that have benefited from the replacement of traditional Venturi injectors with dense phase pumps. Saro Recubrimientos Orgánicos is based in Vittoria, Spain, and it is one of them. The firm has recently updated one of its vertical powder coating booths with Gema’s OptiSpray technology (ref. Opening photo). OptiSpray AP01 pumps use the Smart Inline Technology (SIT) to ensure a consistent and delicate powder flow and thus ensure the maintenance of the qualitative characteristics of the coating over time, even when using particularly critical products.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Specialising in the powder coating of steel and aluminium since 1980 SARO was established in 1980. Since then, it has never stopped developing and expanding its position in the powder coating market. Currently, it has a covered area of 6000 m2, with two 3000 m2 buildings located in the best industrial polygon of Vittoria, in the Basque Country. Its strategic position in one of the most densely industrialised regions of Spain and its proximity to France have turned SARO into a competitive firm not only in its own country but also in the neighbouring one. Established as a coating contractor specialising in aluminium parts and structures, SARO soon expanded into the aluminium field by installing a vertical coating line for profiles and a wood-effect finishing line with the sublimation technology. Now, it is a highly versatile and flexible company serving a wide variety of markets in the industry and architecture sectors. “We are pure contractors: the material treated is provided by our customers, which mainly operate in the fields of architecture,

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

completely automated the plant construction, aerospace and general with the installation of dosing industry. For them, we coat profiles, pumps; moreover, the high sheets, accessories, moulds and computerisation level of the workpieces in many different sizes,” system allows us to constantly says Jesús Antonio Resano Cía, the monitor the quality of baths on General Manager of SARO (Fig. 1). both PCs and mobile devices. “Operating both in the aluminium The department devoted to and the steel sectors, we have the architectural steel also features a Qualicoat Seaside and the C5M class sublimation line for wood-effect Qualisteelcoat certifications. Since finishes, which can handle both we export over 60% of our products profiles and flat sheets. in France, we are currently obtaining 1 “The department devoted to the Qualimarine label of ADAL, the steel, on the other hand, is French branch of Qualicoat, which is Figure 1: From left to right: José Luis Alamo, the Production essential to work in this country in the Manager of SARO, Jesús Antonio Resano Cía, the General Manager equipped with a highly flexible horizontal plant. Thanks to field of metal architecture. Compared of SARO, and Alessia Venturi, ipcm®. a multi-metal pre-treatment to the Seaside certification, which process developed by the enables to perform an acid-only “We powder coat aluminium profiles for Spanish firm Proquimia, it coats both or a combined acid and alkaline attack architecture on a vertical line that can steel and aluminium, specifically outwith a minimum removal of 2 gr/m2, the Qualimarine label requires the use of a treat up to 7 m long workpieces with of-range sheets and bars, since it can combined acid and alkaline attack ensuring thicknesses between 1 and 5 mm (Fig. 2),” handle workpieces up to 8.5 m in length an overall minimum removal of 2 gr/m2, but states Resano Cía. “Our customers (Fig. 3). Operating for the automotive, also a removal of 0.5 gr/m2 per stage.” are extruders, frame manufacturers, electrical appliance and structural wholesalers, and carpenters. For this engineering sectors, this horizontal line Diversiﬁed and versatile vertical plant, we have paid great attention is equipped with a newly installed spray equipment to the pre-treatment phase, which paint booth implementing the latest SARO’s versatility is ensured by its ensures that the Seaside quality level is technical innovations, such as automatic diversified equipment, which enables it to reached on all products, irrespective of mixing of virgin and recovered powder offer numerous types of treatments on both the customer’s specifications. We use a and automatic recognition of the parts’ aluminium and steel. The company has three chrome-free system with the Proquimia size (Fig. 4). For this plant, we chose to coating lines. no-rinse passivation process. We have invest in a multi-metal nanotechnology

2 Figure 2: The unloading area of the vertical system.

3 Figure 3: Thanks to its multi-metal pre-treatment process, the highly versatile horizontal plant can coat both steel and aluminium and treat up to 8.5 m long workpieces.

international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

pre-treatment process that is completely devoid of any toxic substances and ensures that the same quality is achieved on both steel and aluminium. Also on this plant, we can work with our Qualicoat license, choosing to replace the multi-metal bath stage with a special one. In this way, as well as all steel components, including small parts and accessories, the horizontal line can also paint aluminium sheets and bars that are more than 7 m long.” “The vertical line, on the other hand, is much less versatile but it has a high production capacity, about 1000 m2/day. The quality control and packaging stages are performed next to the coating system to optimise our response time. Given the strategic importance of this plant, SARO has recently invested in a major technology upgrade of the powder feeding and application system on one of the two quick-colour change booths,” says Resano Cía.

Replacing Venturi injectors with new-generation pumps

fully integrated pump OptiSpray AP01, the control module OptiStar GC12-P, and the 20 automatic guns OptiGun GA03-P. “Our vertical line was supplied by SAT from Verona, Italy” explains the Production Manager José Luis Alamo. “The V-shaped booth is still the original one, whereas the second one has been recently replaced with a new-generation U-shaped booth with a quick colour change system (Fig. 6). The new technology with powder pumps keeps the application parameters constant for longer than our previous Venturi-type devices did. We chose this new plant not only for the dense phase conveying system (Fig. 7), which translates into better application results and a better profile look, but also for the possibility to control each gun individually (Fig. 8). “With Gema’s individual gun control modules, it is possible to optimise the electrostatic charge parameters and the amount of powder dispensed by each gun,” says José Antonio Azpeitia, System Pulver’s representative for the Basque Country. “The booth on which we intervened features 20 guns, divided into two groups of 10 guns each: each block has 5 guns with SuperCorona parameters and 5 guns with different parameters (Fig. 9)”.

4 Figure 4: The newly installed automatic booth implements several technical innovations such as automatic mixing of virgin and recovered powder and automatic recognition of the parts’ size.

devices on one of the two vertical booths present at the SARO premises. These include the powder management system OptiCenter OC03 (Fig. 5), the © ipcm ®

System Pulver S.L., Gema’s official distributor for Spain based in Sant Just Desvern, installed its new-generation powder application

SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & D E S I G N

5 Figure 5: Gema’s OptiCenter OC03 powder management unit.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Figure 6: The second last-generation booth supplied by SAT Spa (Verona, Italy) is U-shaped and has a quick colour change system.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

The REVOLUTION in powder application

7 Figure 7: OptiSpeeder is an innovative reservoir that prevents any loss due to the ﬂuidiﬁcation of powders. The closed-loop system is fully automatic, ensuring extremely low powder consumption and excellent coating results.

“This investment dates back to December 2016: the new system has been operating for six months. Already in this short period, and considering the time we took to learn how to handle the new technology properly, we have found many benefits. First of all, we have achieved greater penetration capacity even in complexshaped profiles thanks to the optimisation of the operating parameters,” says Alamo. “Architectural profiles now have more and more complicated geometries and, since the installation of the Gema system, we have been obtaining a more homogeneous look and a remarkable reduction in the orange peel-effect.” “Also the continuity of this quality improvement over time has positively impressed us,” states José Antonio Resano Cía. “Once the proper parameters for the application of powders on different 8 profile families have been set, the Figure 8: The touch screen system controlling quality level remains the application parameters of each gun.

Important beneﬁts

OptiSpray AP01 with SIT Smart Inline Technology (SIT) - Remarkable powder savings - Stable and repeatable powder output over long durations - Consistent coating quality - Automatic color change - Simple and ergonomic system integration - Minimal maintenance requirements

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SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & D E S I G N

This investment dates back to December 2016: the new system has been operating for six months. Already in this short period, and considering the time SARO took to learn how to handle the new technology properly, we have found many benefits. First of all, we have achieved greater penetration capacity even in complex-shaped profiles thanks to the optimisation of the operating parameters.” 9 Figure 9: The new booth’s 20 guns are divided into two groups of 10 guns each: each block has 5 guns with SuperCorona parameters and 5 guns with different parameters.

are getting stricter and stricter and the powders used are becoming more and more particular. In Spain, we are among the first companies to adopt this technology, while in France several firms already did.”

unchanged. As for the actual saving of powder paint, we cannot quantify it at the moment, because we have not completely optimised the control of the colour change process, yet. However, I can safely say that the coating quality achieved with Gema’s OptiSpray guns is considerably higher in terms of both thickness consistency and aesthetics. The market demanded this technological change because the quality requirements

“Another key factor is the fact that such high quality level is ensured even for small profile batches,” says Alamo. “This is crucial for a contractor like SARO, which also treats small lots with a wide variety of profiles and with up to 40 different colours per day. If we wanted, we could increase the speed of the line; however, first of all, we want to make sure that our customers are satisfied with the quality we are providing with this new system.” “In 2016, we made two major investments on our coating plants. The first involved one of our two vertical booths, with the complete replacement of the powder feeding and spraying system. The second investment was made on the pretreatment process of the horizontal line: in fact, we integrated a new multimetal cycle using the Prospray system provided by Proquimia (Figs. 10 and 11) for the atomisation process of the last passivation stage,” states Resano Cía. “Given the benefits and the quality achieved with the new Gema equipment, our next investment will be definitely aimed at implementing the dense phase pump technology on the second vertical booth, too.”

Figure 10: Proquimia’s Prospray atomisation system for the last passivation stage.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Figure 11: The touch screen system controlling the parameters of the Prospray system.

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BRAND-NEW

Eurobike 2017: Premiere for the “Bike Sppot” Initiative

different know-how in surface coating, the production of liquid and powder paints, decor components and application technology to create innovative solutions for bicycle manufacturers to design the surfaces of bicycle frames and accessories. In June 2017, a special “bike sppot” competence center had been opened in Sofia, Bulgaria. It offers interested customers in the bike industry the opportunity to get information about the latest colour trends and coating techniques, and they can even test them directly on-site.

rom August 30th to September 2nd 2017, the Eurobike – the global leading trade fair for the bike industry – took place in Friedrichshafen at the Lake Constance (Germany). The latest trends and innovations were presented to a large international audience, consisting of representatives from industry and trade, as well as professional and leisure bikers. For the first time, the “bike sppot” was represented with a fair booth (Fig. 1) – a cooperation of TIGER Coatings, Deyacolor, Hodij Coatings, Posterama and the WAGNER Group. These companies combine their

1 Figure 1: The “bike sppot” was represented with a fair booth at Eurobike 2017.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

The first “bike sppot” fair booth at the Eurobike, based on the motto “It’s all about the surface”, drew quite a lot of interest from the visitors. The WAGNER Group both displayed a manual powder coating unit as well as different manual guns, and informed about its large choice of products and solutions for liquid and powder coating, bonding, sealing and encapsulation processes. For further information: www.the-sppot.com

BRAND-NEW

The Powder Coating Research Group Expands into New Laboratory

he Powder Coating Research Group has relocated to a new facility in Columbus, Ohio (USA). PCR Group, an independent research and development company, recently moved to 1823 O’Brien Rd. on Columbus’ west side. The new facility boasts a 3000 square foot operation including an expanded processing area, two isolated spray rooms, a comprehensive testing lab and conference room. “Our new location gives us greater processing and evaluation capabilities” says Senior Testing Manager, Nick Page. “In addition, this

modern facility offers greater convenience and amenities compared to our former downtown location.” The PCR Group will host the 2017 PC Summit in October at the Columbus Westin and in their new lab.

PCR Group The Powder Coating Research Group is the world’s only independent powder laboratory providing the invaluable combination of expert consultation, research & development and coating evaluation services. They provide formulation assistance and powder

sample preparation using state-of-the-art processing equipment that is scalable to production machinery. Since 2007 this innovative organization has been working with entrepreneurs to Fortune 50 companies to develop technology to surpass conventional finishing materials and methods. PCR Group is a platinum member of The Powder Coating Institute and a founding member of The Center for Bioplastics and Bio-composites (CB2). For further information: www.powdercoatingresearch.com

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Online Advertising will Increase by 13% in 2017, a ZENITH Research Study Says

n 2017, the global spending on internet advertising will increase by 13%, up to $ 205 billion, and it will account for 36.9% of the total advertising investment, says the research study “Advertising Expenditure Forecasts” published by Zenith. Social media will be among the main beneficiaries of this growth: the expense for advertising on them is expected to amount to 55 billion by 2019. Social media advertising is the part of the investment on the internet medium that has shown the fastest growth: +51% in 2016. According to Zenith’s research study, overall, the global advertising market has grown by a steady 4-5% a year since the beginning of the decade and it will continue to do so until 2019. (Source: primaonline.it) Ipcm® has been involved in this trend and it has sustained it by improving the online visibility of

its website and participation in its social pages. From September 2016 to September 2017, for example, the number of members of the LinkedIn myIpcm Coatings Community increased by over 900%, from just over 200 to more than 2400 members. This was made possible by the daily publishing of high technical level news, which constantly we receive from all over the world. The collaborative relationship between myIpcm Coatings Community and other groups devoted to coating give us the chance to advertise our 4 magazines to over 70,000 contacts. The website www.ipcm.it has on average 50,000 visits, 144,200 hits, and 753,000 page views each month. With an average visit time of 23 minutes, the visitors remains on the ipcm® site 18 minutes longer than the industry average. The average bounce rate of other websites in our sector is almost 40%: that of ipcm is equal to 26%.

www.ipcm.it performances

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

The news section of www.ipcm.it is updated daily. The online availability of all magazines published since 2010, the indexation of content together with the presence of an internal search engine, and the rich database of suppliers of products, technologies, accessories and surface treatment services make it an authoritative and exhaustive source of information for all users and operators. This means that www.ipcm.it is the ideal website within the European coating and surface treatment framework to invest in the promotion of your brand, innovations and events. Together with the technical reports and the case studies published in the international ipcm® magazines, www.ipcm.it can maximise the advertising investment of companies.

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Opening picture: Alufinish headquarters in Andernach, Germany. The aluminium profiles of the façade have been treated with Alfipas 7816 chrome-free product.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

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Alufinish: Built on Trust Nicole Kraus ipcm®

lufinish’s wide range of chemicals for the surface treatment of aluminium, steel and galvanised steel (ref. Opening photo) has been on the market for forty-five years and it is being used on many plants in the world for both immersion and spray applications. The company has developed, formulated and marketed metal treatment products since its establishment in 1972, initially focusing on aluminium and, in particular, on the anodic oxidation

Alufinish’s wide range of chemicals for the surface treatment of aluminium, steel and galvanised steel has been on the market for forty-five years and it is being used on many plants in the world for both immersion and spray applications.”

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

process. Over the last forty years, its range has diversified to include products for the surface finishing of different types of metal substrates, such as steel, hot galvanised metal and coils. This company, based in Andernach (Germany), was among the first to develop chrome-free passivation systems: Alficoat 748, the first chrome-free passivation product able to achieve the same quality standards as chromating processes, was launched in

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

1998, and its spread has increased year by year. For this issue of ipcm®, focussing on the finishing of aluminium, we have interviewed Stephan Zegers and Nils Monreal (fig. 1), both Management Assistants of Alufinish, to talk about the company’s history, evolution and innovations and to discuss some “hot” topics related to the surface preparation issue in the aluminium industry. ®

penetrating new regions and new countries. Being a family-run and private capital company was another key strength. Ipcm®: What is the market strategy of Alufinish? NM: Clearly, increasing our market share, but above all following the evolution of international law to guide our product innovation process. Ipcm®: What are your main markets, as far as aluminium is concerned? SZ: We have a very strong position in Europe for both the anodising and coating processes in the architecture and automotive markets. The latter includes all the build on parts of a car, such as window trims and roof racks.

Ipcm : Let us begin with Alufinish’s history, market dynamics and evolution trends over the last ten years, dominated by the global financial crisis. Stephan Zegers: The firm was established in 1972, which means that it has been operating on the market for forty-five years. Initially, our sales focus was Alufinish, based in our region. Later, thanks Andernach (Germany), was to its trust in R&D and the among the first to develop availability of a state-of-thechrome-free passivation art manufacturing facility systems: Alficoat 748, the and of internal laboratories, first chrome-free passivation Alufinish’s products have product able to achieve the spread across Germany, then same quality standards as in Europe and finally all over chromating processes, was the world. launched in 1998, and its

Ipcm®: How is Alufinish organised in terms of global sales network? SZ: We do not like to talk about “distributors”: we prefer to define them as “partners”, a stronger term that best conveys the existing collaboration between spread has increased year Nils Monreal: Alufinish has us. The German and by year.” Benelux markets are always been able to grow followed directly by our every year. We were not heavily affected by the crisis, because having headquarters in Andernach, whereas in all other customers in many areas of the world has countries we rely on partners that can ensure a enabled us to compensate for the decline of precise and accurate local distribution as well some of them with the growth of others. In the as available engineers to provide a customer last two years, we have started to prepare the assistance service. In 2002 we also opened new generation of our management and to an office in Dubai, the main hub of the Middle improve our sales force more internationally East’s architectural aluminium industry. than nationally. Now we have a good team with several young people, and we are ready for Ipcm®: What are your latest product and technology innovations? the next forty years. Our motto “built on trust” NM: As for anodising, Alufinish is launching means very much to Alufinish. some renewed electro-colours such as the Terra, Copper and grey shade ranges. We are focussing Stephan Zegers: Another success factor was a lot on the sealing technology, both the cold the choice to invest in people to be ready to technique with nickel-based or nickel-free seize the opportunities that always arise during systems and the hot one with products featuring and after a crisis. Over the last ten years, we anti-mark properties. We are also improving our have steadily increased our market share,

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1 Figure 1: Stephan Zegers, on the left, with Nils Monreal.

etching systems, especially in terms of better rinseability and decorative finish properties. As regards our pre-treatment systems, on the other hand, chromefree products have been available for over twenty years and they proof themselves every day.

be a step ahead of the current legislation. In general, our research activity goes fast but takes small steps, without any major revolution, especially to ensure process stability and standard compliance.

since 1998, when Alufinish got the first approval of its product Alficoat 748. In the last few years, we have treated millions of square metres of metal without any major problems. As regards the automotive sector, the transition will The Alufinish’s goal is to follow the SZ: We are also further developing clearly have to take place our degreasing products’ portfolio due to the introduction of evolution of regulations and, whenever in line with the ever-evolving the End of Life Vehicles possible, to be a step ahead of the current regulations. In the last two years, Directive. The aerospace legislation. In general, its research activity the chromating processes have industry is the most goes fast but takes small steps, without been increasingly often replaced by critical one, because any major revolution, especially to ensure chrome-free techniques, although process stability and standard compliance.” the OEM’s approval is the deadline for the banning of required, but we are well Chromium VI has not been defined prepared also in this ® Ipcm : How does Alufinish see the yet. field. We like to emphasise that replacement process of chromium with we do not need to use chromium, ® chrome-free systems? Ipcm : What is Alufinish R&D but we are not against it either: department’s focus? SZ: In architecture, I do not see why one if requested, we will continue to SZ: Our goal is to follow the evolution of should still work with chromium since supply it until the last available regulations and, whenever possible, to chrome-free systems have been available moment.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

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Opening photo: The Univer 2000’ headquarters: the company has always taken care of the aesthetics of its premises.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

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Total Synergy Between a Coating Contractor and a Manufacturer for High-End Results Monica Fumagalli ipcm®

he need to meet highly variable quality requirements is undoubtedly among the most complex aspects of a coating contractor’s activity. Customers operate in the most diverse sectors and this requires the use of different technologies and a flexible approach to their various needs, with the aim of the highest possible quality. In particular, the interaction with automotive, architecture and design companies, which are certainly the

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

hardest to work with because of the high technical and aesthetic performance required to coatings, severely tests the organisational and productive skills of a contractor. Significant investments in technology and a strong partnership with a paint manufacturer are required to achieve the required results. Univer 2000 is an example of this. It has been operating for over twenty-five years in the field of industrial coatings, especially

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

powders, for any kind of metal product (ref. Opening photo and Fig. 1). For many years, it has been cooperating with AkzoNobel Italia for the supply of paints tailored to the individual needs of its customers.

Ever since its debut in the industrial coating industry, Univer has been specialising in the application of powders. “We believe that they ensure better results than liquid ones,” states Maculan. “Our partners appreciate their environmental, economic and duration benefits, too, especially those operating in the mechanical engineering, automotive and, recently, interior design and furnishing sectors – that is, fields where very high quality standards are required.” © ipcm ®

Univer 2000 Verniciatura Industriale

consumers’ buying behaviour. We also apply high temperature resistant coatings, especially on products such as stoves and fireplaces, with which we have witnessed a few peak sales in the past years. Currently, we are focusing especially on high-end furniture companies.

“Univer 2000 was founded in 1991 by the current owner, Günter Panozzo” says the Executive Manager Tania Maculan (Fig. 2), “and since then it has constantly evolved in terms of both technology Cutting-edge equipment and organisation, succeeding in acquiring prestigious clients, The plant has been recently including major interior design equipped with a new firms, and managing several three-stage multi-metal challenging industrial coating no-rinse nanotechnology 1 projects. Our main goal has pre-treatment plant, using always been to stand out to products supplied by Henkel Figure 1: A detail of the ofﬁces. (Fig. 4). For some types of ensure excellence in every components, such as those application process, be it made of metals with a high with powder, liquid or high oxidation risk or other surface temperature products. That issues, a sandblasting is why we rely on advanced operation is performed prior equipment and high-end to coating in a 38 m long suppliers meeting the highest automatic tunnel with a standards currently available.” maximum load of 16,000 kg. “Univer 2000’s customer policy is based on flexibility, There are two coating lines: one is fitted with a manual quality of the applied products and the techniques used, and operation booth and treats quick response ability to the the largest-sized items, the requests of the most demanding other is fully automatic and 2 customers. Flexibility is crucial features two interchangeable for a contractor because it booths (Fig. 5); it is used to Figure 2: From right to left: Fabio Pedron, the Area Sales Manager of AkzoNobel Powder Coatings, Tania Maculan, the Executive Manager of enables to operate in many coat most of the products Univer 2000, and Claudia Salomoni, the Marketing Manager for AkzoNobel different sectors while always treated by the firm and Powder Coatings Italy. ensuring optimal coating can perform up to twenty results. Our customers work colour change operations in several industries, ranging from the In order to be up to their demands, we have per day (Figs. 6 and 7). Finally, in order to equipped ourselves with the best technology building sector, in which we specialise in offer a complete service, Univer 2000 has available on the market and we have chosen a the coating of tanks for building heaters also installed an assembly line, so that its few partners that we can trust. These include and which focusses more on the products’ customers do not have to manage any semiAkzoNobel, our almost exclusive supplier of function rather than their look, to the finished product, and a packaging one, also anti-corrosive, powder, and high temperature interior design field, in which a finish can handling the labelling of the material to be coatings (Fig. 3).” realise a designer’s idea and influence the shipped to the end users.

international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & D E S I G N

4 Figure 4: The three-stage nanotechnology pre-treatment tunnel.

360-degree collaboration “AkzoNobel provides Univer with The presence of the coating anti-corrosion basecoats and topcoats supplier at the meetings with intended for specific products such as users, aimed at solving any doubts gate openers, cameras, and carpentry or problems and discussing the components for architecture,” products, is the basis of any good says Fabio Pedron, the Area Sales collaborative relationship. Manager of AkzoNobel Powder However, AkzoNobel goes even Coatings. “However, it is also able to further: if Univer 2000’s clients have keep up with the latest trends in the some special needs, it involves the architecture and interior design fields Akzo Nobel’s engineers to advise thanks to the innovative products them about the most suitable of the Textura line. These are matte products and help them find the coatings with excellent scratch best solution.” resistance and very low gloss levels.” “Last year, AkzoNobel’s staff has developed a stock collection of over 1,600 products distributed across Europe,” says Claudia Salomoni, the Marketing Manager of AkzoNobel Powder Coatings Italy. “This project was conceived precisely to meet the demands of companies like Univer 2000, which range from anti-corrosion to high aesthetic performance coatings. Thanks to this new collection, we have optimised our service speed and product quality while 5 using technology to increase our coatings’ performance and following the latest colour trends.” Figure 5: A bird’s eye view of the automatic coating line.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

“We have chosen high-end suppliers for our coatings as well as pretreatment products and paint application equipment,” states Maculan. “This is crucial for a firm like ours, which is faced every day with endless technological, application, plant and product variables. The certainty that there will be no problems because the products have been tested and refined according to our needs enables us to focus on any other possible issue in the production flow. Considering the high number of batches we handle every day on a continuous cycle for six days a week – losing valuable time for retouching already processed workpieces would be damaging to our production. AkzoNobel is a multinational company that, despite its large size, has been able to adapt to the contractors’ need for flexibility, in terms of both delivery speed even in the case of small lots and of advice needed to improve product quality (Fig. 8).” © ipcm ®

Figure 3: Some components coated by Univer 2000.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

The paint manufacturer and the contractor: a partnership appreciated by customers Maculan adds: “The presence of the coating supplier at the meetings with users, aimed at solving any doubts or problems and discussing the products, is the basis of any good collaborative relationship. However, AkzoNobel goes even further: if our clients have some special needs, we involve their engineers to advise them about the most suitable products and help them find the best solution. Even when we are required non-standard coatings, their lab is always available to formulate a new shade and tackle any issue with which we are dealing, since from time to time we may have a problem in applying paints on special components such as, in particular, die-cast aluminium or galvanised semi-finished products. In terms of customer assistance and service offered, I think it would be impossible to ask for more.”

The important choices aimed at reducing the current climate changes and contributing to improve the environmental situation should be made starting from small daily activities. That is why Univer 2000 was one of the first companies in its area to carry out a careful waste sorting activity. The same attention is paid to the safety of workers. This is another element in common with AkzoNobel’s policy.”

One of the main difficulties faced by both coating contractors and manufacturers is the lack of any industrial culture in this sector, especially in the powder field. “That is why AkzoNobel has been working for over two years with architects, designers and design firms to sensitise this industry’s creative professionals towards this issue, starting from universities and architects’ associations,” states Salomoni. “In this field, much attention is paid to the products’ aesthetics, while any aspect related to the coating production and application must be dealt with by the manufacturer alone. However, in the last few years, we have noticed a change in this trend and an increasing interest in deepening even the most technical issues related to coatings and their functional and application characteristics.”

Conclusions

“Our winning strategy was offering a “Our collaboration complete stock collection of colours and with AkzoNobel finishes all over Europe, able to meet the has become a needs of every market and contractor,” fundamental aspect states Salomoni, “from any field: from of our work,” the architecture and design to furniture, says Maculan. from the automotive and ACE to the whole “Also their ability industry sectors. It includes everything to analyse the that is demanded by the market in terms market trends is an advantage for us: we can be a step ahead of 6 our competitors and foresee Figure 6: One of the two booths of the main coating line. some clients’ demands. Finally, Safety and environment: a partnership with a common mission a firm like AkzoNobel is crucial to the image of The respect for the environment and the safety our company, which is very important for us, as of workers have always been on Univer’s is proved by the attention paid to our offices’ agenda as well as in AkzoNobel’s mission. aesthetics.” “The important choices aimed at reducing the current climate changes and contributing to improve the environmental situation should be A partnership with a firm made starting from small daily activities,” says like AkzoNobel is crucial Maculan. “That is why Univer 2000 was one to the Univer 2000’s image, of the first companies in its area to carry out which is very important for 7 a careful waste sorting activity: the different this company, as is proved by types of packaging are divided and ground inthe attention paid to its offices’ Figure 7: A detail of the automatic booth. house and only subsequently disposed of and aesthetics.” reused. We carefully follow the applicable regulations on waste and wastewater treatment, of both volumes and trends using advanced equipment to and it is constantly updated give our daily contribution to the and expanded based on the well-being of the planet. new market trends. We are “The same attention is paid currently launching the Précis to the safety of workers. collection, an innovative We have also devoted a meeting range of ultra-matte products room to training courses. that represents an important This is another element in novelty for powder coatings: common with AkzoNobel’s it is intended for the metal policy: when we visited their architecture and design Italian headquarters in Como, we sectors and it is the only were pleasantly surprised and product with less than 8 we found some interesting ideas 10 gloss degrees to have that we subsequently applied to obtained a Qualicoat Class 2 Figure 8: Metal sheets with the different colours that Univer 2000 offers to our plant.” certification.” its clients. © ipcm ®

SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & D E S I G N

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

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Opening photo: GLOBAL radiators made in aluminium and coated with the glossy white ﬁnish that characterises this brand.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

SPECI AL AL UMI N I U M & DE SIGN

Anaphoresis Technology Without Dialysis cells: A Decisive Advantage for GLOBAL Radiatori Monica Fumagalli ipcm®

ome humble and passionate people manage to build large companies while keeping a low profile and without ever hitting the headlines. Ottorino Fardelli, the founder of GLOBAL, a firm based in Rogno (Bergamo, Italy) on the slopes of Val Camonica, was one of them (Fig. 1). Suddenly passed away a few months ago, he left a void in all those who knew him. “Ottorino Fardelli established GLOBAL at the beginning of the Seventies with his brothers, who had very different work experiences,” says Sandro

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Panteghini, the Plant Manager of this company, specialising in the production of aluminium radiators (ref. Opening photo and Fig. 2). “Since then, he has always led the company with his forward-looking approach – suffice it to say that aluminium radiators were an absolute rarity in 1970 – his decision-making ability and the calm and pragmatism typical of the population of this area, traditionally committed to work. One of his main qualities was his speed in taking important decisions for the future of the company, always after a careful assessment of risks and opportunities.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

Thanks to this attitude, we have overcome the crisis started in 2007 in our sector as well as in the industry in general. “On the basis of Fardelli’s ideas, we optimised our production and application process, obtaining a product quality level that is now recognised internationally. We also came into contact with Axalta Coatings System Italy, a global supplier of powder and liquid paints, by the will of Fardelli, aiming at developing the ideal anaphoresis process for our production. His contribution will remain in this company for a long time, also thanks to the presence of some of his family members, who pursue his ideals and business policy.”

ensuring high thermal yields thanks to the aluminium outer fins. With this product, we have kept the monopoly on the Russian market for almost fifteen years and strengthened our brand, so much so that our Russian branch is still one of our most successful ones, despite the different market conditions.”

The constant control of the production cycle

The entire production cycle takes place within the factory and none of the processing steps is outsourced. The mass production of radiators takes place along two machining lines: the main one is The GLOBAL radiators on the Russian devoted to die-cast aluminium products, the other market to extruded ones. GLOBAL is the only company on Ottorino Fardelli had a deep bond with his territory the market to manufacture the latter with a special welding process joining extruded bodies to die-cast and he wanted to indissolubly link the history and the development of his company to it. The firm has never heads. “The production of die-cast radiators,” explains moved its headquarters and it has expanded steadily 1 Panteghini, “begins with the smelting of ingots of thanks to the growing success of its products on the global market, as well as the Italian one. It now has aluminium alloy EN AB46100 in automatic furnaces. Figure 1: Ottorino Fardelli, the about 200 employees. The constant controls and analyses carried out on founder and owner of GLOBAL “At the international level, we were lucky enough to both the ingots and the aluminium bath ensure the until his passing in January 2017. penetrate the former Soviet market, which opened excellent quality level of the operation. The alloy is its doors to the import of European products during the Nineties,” then placed in waiting furnaces from which a loader takes the exact says Panteghini. “We developed a special radiator for the needs amount of liquid aluminium to be injected into the mould cavity within of Russian buildings, called “bimetallic” because it was made of the press. This operation takes approximately 60 seconds, including aluminium with a steel core. The choice to use two different metals the opening of the mould and the extraction of the die-cast part. was motivated by the fact that the Russian society of the postAfter further checks on dimensional thicknesses and tolerances, the communist era appreciated aluminium as an innovative material, components are taken to the mechanical finishing department, where but the environmental they are threaded, conditions were critical: smoothed and water flew directly assembled to obtain from centralised modular batteries neighbourhood systems of the required with no heat exchangers dimensions, from 2 to 14 elements. to radiators. This caused “Then, we perform pressure and high hydraulic seal tests flow velocity issues. on all batteries, Moreover, the quality of with compressed water was not optimal air pressures because of the excessive between 9 and 55 alkalinity. The steel bars depending on core of our radiators the product type, prevented water from and an immersion coming into contact with 2 stage. This is a the aluminium surface, very simple control less suitable than the Figure 2: From left to right: Carlo del Rosso, Agent of Axalta Coatings System Italy, Sandro process, but it is the steel to operate in Panteghini, the Plant Manager of GLOBAL Radiatori, Cristian Palmieri, the Sales Manager of most effective one such conditions, while Axalta Coatings System Italy, and Alessia Venturi, ipcm®. international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & D E S I G N

Figure 3: Products leaving the machining department.

Figure 4: The pre-treatment tunnel.

to locate any leaks, which may always occur Anaphoresis, the core of the radiators’ coating process in a die-cast product with thin thicknesses. However, if the die-casting stage is carried out The choice to add anaphoresis to the application process was motivated by the by accurately respecting the pre-set process aesthetic advantages it ensures for the parameters, we will hardly find any critical issue: this is the reason for our continuous application of white, the colour of about checks right after processing (Fig. 3).” 85% of all GLOBAL’s radiators (Fig. 6). “After Finally, the in-line pre-coating treatment several tests, we concluded that cataphoresis would have provided higher anti-corrosive operations are performed as follows: protection, but anaphoresis would have high pressure cleaning, degreasing, and deoxidation, with their related rinses. brought better coating results for its greater penetration capacity in the inner parts of The last pre-treatment stage is a fluorozirconate treatment on aluminium (Fig. 4). The workpieces are then loaded onto the double-hook racks of the one-rail overhead conveyor and sent to the paintshop (Fig. 5). Here, there are the anaphoresis tank for the immersion of parts in a liquid coating intended to protect all radiator components and the booths for the application of epoxy polyester powders. Both the liquid coating for the anaphoresis stage and the powder coating for the finishing 5 one are supplied by Axalta Coatings System Italy. Each coating operation is Figure 5: The one-rail overhead conveyor. followed by a firing stage in the oven at about 200 °C to ensure a durable and boxed structures and its lower risk of film unalterable product over time. The last stage of yellowing. Corrosion protection is ensured by the production process is the packaging of the batteries with a scratch-resistant polyethylene the application of epoxy polyester powders after anaphoresis. The main difficulty of this film and robust carton to protect them until process lies in setting the right parameters they are installed.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

to get the best results and in constantly controlling them. The technical support we have received during all these years of collaboration with Axalta’s staff was crucial both for the optimisation of the process and for the monitoring of the parameters set.” “We supply GLOBAL with our anaphoresis product AquaEC A600,” states Cristian Palmieri, the Italy Sales Manager of Axalta. “It is especially suitable for the most complex home appliances, such as radiators, for its penetration capacity as well as water and corrosion resistance properties. The process performed is identical to cataphoresis, but with inverted polarity: the parts are connected to the positive pole of an electric generator and immersed in a tank on whose edge – and in this case also at whose centre – there are some electrodes connected to the negative pole (Fig. 7). The coating, consisting of resins and pigments dispersed in demineralised water, is conducted by the DC field of the tank toward the positive pole of the workpieces. It then deposits on their surfaces by electrochemical action. The peculiarity of the product provided by Axalta is that it is only one able to work without the use of dialysis cells.”

“Axalta’s application system, to which we have adapted our existing plant,” says Panteghini, “performs a continuous electrodeposition process of the coating until the pre-set values are achieved. This enables to apply a 15 to 20 micron layer on all surfaces, thus obtaining a uniform film on both the outside and the inside, difficult-to-reach areas. We can change the settings according to the size and the characteristics of the products, but, as far as this standard process is concerned, once the electrical and chemical parameters of the bath have been set and their maintenance has been ensured, the system provides a consistent application quality level. Moreover, the continuous and daily monitoring of the bacteria that can alter the bath characteristics is a further guarantee. This takes place in constant collaboration with Axalta’s engineers.”

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

6 Figure 6: The immersion of radiators into the anaphoresis tank.

The beneﬁts of AquaEC A600 “From our point of view, Axalta’s anaphoresis product has no equal,” states Panteghini. “The penetration level achieved within our boxed structures has never been obtained by any other product we have tested. Moreover, it is highly versatile: it is suitable for all our products, be they die-cast or extruded, large or medium-sized. Finally, its application system without dialysis cells avoids the formation of any waste water that could jeopardise the conductivity of the bath, altering the coating adhesion capacity. With conventional anaphoresis, the membranes of the dialysis cells filter the acids of the anaphoresis product, which are then to be disposed of: with AquaEC A600, this is not necessary anymore. We have therefore a fully ecological plant, whose management and maintenance are much more simple, thanks to the absence of any waste water treatment system (Table 1).

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Table 1 – The characteristics of AquaEC A600 Anodic Electrocoat

Material Characteristics

Colour Viscosity

DIN EN ISO 2555

Dispersion B13162569 Milky, White

Pigment paste 8A36-97452 White 94F4

1 – 10 Pas

3 – 6 Pas

Density

DIN EN ISO 2811-2

1.05 ± 0.05 g/cm³

1.74 ± 0.05 g/cm³

Solid content

DIN EN ISO 3251

50 ± 2%

67 ± 2%

MEQ-Value

DIN EN ISO 15880

18 ± 2 mmol/100 g solids

7 ± 2 mmol/100 g solids

2.0 ± 0.2

≥ 93 °C

≥ 80 °C

3 months (+5 °C to +25 °C)

6 months (+5 °C bis +35 °C)

Mix ratio Flash point

DIN EN ISO 1523

Storage stability

Application Data Deposition equivalent

37 – 43 As/g

Density of solids

1.58 ± 0.03 g/cm³

VOC

1.53 ± 0.2% VOC-EU (fresh bath without corrections)

HAPs

< 0.01 lb/gal (fresh bath without corrections)

Recommended cure conditions

>13 min at >160 °C (object temperature)

7 Figure 7: A detail of the anaphoresis tank.

Bath Operating Conditions Conductivity

DIN 53779

1200 ± 300 μS/cm

pH-Value

DIN ISO 976

8.5 ± 0.5

Solid content

DIN EN ISO 3251

15 ± 1%

MEQ Value

DIN EN ISO 15880

37 – 43 mmol/100 g solids

Ash to binder ratio

0.41 – 0.47 : 1

Coating time

90 – 180 s*

Deposition voltage

100 – 300 V*

Bath temperature

30 ± 1 °C*

* depending on plant conditions

Film Properties Coating thickness

DIN EN ISO 2178

15 – 20 μm

Gloss (60° angle)

DIN EN ISO 2813

20 - 50

Grid section

DIN EN ISO 2409

GT 0 – GT 1

Erichsen cupping test

DIN EN ISO 1520

≥ 4 mm

Bend test

DIN EN 1519

8 mm

Corrosion Resistance Humidity test

DIN EN ISO 6270-2

500 h

No changes

Salt spray test

DIN EN ISO 9227

168 h

d < 2.0 mm

Cold rolled steel lab panels; iron phosphated; 22 ± 2 μm film thickness; cured 20 min at 180 °C (object temperature). Evaluation according to DIN EN ISO 4628

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Cold rolled steel lab panels; iron phosphated; 22 ± 2 μm film thickness; cured 20 min at 180 °C (object temperature)

8 Figure 8: The conveyor takes the workpieces from the anaphoresis tank to the coating booths.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

Axalta supplies GLOBAL with its anaphoresis product AquaEC A600. It is especially suitable for the most complex home appliances, such as radiators, for its penetration capacity as well as water and corrosion resistance properties.”

Anaphoresis + powder coating: a guarantee of duration

After anaphoresis and film polymerisation, the top coat is applied (Fig. 8). GLOBAL is equipped with powder coating booths operating alternately. The most recent one was installed three years ago and it features a quick colour 9 change system (Figs. 9 and 10). Figure 9: A detail of the powder coating booth. “The colour range supplied to GLOBAL,” states Palmieri, “includes different shades. The main ones are glossy white, quartz effect, rust, ivory, and matte colours (Fig. 11). These can be either standard colours included in Axalta’s collections or specially developed finishes, particularly in the case of special products, such as design radiators. The epoxy

10 Figure 10: The second powder coating booth.

SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & D E S I G N

polyester powders application: we provide have their presence been formulated at our premises based on the is constant and requests of GLOBAL, allows for the including specific development characteristics that, of decisive combined with the application covering properties technologies of the anaphoresis to ensure that product, ensure GLOBAL remains excellent coating among the global quality. The epoxy leaders of its polyester powders sector,” says also have remarkable Panteghini. resistance to UV rays, Conclusions which prevents any 11 Adding an rapid yellowing of the anaphoresis surface (Fig. 12).” Figure 11: GLOBAL’s radiators are coated in various colours, although neutral shades prevail. stage to a “We smoothly production cooperate with process already Axalta’s engineers operating at full speed is a on all process stages, from the courageous and rare choice, due daily monitoring of the anaphoresis to the changes that have to be process to the powder coating made to the plant and that require a significant investment. “Thanks to his far-sightedness, Ottorino The epoxy Fardelli decided that, although heavy, this investment would polyester powders have brought positive results not Axalta provides have only in the immediate future, but been formulated also over the long run,” states based on the Panteghini. “Our radiators have a requests of GLOBAL, 10-year warranty and an average including specific service life of well over 20. characteristics A combined application system that, combined like the one designed for us with the covering by Axalta enables us to keep properties of the the constant quality level that anaphoresis product, has always characterised our ensure excellent products, also in order to loyalise coating quality. The customers like Fardelli wanted. epoxy polyester We have no doubt: we deliver powders also a product that has no equal on have remarkable the market. Moreover, having a resistance to UV plant that does not produce any rays, which prevents 12 polluting waste is an added value any rapid yellowing not to be underestimated.” of the surface.” Figure 12: A ﬁnished radiator.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

ÂŠ Alit

Opening photo: A Fastrip system in action.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

SPECI AL AL UMI N I U M & DE SIGN

Alit Introduces Fastrip and Fastrip MT: Innovation in Inline Paint Stripping of Hooks and the Recovery of Aluminium Profiles Alessia Venturi ipcmÂŽ

hen painting aluminium profiles using thermosetting powders, an optimum electric conductivity of the hook the profile is hung to is a crucial factor for achieving coating quality, because it ensures the laying down of the film, a consistency in the thicknesses applied, penetration of concealed areas, as well as perfect coverage.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

In a painting plant, whether vertical or horizontal, hooks are usually substituted for cleaning at set intervals, which vary according to the company. Alit, whose headquarters are in San Bonifacio (Verona), specialises in systems for chemical stripping of aluminium profiles and for hooks used to hang the profiles on vertical and horizontal plants.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Loris Rossi, founder of Alit and an expert on aluminium finishing, thanks to his many years as distributor of chemicals for the surface treatment of aluminium, explains Alit’s mission: “Alit was founded just two years ago, in 2015, to provide concrete solutions for the chemical stripping of metals, a sector that is not very well known” (Fig. 1). “When recessions hit, companies study systems for improving the quality of the finished product so that they can increase competitiveness,” continues Rossi. “The correct electrostatic conduction of hooks used to hang the profiles on painting plants allows an optimum laying down of the film. To meet these needs, Alit created an inline paint stripping system for hooks (ref. Opening photo); in only two years this system has been installed in numerous plants in Europe, USA, Mexico, Australia, Egypt and Israel, through to the latest plant delivered to Qatar, which reaches a speed of 2.2 metres per minute”.

1 Figure 1: Loris Rossi, Alit founder.

SPECIAL ALUMINIUM & D E S I G N

The Fastrip system

step. Based on Alit’s experience with stripping paint from hooks, the company developed stripping systems for other processes. This is where the idea came up to offer a solution for stripping paint from aluminium profiles, which we named Fastrip MT (Multi Tank). The concept consists of designing a modular plant including different tanks served by an automated overhead crane”. Continues Rossi, “Stripping the aluminium profile in the most complete version of the systems requires a stripping tank, a heated tank with automatic cover, a second tank for rinsing, a third tank for alkaline pickling at a temperature of 30- 40 C°, a fourth tank for rinsing, a fifth for neutralization and a sixth for rinsing. Tanks are designed to allow the paint sludge to be conveyed to the filtration system fitted with a filter press and decanting vat. The filtered solution is then sent to the stripping tanks.

This is the ideal configuration of the Fastrip MT plant; however, options exist to reduce the number of steps by installing first a stripping tank followed by a rinsing tank. This enables companies to reduce their initial investment while maintaining the possibility to expand the stages of the process later, using the same platform and inserting the overhead crane and the filtration system to obtain savings in the stripping product and management costs”. Fastrip MT has been designed to solve the problems of aesthetic finishing that arise during the final stage in the process of painting aluminium profiles; it avoids having to scrap material that has been painted badly, having to sand it down or wasting precious time by having outside companies perform chemical stripping. The Fastrip MT system was brought out last June during a press conference organised on occasion of the METEF trade fair in Verona (Fig. 2).

A hook in a modern painting plant, after several passes in the paint booth, can reach thicknesses of polymerised paint of 100 - 120 micron. These thicknesses prevent the necessary conductivity for electrostatic application, resulting in the negative effects of overspray and an incorrect application of the powder on the product, which can amplify the “orange peel” effect of the film. The Fastrip system consists of a tank containing the stripping product positioned between the unloading and loading area of the plant. Just by extending a section of the pre-existing conveyor, the hook, in its travel from the unloading station towards the loading station and without being released from the chain, can be submerged into the tank (sized so that it maintains contact with the stripping solution) for approximately three minutes. While the hook slides through the solution, the paint is stripped. At the end of the process, the conveyor repositions the hook in the correct loading area, where the profiles are ready to be painted. This stripping system avoids the continuous removal of the hooks and, as a result, loss of time by operators and allows for a reduction of powder coatings consumption. To allow the operators to have a very simple process to manage without downtime for cleaning the tank, the system is fitted with a system for the filtration of paint sludge deposited on the bottom.

The Fastrip MT system “Besides hook cleaning, recovering profiles with painting defects is very important,” Rossi says. “Normally, the profiles to be recovered were sent to outside companies specialised in paint stripping, but during the economic downturn, many companies tried to set up in-house processes to perform this

2 Figure 2: The Alit stand at METEF in Verona (21 - 24 June 2017).

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Pulverit S.p.A. Italia

Pulverit Polska Sp. zo.o.

Via Carlo Reale, 15/4 20157 Milano - Italy Tel +39 02 376751 Fax +39 02 37675400 email: pulverit@pulverit.it www.pulverit.it

ul. Strefowa 16 43100 Tychy - Polska Tel. +48 32 329 14 11 Fax: +48 32 329 14 12 email: biuro@pulverit.pl

Pulverit Deutschland GmbH Pulverit Iberia s.l.u. Lager & Vertrieb Am Barnberg 2 73560 Böbingen - Rems Tel.: +49/7173/9146055 Fax: +49/7173/9146045 email: info@pulverit.de

c/ Caravis, 28, 1º 3ª 50197 Zaragoza España 2¿FLQD GH YHQWDV Tel. +34 607163259

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

Electrostatic Phenomena in Powder Coating: Methods of Improving Faraday-Cage Coating, Finish Quality and Uniformity, and Recoating Operations Sergey Guskov Nordson Corporation Europe

ics.eu@nordson.com

is adequate and the electron has gathered orldwide popularity of powder Corona Development sufficient kinetic energy while traveling along In corona-charging systems, a sharply noncoating as a process has the field lines, its impact on the air molecule uniform electric field is created between a gun enjoyed steady, doublewill be strong enough to split that molecule to and part by applying high (usually negative) digit growth over many years. One form two secondary electrons and one positive voltage potential to a pointed electrode. Nonof the forces driving this success has ion (the remainder of the molecule). Secondary uniformity of this field is imperative since the been continuous improvements in the electrons will instantly be accelerated in the field lines converge on sharp points and the application equipment used in the powder electric field. Moving along the field lines, they density of field lines in any area represents the coating process. Since the early days will split new molecules and create more ions strength of the electric field. Therefore, if we of powder coating, powder coaters and and electrons. apply a high-voltage potential to a single-point application equipment manufacturers Because opposite charges attract, positive electrode and position a larger-size grounded have faced several challenges, including: ions remaining from each split molecule will object before the electrode, we will create an maximization of first-pass transfer also be accelerated by the field force and efficiency; effective coating of Faradaymove along the field lines. Their motion, cage areas; better finish quality and however, will be in the opposite direction uniformity; and recoating of rejected toward the gun’s negative electrode. Once parts. Technology developments, again, if the electric field is sufficient, however, have allowed leading positive ions can either split molecules on equipment manufacturers to offer their way toward the negative electrode users new equipment features that or, if they reach the electrode, impact it so more closely meet these challenges. hard that they will split new ions from the Additionally, an understanding of the 1 metal surface of the electrode. electrostatic phenomena involved in This process is corona discharge. It is the powder coating process is equally Figure 1: A sharply non-uniform electric ﬁeld is created selfsustaining at field strengths equal important to equipment manufacturers between a gun and part by applying high (usually negative) voltage potential to a pointed electrode. to, or greater than, some starting level. and users. As equipment becomes more Immediately after the ionization process and more sophisticated, to offer more electric field whose strength is greatest at the begins, the space between the spray gun and capabilities previously unavailable, it is grounded part becomes filled with millions of tip of the pointed electrode. important that powder coaters understand ions and free electrons. Henceforth in this paper, There are always free electrons or ions present what features are worth the investment, in the air. If an electron passes through a the term “free electrons” will be replaced with in which applications, and why. This paper the more commonly used term “free ions1.” strong electric field, it will start moving in this focuses on corona-charging application field along the field lines and be accelerated systems, and presents an overview 1 “Free ions” are negative ions, produced by the corona by the field force. As the electron accelerates of electrostatic processes utilized in ionization process, which do not get captured by powder particles and remain free in the space between the gun along the field lines, it will ultimately run into powder coating technology in light of new and grounded part traveling towards the closest ground an air molecule (Fig. 1). If the field strength equipment features now available. along the ﬁeld lines. © Nordson

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Charging Powder Particles

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

powder particle size and shape, and the length of time the particle spends in the charge area.

Figure 2 illustrates a powder particle in an electric field. The uncharged dielectric particle will distort Powder Deposition and Layer the external electric Formation field so that some field lines will extend Figure 5 illustrates forces toward the particle’s affecting a charged 3 2 surface, enter at a 90º powder particle as it angle, pass through travels from the spray gun Figure 2: A powder particle in an electric Figure 3: The field change again the it, and exit at a 90º to the grounded part. It field. alignment of the external field lines. angle. If free ions are should be noted, however, present in the external that the only force pushing electric field, they will follow field lines the particle towards the grounded towards the uncharged particle and substrate is the electric force equal to the ultimately be captured by the particle’s charge of the particle, multiplied by the 2 field of polarization , thus increasing the strength of the electric field. particle’s own charge. The air stream delivers a particle to This process will continue until the charge the part. However, if the particle is not accumulated on the particle, as a result charged or the field strength is not of capturing multiple ions, is sufficient sufficient, the particle will bounce off the to create the particle’s own electric field. metal substrate and either be carried This field will again change the alignment away by the air stream or fall down under of the external field lines. This time, the gravity forces. The electric force helps external field lines will be pushed away the particle overcome aerodynamic and from the particle (Fig. 3). gravity forces, and remain on the part’s When this happens, ions from the surface to allow yet another force to external field can no longer reach the be established. This new force is the particle because its own field repels attraction between the charged particle 4 them. In other words, the particle has and grounded metal surface. reached maximum charge, given the Most materials used for powder coatings Figure 4: The process of powder particles’ charging in external field strength, particle size, and are strong dielectrics. Once charged, the electric field of corona discharge is governed by material. they do not allow charge to “bleed off” Pauthenier’s equation. In electrostatic powder coating, we spray quickly. In fact, most materials used for powder through an area of strong electric powder coating retain their charge for at field and high free-ion concentration. least several hours, even if small particles of Worldwide popularity of the material are placed on the grounded metal Passing through this area, the particles are surface. When a charged powder particle is charged as discussed earlier. The process powder coating as a process positioned next to the metal surface, it induces of powder particles’ charging in the electric has enjoyed steady, doublea charge of equal value but opposite polarity field of corona discharge is governed by digit growth over many inside the metal. In simple terms, this results Pauthenier’s equation (Fig. 4). Charging years. One of the forces because the conduction electrons inside is most strongly affected by field strength, driving this success has been the metal vacate the area close to the point continuous improvements in of contact of the powder particle and metal the application equipment 2 The distortion of an external electric field by an uncharged particle is caused by the particle’s own field of polarizasurface. As electrons move out, what remains used in the powder coating tion, a detailed discussion of which exceeds the scope of is the area with an excess positive charge equal this paper. process.” international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

in value to the negative charge on Back Ionization, Finish Quality and Transfer the powder particle. This positive Efﬁciency charge is commonly called “mirror We have analyzed the process of charge.” powder particles deposition on As soon as the mirror charge is a grounded metal surface. If we induced inside the metal, two continue spraying charged powder charges of equal value and opposite on the same surface, back ionization polarity exist next to each other, will ultimately occur (Figs. 7a, 7b, separated by the metal surface. and 7c). These two charges will not only When charged powder coating attract each other and hold the is applied to a metal surface, powder particle to the metal the strength of the electric field surface, but also create another 5 inside the layer of powder coating electric field between themselves. increases. Every new powder The larger the powder particle on Figure 5: The forces affecting a charged powder particle as it travels particle deposited increases: 1) the metal surface and higher its from the spray gun to the grounded part. cumulative charge of the powder charge, the stronger the electric field coating layer; 2) cumulative mirror is between the particle and its mirror charge inside the metal; and 3) strength of the average particle size than the top portion. image. Thus, the stronger the electrostatic electric field inside the layer of powder coating. If a powder coating material does not flow well attraction is between them (Fig. 6). The fact As we continue applying charged powder, the during the curing process, the larger particles that larger particles experience a stronger strength of the electric field inside the powder comprising the upper coating layer may not attraction to the grounded metal provides coating layer ultimately becomes sufficient to flow out completely and will retain some of the one explanation as to why we are more ionize air trapped between powder particles. surface profile of an uncured coating layer. This likely to observe “orange peel” effect on The ionization process inside the coating will result in lower-gloss, bumpy finishes and thicker layers of powder coatings. layer is very similar to the one that develops orange peel due to insufficient flow properties After the initial layer of powder coating is around the gun’s electrode when high voltage of coating material. deposited on a metal surface, the particles is applied to it. Stray electrons, present in of subsequent layers have to induce mirror the air, accelerate in the electric field, split air image charges over the already existing molecules, and generate a great number of layer of dielectric material to be deposited. negative electrons and positive ions. Because The presence of the existing layer of opposite charges attract, negative electrons dielectric powder coating dampens the rush toward the relatively positive ground, and induction process (since there is no direct positive ions try to escape from the coating contact of powder particles with the metal layer toward the gun’s negative electrode. As surface). Lower charges of smaller particles a result of this intensive flow of electrons and may not be sufficient to create an attraction ions, streamers develop through the layer of force strong enough to retain the particles powder coating. on top of the already deposited powder A streamer can be viewed as miniature coating layer. lightning or a spark shooting through the Larger powder particles usually accumulate powder coating layer. Inside a streamer stronger charges and, therefore, the numerous electrons and positive ions traveling attraction force between them and their in opposite directions. Once developed, induced mirror reflection is also stronger. streamers can be seen through image As a result, larger powder particles are more 6 intensifying equipment as glowing dots on likely to be deposited on top of the existing the surface of powder coating. The process of uncured coating. If one were to look at a Figure 6: The larger the powder particle on streamer development through the layer of cross-sectional view of uncured powder the metal surface and higher its charge, the powder coating is virtually identical to corona coating layer, the bottom portion (closer stronger the electric ﬁeld is between the ionization around the high-voltage electrode of to the metal) would likely have a smaller particle and its mirror image.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

a spray gun. Thus, it is commonly referred to as form of “starring.” If powder coating material arriving on the surface of the grounded part. “back ionization.” does not flow well during the curing process, The collisions of positive ions and negatively Back ionization is another common cause of craters formed by back ionization will not flow charged powder particles result in powder orange peel effect on the surface of powder over completely, resulting in a “wavy” surface particles losing their charge and, therefore, coatings. It also is the driving force behind appearance of cured powder coating. the ability for deposition. As back ionization what is often called the “self-limiting” develops, the ability to continue property of the powder coating process, building the layer of powder coating is because it greatly reduces transfer significantly diminished by the presence During the analysis of corona efficiency. of positive ions in front of the grounded As positive ions produced by back part. Transfer efficiency of the powder development at the tip of the gun, it ionization inside the powder coating application declines dramatically with was established that the space between layer move out of the coating layer, they the onset of back ionization. the gun and part becomes filled with neutralize the charge of powder particles During the analysis of corona billions of free ions which, together with adjacent to the streamer channel. Active, development at the tip of the gun, it was charged powder particles, form the directed motion of positive ions along established that the space between the space charge.” streamer channels also engages air gun and part becomes filled with billions molecules, resulting in a phenomenon of free ions which, together with charged called “electric wind.” Electric wind rips powder Another important effect of back ionization is powder particles, form the space charge. Until particles that have been neutralized by positive illustrated in Figure 7c. When positive ions find now, our analysis of powder deposition and ions off the powder coating layer. This action their way outside the powder coating layer, back ionization development has ignored creates micro craters that can easily be seen on they become attracted to negatively charged the presence of free ions in any conventional the surface of uncured powder coating in the powder particles which are continuously corona-charging powder coating application.

Let’s analyze their effect. ions arrive on the metal surface and We can compare the build-up of flow off to the ground. However, if cumulative charge on the powder the metal substrate already has a coating and ultimate development layer of powder coating, this layer of back ionization to filling a bucket partially insulates the metal surface, with water. If you take a bucket with restricting the flow of the charge a small hole in the bottom and try delivered by free ions to the ground. to fill it with water from a faucet, it The charge that does not bleed off will take some time for the bucket to ground dramatically increases to overflow. In this analogy, the the cumulative charge of the coating 7 stream of water from the faucet layer, resulting in rapid development represents the stream of charged of back ionization, significant Figure 7: The process of powder particles deposition on a grounded powder particles building a powder reduction in powder transfer metal surface. coating layer, water in the bucket efficiency, and deterioration of finish is the charge accumulating on this quality and uniformity. layer, and water leaking through Faraday-Cage Effect the hole in the bottom of the bucket is the A cloud of charged Let’s look at what occurs in the space between small amount of charge that can bleed off the the gun and part during the electrostatic coating. The overflowing bucket represents powder particles and free powder coating process. In Figure 8, the the onset of back ionization. ions creates an electric high-voltage potential applied to the tip of the Following the same analogy, the presence of field between itself and a gun’s charging electrode creates an electric free ions in the space between the gun and grounded part. Therefore, in a field (shown by red lines) between the gun and part can be represented by adding a fire hose conventional corona-charging grounded part. This leads to the development to fill the bucket. Just as the bucket would system, the electric field in of corona discharge. A great number of free overflow almost instantly with the addition of close vicinity to the part’s ions generated by the corona discharge fills the a large hose, back ionization on the layer of surface is comprised of fields space between the gun and part. Some of the powder coating develops much faster when created by the gun’s charging ions are captured by powder particles, resulting free ions are present in the powder coating electrode and the space in the particles’ being charged. However, process. charge. The combination of multiple ions remain free and travel along the Free ions are attracted to, and travel toward, these two fields facilitates electric field lines toward the grounded metal the grounded part along electric field lines. powder deposition on the part, mixing with powder particles propelled by As long as the part’s surface is not covered grounded substrate, resulting the air stream. with a layer of dielectric powder coating, free in high transfer efficiencies.”

8 Figure 8: The high-voltage potential applied to the tip of the gun’s charging electrode creates an electric ﬁeld (shown by red lines) between the gun and grounded part.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

Figure 9: The Faraday-cage effect.

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

Therefore, the configuration of the electric field It has been established earlier that As stated earlier, a cloud of charged powder and its concentration on the edges of Faradayfor powder particles to overcome particles and free ions created in the space cage areas is not the only problem when aerodynamic and gravity forces and be between the gun and part has some cumulative coating recessed areas. If it were it would only deposited on the substrate, there has to potential called space charge. Much like a be necessary to spray a recess for a sufficient be a sufficiently strong electric field to thunder cloud creating an electric field between length of time. We would expect that once the assist in the process. In Figure 9, it is clear itself and the earth (which ultimately leads to edges are coated with a thick layer of powder, that neither the field created by the gun’s lightning development), a cloud of charged other particles would be unable to deposit electrode, nor the field of space charge powder particles and free ions creates an there, with the only logical place for powder to between the gun and the part penetrate electric field between itself and a grounded go being the inside of the recess. Unfortunately inside the Faraday cage. Therefore, the part. Therefore, in a conventional coronathis does not happen due, in part, to back only source of assistance in coating the charging system, the electric field in close ionization. There are many examples of insides of recessed areas is the field vicinity to the part’s surface is comprised of Faraday-cage areas which cannot be coated created by the space charge of powder fields created by the gun’s charging electrode regardless of how long powder is sprayed. particles delivered by the air stream inside and the space charge. The combination of In some cases, this happens because of the the recess (Fig. 10). these two fields facilitates powder deposition geometry of the recess and problems on the grounded substrate, resulting in with air turbulence, but often times it is high transfer efficiencies. due to back ionization. Positive effects of the strong electric fields created by conventional Back Ionization and corona-charging systems are most Recoating of Parts pronounced when coating parts with The phenomena of back ionization large, flat surfaces at high conveyor complicates the process of powder speeds. Unfortunately, stronger coating with conventional coronaelectric fields of corona-charging charging equipment by: 1) reducing systems can have negative effects in transfer efficiency; and 2) restricting some applications. For example, when the ability to effectively coat Faradaycoating parts with deep recesses and cage areas. Free ions are the major channels, one encounters Faraday10 cause of back ionization in corona cage effect (Fig. 9). applications and, therefore, the When a part has a recess or a channel Figure 10: The only source of assistance in coating the insides excessive number of free ions is the on its surface, the electric field will of recessed areas is the ﬁeld created by the space charge of reason for the above mentioned follow the path of the lowest resistivity powder particles delivered by the air stream inside the recess. problems. to ground (i.e. the edges of such a Recoating parts is another common in recess). Therefore, with most of the the powder application challenge where free If a channel or recess is narrow, back electric field (from both the gun and space ions have a negative impact. In this case, we ionization rapidly developing on its charge) concentrating on the edges of a try to apply a second layer of coating on top edges will generate positive ions channel, powder deposition will be greatly of the cured one. The difficulty arises because which will reduce the charge of powder enhanced in these areas and the powder free ions generated by corona discharge travel particles trying to pass between coating layer will build up very rapidly. between the gun and part with velocities much the Faraday-cage edges to deposit Unfortunately, two negative effects will greater than those of powder particles. Free themselves inside the channel. Once accompany this process. First, fewer particles ions very quickly make their way to the part this occurs, even if we continue spraying have a chance to go inside the recess since and increase the charge of the layer of the powder at the channel, the cumulative powder particles are strongly “pushed” by existing cured coating. A cured coating is a space charge of powder particles the electric field towards the edges of Faraday much better dielectric than an uncured one. So, delivered inside the channel by the air cage. Second, free ions generated by the the charge delivered by free ions to the surface stream will not be sufficient to create a corona discharge will follow field lines toward of a coated part has no way to bleed off. strong enough electric force to overcome the edges, quickly saturate the existing coating By the time the powder particles arrive at the the air turbulence and deposit the with extra charge, and lead to very rapid surface of the part being recoated, the existing powder. development of back ionization.

international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

Unfortunately, manually turning down flowing to the part for a gun-to-part distance of gun voltage is not always an acceptable 3 inches will be significantly greater than the solution. For example, it would not be number of ions flowing to the part at a gun-toan easy task in automatic applications. part distance of 10 inches. Additionally, how low should gun Figure 12 shows a family of curves3 voltage be to accomplish our coating approximately representing the relationship goals and still optimize process between the transfer efficiency of the powder efficiency? coating process and gun current for a fixed powder flow rate and conveyor speed, and Difficulties associated with manual adjustment of gun voltage have led to gun-to-part distances of 3, 6, and 12 inches. the development of more advanced It is clear from the graph that for gun-to-part techniques of combating back ionization distances of 6 to 12 inches, maximum transfer and achieving greater uniformity and efficiency is achieved at some current level. At quality of finishes. These techniques the 3-inch distance between the gun and part, 11 are: 1) automatic control of the gun the maximum transfer efficiency was reached at current; and 2) free-ion collecting a lower current setting. This difference can be Figure 11: A load line of a conventional corona gun. devices. Both techniques allow coaters easily explained using, once again, the example to improve their finishing operations by of a bucket of water. coating already has a lot of charge on it. eliminating or reducing stray ion current If we take an empty bucket and try to fill it from Arriving powder particles and additional free from the gun to the part. a water hose positioned at a distance of 10 feet, ions rapidly drive up the cumulative charge the water spray coming out of the hose would on the coating layer almost instantaneously, Automatic Current Control fan out and only a portion of the water would resulting in back ionization. In fact, back The principle of operation of automatic current get into the bucket. This way, it would take us ionization may already exist on the surface control (ACC) is the automatic adjustment of some time to overfill the bucket. If we now try to of the part before the first powder particles gun voltage to maintain the gun current and 3 Although the curves in Figure 12 are not the exact graphs arrive there. As has already been shown, field strength between the gun and part at constructed as a result of a series of experiments, they once back ionization develops, transfer some optimum level. To better understand very closely represent the actual curves. efficiency declines quite dramatically. That’s why ACC brings improvements to the why we often experience difficulties when powder coating process it is important trying to recoat parts. to comprehend Ohm’s law (U = I x A traditional method of facilitating recoating R) and the concept of “load line” of operations and improving penetration of powder application equipment. Faraday cage areas is to turn down the The load line is the relationship gun voltage. Reduction in the gun voltage between the gun current and actual voltage at the tip of the gun’s electrode. reduces: 1) strength of the electric field in the vicinity of the part’s surface; and 2) gun A load line of a conventional corona gun is shown in Figure 11. The closer current. Reduction of the field strength in the the distance between the gun and part, vicinity of the part’s surface results in the higher the current flowing through easier Faraday-cage penetration because the gun and the space between the gun and part. What is important in the electric force pushing powder particles toward the edges of recessed areas our discussion is that as we move the 12 gun closer to the part, the resistivity of becomes weaker. A lower gun current translates into a lower number of free ions the space between the gun and part Figure 12: A family of curves approximately in the space between the gun and part. This becomes lower and the gun current representing the relationship between the transfer delays the development of back ionization higher. Given that the gun current efficiency of the powder coating process and gun and leads to easier recoating operations and directly translates into the number current for a fixed powder flow rate and conveyor Faraday-cage penetration, thicker film builds of free ions generated by the corona speed, and gun-to-part distances of 3, 6, and 12 inches. and better finish quality. discharge, the number of free ions

100

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INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

fill the same bucket from the hose positioned three feet away, a much greater portion of sprayed water would get in and we would overfill the bucket more quickly. Using the analogy in which the overfilling bucket represents back ionization on the layer of powder coating, we can say that when we apply powder coating from a gun positioned 10 inches from the part, field lines are distributed over a large area of the part, and the density of free-ion current per unit of the part’s surface is low. Therefore, it takes longer to start back ionization. If we move the gun 3 inches to the part, two things happen using a conventional corona gun: 1) free ions will flow through a narrower channel causing a higher current density per unit of the part’s surface; and 2) a closer gun-to-part distance will result in a higher current level which, following our analogy, would be equal to increasing the volume of water flowing through the hose. Therefore, at a 3-inch gun-to-part distance, conditions are such that even a gun current which is optimal for 6 inches, is enough to cause rapid development of back ionization and lower transfer efficiency. A good way to envision why overall transfer efficiency is lower at a higher current level is to imagine that each square inch of the part’s surface gets exposed to the free ion flow for a certain period of time (depending on conveyor speed). Maximum application efficiency is achieved if we apply powder at the highest transfer efficiency possible throughout the entire time. If the current is too high, we may reach back ionization so quickly that only a part of the allotted coating time is used with maximum efficiency. Results of experiments show that for a broad range of gun-to-part distances there is some current level that provides for maximum transfer efficiency. Therefore, if we had a tool that would allow us to automatically maintain gun current at this optimum level (regardless of the gun-to-part distance), we would optimize overall efficiency of the powder coating process. This tool is automatic current control (ACC). With ACC, as the gun-to-part distance changes (either due to the complex part shapes or parts of different depths passing before the gun), the gun control unit automatically adjusts voltage up or down to maintain gun current at a preset level, which is optimum for a given operation. For example, when a manual operator has to touch-up some part with a difficult recess on its surface, the operator almost inevitably will move the gun closer to the part in an attempt to “push” powder inside the Faraday-cage area. Without ACC, this would lead to an increase in the gun current, higher density of free ion stream per unit of the part’s surface, and faster development of back ionization. ACC will automatically reduce gun voltage as the gun is moved closer to the part. As a result, ACC: 1) keeps the current at an optimum level to prevent generation of an excessive number of free ions; and 2) controls field strength in the vicinity of the part’s surface, and facilitates penetration of Faraday-cage areas by reducing voltage at the tip of the gun in proportion to the reduction in gun-to-part distance.

ÂŠ Nordson

13 Figure 13: Two conventional corona guns coating different areas of the same part.

Figure 13 shows two conventional corona guns coating different areas of the same part. Because of the partâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s profile, one gun is spraying from a distance of 6 inches and another from 10 inches. On the same figure, one can also see the load lines and current level for each gun. The gun spraying at a 6-inch distance draws more than double the current of the gun spraying at 10 inches. This results in: 1) a significantly greater number of free ions in the space between the gun and part; 2) faster development of back ionization; and 3) lower transfer efficiency, film thickness and finish quality. Figure 14 shows the same two guns spraying the same part in the ACC mode. Notice that the current levels and number of free ions in the space between the gun and part will be equal for both guns. This results in optimum transfer efficiency and consistent finish quality and uniformity. To summarize, automatic control of the gun current delays the development of back ionization and: 1) optimizes the powder coating process by controlling the number of free ions generated at the tip of the gun and the field strength at the partâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface; 2) results in the maximum attainable transfer efficiency over a broad range of gun-to-part distances; 3) facilitates penetration of recessed areas; 4) improves finish quality and uniformity; and 5) enhances recoating operations. Although one current setting still may not be optimum for all applications, modern PLC process controllers further enhance the efficiency of powder coating operations by allowing automatic adjustment of the current settings depending on the powder flow rate, conveyor speed and other operating parameters.

Free-Ion Collecting Device The principle behind the operation of ion collecting (IC) device is that it extracts free ions out of the space between the gun and a part, and draws them to a grounded collector electrode positioned behind the tip of the gun (Fig. 15).

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INTERNATIONAL PATENT

14 Figure 14: The same two guns spraying the same part in the ACC mode.

When a conventional corona gun is equipped with an ion collector, a grounded electrode is positioned behind the end of the gun at a distance shorter than the one between the gun and part. The fact that a grounded IC device is closer to the tip of the gun than the surface of the part implies that the electric field, following the shortest path to the ground, will develop between the gun’s electrode and ion collector, and not between the gun and part. As a result, the electric field in the vicinity of the part’s surface will be created only by the space charge of the cloud of charged powder particles. This field will be weaker than that is achieved with a conventional corona gun because we eliminate (or greatly reduce the effect of) the high voltage at the tip of the gun. However, if the powder is well charged, transfer efficiency will not suffer while the ability to penetrate recessed areas will be greatly enhanced. Since the electric field created by the gun no longer goes to the part, free ions generated by corona discharge will follow the field lines to the grounded ion collector. This means that, depending on how the ion collector is set up, there will be either virtually no free ions in the space between the gun and part, or their number will be greatly reduced. The ability to adjust the distance between the tip of the gun and the ion collecting device is very important. The easiest rule of thumb to follow in setting a free-ion collecting device is to place it behind the tip of the gun at no more than half the distance between the gun and part. Following this rule ensures that most of the electric field and free ions created by the gun’s electrode go to the ion collector. If the ion collector is properly set up, it will often deliver impressive results in improving Faraday-cage penetration, and finish quality and uniformity. Multiple field installations also report dramatic improvements in the ease of recoating operations. In many applications the use of ion collecting devices may be even more effective in reducing back ionization and coating recesses than the use of ACC control. However, caution should be exercised when deciding to use ion collectors since the range of gun-to-part distances at which ion collectors can be used with maximum effectiveness is limited. For the

NITROROBOT Eurosider, a company with vast experience of using various fluid carriers for liquid painting, has developed a new system to produce a high density carrier in order to obtain better atomization which brings the advantages listed below. Nitrorobot can keep all day long the same settings and guarantee the best working conditions, independently from the conditions of the environment. The equipment, in Touch Screen version, is provided with the system of control of various settings, possible to monitor from any coating system control panel. Ideal application for Nitrorobot is on automatic coating systems with rotary bells, or it can be applied on conventional pneumatic guns, HVLP or electrostatic guns.

NITROTHERM The performance is reffered to fluid enriched in nitrogen with concentration of 93% ± 1%, at environment temperature of 20 °C and atmospheric pressure of 1013 mbar. Inlet compressed air must be free from impurities (water, oil, solid particles). We advise to use filter elements supplied by Eurosider. All the data and images are merely approximate and can be changed; the performance vary in accordance with environment and working process pressure and temperature. Eurosider reserves a right to make modifications, even without advanced notice.

EUROSIDER Piazzale Thailandia 6 | 58100 GROSSETO | ITALY ph. +39 0564 425117 | fax +39 0564 418833 www.eurosider.com | info@eurosider.com

ÂŠ Nordson

Figure 15: The ion collecting (IC) device extracts free ions out of the space between the gun and a part.

maximum effectiveness in collecting free ions, the ion collector should be positioned behind the tip of the gun at no more than half the distance between the gun and part. Therefore, if the gun-to-part distance is 8 inches, the ion collector will not only be effective in collecting free ions but also produce maximum transfer efficiency if positioned at about 4 inches behind the gunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s electrode (Fig. 16). For 10 inches between the gun and part, such performance will be achieved at 4 to 5 inches to the ion collector. But, if we are spraying parts with the gun-to-part distance of 4 inches, the ion collector would have to be placed only 2 inches behind the end of the gun. Unfortunately, at such close distances between the charging electrode and ion collector device, transfer efficiency of the application process is likely to suffer. Reduction in transfer efficiency is likely to occur with ion collectors placed too close to the tip of the gun because of changes in the size of the charge zone. In conventional corona applications, powder particles and free ions travel in the same direction from the gun to the part. This extends the time during which powder particles can be charged by ions. With an ion collecting device in use, powder particles travel toward the part while ions go back to the collector. This motion in opposite directions produces a good blending of ions with powder particles when an ion collector is

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Figure 16: The size of the densely packed ions area around the charging electrode gets smaller when the ion collector is moved closer to the gun.

set up properly. In addition, closer proximity of the grounded ion collector to the charging electrode (compared to the part) results in higher gun current level, greater number of ions, and greater likelihood of each powder particle being impacted by them. However, the time powder particles spend within the zone densely populated by ions is reduced. Figure 16 illustrates that the size of the densely packed ions area around the charging electrode gets smaller when the ion collector is moved closer to the gun. In other words, at very close distances the size of the charge zone will be so small that the time powder particles spend passing through it will not be sufficient for optimum powder charging. This will result in lower transfer efficiency. Based on the arguments presented here, the use of free ion collectors may not be very effective at gun-to-part distances of less than 4 to 5 inches. In general, ion collecting devices are practical and highly effective when gun-topart distance is relatively fixed and at least 5 inches. The use of ion collecting device on manual guns is also limited due to human nature. Because of the fact that manual operators usually move the gun closer to the part when trying to coat recessed areas, the likelihood of the gun-to-part distance becoming shorter than the distance to the ion collector is very high. This leads to a great reduction or even

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cancellation of any positive effect of the ion collector. If the gun-to-part distance varies rather significantly either from part-to-part or within one part, automatic control of the gun current may represent a more effective and easy to use tool because of its automation.

Conclusion In this paper we have established that the excessive number of free ions generated by conventional corona charging equipment is the reason behind such powder coating challenges as Faraday-cage penetration, recoating of rejects, and improvement of finish quality and uniformity. With the increasing demands for greater coating efficiency and finish quality, powder coating equipment suppliers continue advancing the technology by offering to the market new equipment features. Unfortunately, a single solution to all challenges that would work in every type of application has yet to be found. Although automatic current control and ion collecting devices provide finishers with powerful tools to optimize their powder coating operations, such optimization can only be realized if the proper tool is used for the right application. Knowledge of the basics of electrostatic technology will help finishers make the correct decision about which features of equipment will bring them closest to meeting their optimization goals.

Opening photo: Some example of motorbike components painted by Verindplast.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

With Verindplast, Coating Becomes Art: A New Plant to Continue the Industrialisation of Artisanal Quality in the Coating of Plastics and Metals Monica Fumagalli ipcm®

ince “industrialisation” has become the watchword of the automobile and motorcycle industry, it is surprising to find a company that is able to translate the artisanship characterising their work into a standardised production process, making it their calling card on the market. Verindplast is a coating contractor specialising in metal and plastics based in Atessa (Chieti, Italy), which has managed to transform its application

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operations into a distinctive feature through the “artistic” customisation of parts (ref. Opening photo). Following the success of its products, appreciated by the major players of the motorcycle industry, including Honda, Ducati, and Yamaha, and with the aim of increasing the production capacity of the existing manual coating plant, the management decided to consider the implementation of a new system. The main challenge

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

beginning, we have specialised in the coating activities, including sanding, plastering, was precisely ensuring the quality level of motorcycle metal components, especially primer filler application, and taping or achieved by a manual process even with tanks. As for plastics, we mainly treat livery masking if required by the application of a more automated machine. The project two-colour systems, as well as our finishing, elements, accessories and spare parts. was developed by the staff of Verindplast “Throughout its history, this company has decal and assembly operations. From the in collaboration with M.I. Due, a company identified a few from the Brianza key factors to area specialising stand out in a in the design and highly competitive construction of environment: high industrial plants finishing quality for the surface level, aimed at treatment of metals, meeting customer plastics and glass. expectations and Verindplast’s new through effective paintshop was treatments that part of an onhave been highly going business appreciated by the development plan market; flexibility, that has included in order to be able the acquisition of to adapt to market new land and of changes and to an already existing any changes in the building for the 1 clients’ requests, creation of a second even handling production site Figure 1: Verindplast’s staff. From left to right: Alida Salomone, Elisa Fratarcangeli, Daniele Di Biase, several product of approximately Nicola Salomone, Antonio Rosato, Rosanna Adorante, Emiliano Salomone, Sara Salomone e variants and 11,000 square Luigi Di Toro. small batches in metres. mass production processes; and delivery timeliness, which is The success factors of Following the success Verindplast crucial to cope with the customers’ production of the Verindplast’s products, and logistic needs, especially as a function Verindplast was established in 1997 by appreciated by the major of the current trend to considerably reduce the partners Rosanna Adorante, Antonio players of the motorcycle stocks. Other elements that make Verindplast Rosato, and Nicola Salomone, the current industry, including Honda, a reliable and professional partner are as sole administrator, who decided to exploit Ducati, and Yamaha, and his thirty-year experience in coating follows: ability to support and understand with the aim of increasing the customers from the initial stages of the acquired as a body shop mechanic. the production capacity of the project, technological equipment ensuring It is now a family-owned company led by existing manual coating plant, productive efficiency, expertise, and the skills Mr. Nicola with the collaboration of his the management decided to of its highly qualified operators.” children Sara (Administration Manager), consider the implementation Emiliano (Production Manager) and Alida “Our main goal,” states Lorenzo of a new system. The main Giovannangelo, the Sales & Marketing (Accounting Manager), his son-in-law Luigi challenge was precisely Manager of Verindplast, “is not to simply Di Toro (Coating and Project Development ensuring the quality level provide our clients with a coating service, but Manager), and his daughter-in-law Elisa achieved by a manual process to offer a 360 degree collaboration that starts Fratarcangeli (Human Resources Manager, even with a more automated with the prototyping stage and ends with the Fig. 1). “Verindplast offers a wide range of machine. The project was delivery of the product. When a client presents services,” says the Plant Manager Daniele developed by the staff of Di Biase. “Our core business is coating, us its project, we conduct an in-depth Verindplast in collaboration feasibility study followed by R&D activities followed by our surface preparation with M.I. Due.” international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

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operators, we managed to deliver all parts in time, adapting our production line during the project execution. It was a tremendous effort, but it enabled us to lay the foundations for subsequent collaborations.” Indeed, thanks to the work done for Honda, direct and indirect partnerships have also been started with other important brands,

award for us: it was the confirmation that passion and commitment are always rewarded. The initial order of that year amounted to 10,000 workpieces, but it turned into an over 90,000 top box order already during the first twelve months of production. Although we were still a medium-sized company, with about 20

2 Figure 2: The preparation of plastic parts includes cleaning and deionisation.

3 Figure 3: The manual preparation operations prior to coating. © ipcm ®

aimed at formulating the right colours and identifying the most appropriate systems. We then produce a pre-series. The client selects the most suitable characteristics and we proceed with the industrialisation of the project; in this phase, we rely on a few plastic and metal moulding companies. Finally, together with the customer, we also choose the optimal assembly and packaging solutions depending on the intended use of the product.

The recognition of the motorcycle industry leaders In 1998, only one year after its establishment, Verindplast started a collaboration relationship with Honda Italia for the preparation and coating of tanks and the assembly of top boxes. In 2004, the quality of its work enabled the company to enter another contract with Honda Access Europe, a foreign branch of Honda based in Belgium, as the general contractor for the coating, assembly and supply of its SH top boxes. “We got an official recognition from Honda for our contribution in the SH project,” says Verindplast’s Administration Manager Sara Salomone. “This was a very important

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4 Figure 4: The coating of the tank of the Ducati Scrambler Mach 2.0 is one of the most complex applications.

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Throughout its history, Verindplast has identified a few key factors to stand out in a highly competitive environment: high finishing quality level, aimed at meeting customer expectations and through effective treatments that have been highly appreciated by the market; flexibility, in order to be able to adapt to market changes and to any changes in the clients’ requests, even handling several product variants and small batches in mass production processes and delivery timeliness, which is crucial to cope with the customers’ production and logistic needs, especially as a function of the current trend to considerably reduce stocks.”

ÂŠ Verindplast

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

5 Figure 5: The grafďŹ ti on the exterior panels of the plant built and installed by M.I. Due, representing the Maiella area and a motor-wolf, the two symbols of the region, and a spray gun, the symbol of Verindplast.

including Yamaha (both the European division and the Japanese mother company) and BMW. Another goal was achieved in 2010 with the beginning of a partnership with Ducati for the coating of covers and, subsequently, of tanks and plastic components. Over the years, at the same time, the firm has also developed some projects in the automotive industry, for the preparation and coating of minicars, bumpers and other car elements as well as components of forklifts, but also sheet cutting operations to turn vans into caravans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Another reason for our companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

success,â&#x20AC;? states Emiliano Salomone, the Production Manager, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is the far-sightedness of my father, who decided not to link our production activity to only one customer and looked for other clients elsewhere. This has allowed us to easily overcome the 20092013 market contraction. In addition to our partnerships with Honda, Ducati, Yamaha and Acerbis, following a diversification strategy, we are now exploring the possibility of working for other sectors as well, such as that of design furniture components, where the artisanal quality of our work is highly appreciated.â&#x20AC;?

Surface preparation, a strategic phase for the entire production cycle One of the most important process stages to supply high quality products is surface preparation. â&#x20AC;&#x153;All our operations are tied to the preparation of components prior to coating as a crucial step to obtain an aesthetically impeccable product,â&#x20AC;? says Giovannangelo. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We carry out two machining processes and therefore two preparation cycles: one for plastic and one for metal. Plastic preparation is less critical: after the delivery of the material

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Figure 6: Some ﬁnished products.

7 Figure 7: The layout of the new coating plant.

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All the operations are tied to the preparation of components prior to coating as a crucial step to obtain an aesthetically impeccable product. Verindplast carries out two machining processes and therefore two preparation cycles: one for plastic and one for metal.”

www.wagner-group.com

8 Figure 8: The loading area. The components are carried by a ﬂoor conveyor.

10 Figure 10: The basecoat application.

by the moulding company, which also checks the raw parts, we perform a cleaning operation with a plastic cleaner, deionisation (Fig. 2) and flaming. The parts are then ready for the primer + basecoat + topcoat application. “Metal preparation is more complex: the sheet components are delivered to us after a cataphoresis process or the application of a powder basecoat (Fig. 3). We immediately check for any defects on the surfaces. Depending on the flaw, we can plaster the part or simply apply a primer filler on it after sanding and retouching. Since these are consequential operations with a huge impact on the end quality results, it is very important to ensure excellent performance already in the preparation stage upstream of the production process.”

Like a tailor sewing a custom suit: Verindplast’s artisanal quality level

Figure 9: The primer application.

The Verindplast’s work is similar to that of a tailor who sews a custom suit. When the style centres of big companies submit their projects to the Verindplast’s staff, normally there are several options available. They always aim at choosing the most complex one, which is usually the one preferred by the designers but also more difficult to industrialise.”

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“Our work is similar to that of a tailor who sews a custom suit,” says Sara Salomone to explain the artisanal quality level of Verindplast’s work. “When the style centres of big companies submit their projects to us, normally there are several options available. We always aim at choosing the most complex one, which is usually the one preferred by the designers but also more difficult to industrialise. Thanks to our preliminary studies, however, we can industrialise even the most complicated solution, suggesting the right products and processes. Luigi Di Toro, our Coating Department Manager, personally prepares the prototypes and develops the treatment systems, sometimes even anticipating the customers’ requests. The project of the tank of the Ducati Panigale 1199 R, an aluminium version with a few red parts, has been developed in our factory thanks to his skill and expertise. The challenge posed by this product, as well as masking, was the need to apply two transparent products, a matte one for aluminium and a gloss one for the red areas. We have developed and completed equally complex 11 projects also for Honda (e.g. twocolour CBF600 tank) and Yamaha Figure 11: The transparent layer application.

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12 Figure 12: One of the three ﬂash-off stations.

(two-colour XJR 1300 tank).” One of the most recent projects developed for Ducati concerned the tank of the Scrambler Mach 2.0. “It is one of the most complex projects we have carried out,” states Luigi Di Toro. “We use five colour and several adhesives, applying a system that requires a very high application quality level and maximums accuracy to properly follow the shape of the tank (Fig. 4). Despite the difficulty, this was also the project that we have developed in less time. Also thanks to this ability to understand the needs of its customers from the early prototyping stages, Verindplast has been an official supplier of Ducati since 2014.”

The know-how transfer from manual operations to standardised application processes The manual coating plant, which has contributed to the success of Verindplast over the years, is the most effective solution for the complex applications described above.

“It is equipped with two static booths with a Features of the new plant mixing system supplied by Wagner, one for The new coating plant, installed in the primer and basecoat application and the the new building, is dehumidified and other devoted to the transparent topcoat,” dust-free. It was designed and built by says Di Biase. “The plant also features an M.I. Due, a company based in Besana automatic conveyor and a coating robot. Brianza (MB, Italy, Figs. 6 and 7). It is Each boot has a part cleaning room, while a continuous flow system featuring a there are one flash-off station and one floor conveyor (Fig. 8) and three booths static oven for both booths. This system for the application of the primer, the enables us to perform the most complex basecoat and the topcoat, respectively treatments on components needing two or (Figs. 9, 10 and 11). Each booth is more passages in the booth. For instance, followed by a dedicated flash-off oven this is the case of the tanks requiring a two (Fig. 12) and it is equipped with a mixer or three-layer system, so that each masking and a coating management unit supplied stage is followed by an application one. by Wagner (Fig. 13 and 14). Such process highlights the applicator’s “We have been working on the project expertise and his ability to identify of a new coating system for a long any defect and intervene immediately. time,” states Salomone. “We have Another advantage is that are no major thoroughly analysed what we wanted constraints in terms of size and shape of the to obtain with the new machine, also workpieces.” considering the huge experience we Verindplast applies solvent-based twohave gained over the years with our component coatings, in most cases acrylic, provided by leading industry players such as Lechler, Akzo Nobel, PPG, Palini e Worwag. “We have just completed the realisation of an investment plan aimed at extending and improving our facility, which has included the creation of a new paintshop (Fig. 5). This was motivated by the need to increase our production capacity and differentiate our coating lines,” says Di Biase. “The already existing system will treat components requiring any type of manual operation, that is, processes needing artisanal care, whereas the new machine will be devoted to the most standardised operations, where the machine time is crucial to ensure high productivity. Of 13 course, this will not jeopardise the quality of our surface Figure 13: Wagner Intellimix Touch mixers. treatments in any way.”

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14 Figure 14: One of the coating management units.

first plant. Approximately a year and a half ago, when we had to choose a supplier, we opted for M.I. Due for the structural strength and robustness of its plants, but also because its staff, led by the owner Carlo Casiraghi, has shown great flexibility and the ability to adapt their project to our specific needs, avoiding to offer a standard solution. In particular, we required to ensure optimum balance of the airflows, to facilitate maintenance, and to promote the conditions for maximum cleanliness, so that there was no external contamination.” “Another strength of the new plant is the possibility to use waterbased coatings,” adds Di Biase. “The flash-off modules have the right size to handle also this type of products, which we would like to start using. The system is equipped with a flaming booth and it is ready for the possible installation of robots in future.” The last process stages are curing (Fig. 15), cooling (Fig. 16) and unloading (Fig. 17); finally, the workpieces are subjected to control and polishing operations (Fig. 18).

15 Figure 15: The curing oven.

FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY

The waste water treatment system

In order to effectively clean the spray paint booths, the new paintshop was completed with a waste water treatment system provided by Water Energy (San Pietro in Casale, BO, Italy), with a flotation sludge removal system Skimmerflot 15000 (Fig. 19). The plant has a 10 to 20 cubic metre flow range and it reduces the sludge concentration in the waste water coming from the coating booths by treating it with special denaturing products for reducing the viscosity of the paints and with flocculants to avoid any sedimentation in the tank as well as the aggregation of the denatured coatings in floating flakes. “In addition to the consistently high cleanliness degree of the booths and the production line,” says Di Biase, “the sludge recovery efficiency is 80% and its almost total

16 Figure 16: The cooling stage before unloading.

removal is ensured. We have therefore achieved greater efficiency in terms both of maintenance of booths, pumps, and water veils and of disposal, since the sludge is put into drainage bags ready to be collected by a specialised company. We have also reduced the replacement frequency of the booths’ water, which will take place once a year. Finally yet importantly, we have improved our working environment, which is one of the main goals of our management, together with ecofriendliness and safety (Fig. 20). In 2010 we installed a post-combustion system to reduce pollutant emissions (now, we have integrated an identical one in the new coating plant) and in 2012 we took a further step forward in terms of environmental policy by achieving the ISO 14001 certification.”

www.defil.it

Figure 17: The unloading area.

Figure 18: Manual polishing.

19 Figure 19: The waste water treatment system Skimmerﬂot 15000.

The new paintshop is part of a project to improve the production and logistics areas of the facility also in the long term. “In a wider vision, the ability to anticipate our customers’ requests is reflected in the capability to identify the equipment that will be needed to meet such new market needs,” says Nicola Salomone, the sole administrator. “Parallel to the installation of our new coating plant, we have also proceeded with the creation of a new warehouse for better logistics and optimised storage times and we have prepared our factory to a possible further expansion with the acquisition of new land. In order to save more energy, we

New acquisitions

20 Figure 20: The entire Verindplast’s team.

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have equipped both our buildings with a LED lighting system.” With a new production site, Verindplast is assessing the feasibility of creating an internal testing laboratory. It aims at performing independently all the quality controls required to fully control its treatments. “We currently perform in-house controls on thicknesses, hardness, shades, and gloss level with a spectrophotometer, as well as zero-time and aging tank adhesion tests to assess paint retention and ensure that a coating exactly meets its related specifications,” states Di Biase. “Salt spray and air conditioned-room tests, however, are carried out by specialised laboratories.” Verindplast: colour is the protagonist.

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Opening photo S-Cube CleanAssist is the WAGNER new booth with quick colour change. It can coat pieces of various dimensions and even complex shapes.

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

Greater Process Stability with WAGNER S-Cube CleanAssist Katja Villnow J. Wagner GmbH – Markdorf, Germany

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info@wagner-group.com

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

ith the new powder booth S-Cube CleanAssist, WAGNER managed, for the first time in the history of coating, to reduce successfully the time necessary for the colour change: 5 minutes, consistent on a cycle of 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and in each working shift. This means that, with this powder coating booth, not only there is a saving of three/four minutes for every colour change compared to the previous WAGNER solutions, but there is also an increased stability of the process. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Proof are the over 6 existing installations, where we managed to optimize the colour change process in cooperation with our customers. An example of the costs saving that can be obtained with this investment is that one of our

customers saved yearly 96.000 euros on production costs and increased the productivity by 20%,â&#x20AC;? explains Lukas StĂśckel, Product Manager of WAGNER Industrial Solutions. This revolutionary powder coating booth grants a high and constant quality, increasing the productivity: during the phase of colour change the operator doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to perform any operation that might affect the process and the phases controlled by PC.

Automatic cleaning for a constant quality Thanks to the management system Wagner Data Software, the cleaning operations start automatically without the intervention of the operator. The powder centre Supercenter is the only

powder centre on the market that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t require a manual intervention for the cleaning operations of the nozzles (Fig. 1); the above mentioned management software allows the customer to have a cost accounting that shows on-screen (remote or Wi-Fi even on industrial PC) all the productive data necessary to streamline and measure all the production variables (from the count of colour changes, to the counter of down time, to the count of hours of use with relevant maintenance planning). Combined with the Weight Data â&#x20AC;&#x201C; weighing of the powder used in all production lots â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it makes it a technological innovation that responds to the contemporary requests of the Industrial Revolution 4.0.

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international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

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WAGNER developed a high efficiency system that allows to reduce the energy consumptions, meeting the always increasing demand of a less polluting environmental impact (Fig. 2). The coating booth with quick colour change allows to operate on pieces of various dimensions and to coat in a reliable way even complex shapes, from aluminium profiles to metallic components (ref. Opening photo).

Figure 1: For the ﬁrst time, the manual cleaning phases of the powder center SUPERCENTER are not included in the colour change phases, as irrelevant, and are carried out in parallel with the automatic cleaning of the booth with an optimized time of colour change and a higher cleaning level.

Contrary to the solutions with central suction commonly available on the market, S-Cube CleanAssist is using a dual hose system. This allows an even coating of the piece and reduces the risk that the powder is drawn from the booth floor before being applied on the piece. This technology permits therefore to avoid an excessive consumption of powder otherwise necessary, with the traditional suction technologies, to compensate the drawn powder. Moreover, this would increase the wear of the lower automatic gun and the maintenance costs as a result.

Reduced deposit of powder and an energy saving up to 30% With the aim of increasing the efficiency in the powder consumption, S-Cube CleanAssist is equipped with the Twister Effect suction system, unique in the world, which allows a perfect dynamic fluid balance for the application; in addition,

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2 Figure 2: Thanks to the plug and spray modularity, it is possible to combine the new S-Cube CleanAssist with all the WAGNER components.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

D U R ATA E D E S T E T I C A DURABILITY & AESTHETICS

R I C E R C A E I N N O VA Z I O N E R E S E A R C H & I N N O VAT I O N

RISPOSTE ANSWERS

AMBIENTE ENVIRONMENT

Q U A L I T Y _ AS

Zaniolo CdA - 1.17

Q U A L I T À _ P R I O R I T À A S S O L U TA ABSOLUTE PRIORITY

Europolveri, offre una diversificata varietà di Vernici in Polvere caratterizzate da elevato standard qualitativo, ottime performances ed un basso impatto ambientale. Un'ampia gamma di prodotti standard disponibili in più di 1800 toni cromatici ed una serie di 240 effetti speciali formulati per garantire un plus in termini di valore estetico e durabilità. Cinque linee di prodotti innovativi formulati ad hoc per rispondere ad esigenze ed applicazioni specifiche. Europolveri: Esperienza, Efficienza, Evoluzione. Europolveri offers a wide range of Powder Coatings characterized by high quality, great performances and an environmentally-friendly formula. A wide range of more than 1800 chromatic tones are available and a series of more than 240 “Special Effects” have been designed for increasing durability and enhancing surface appearance. Europolveri designed five innovative product lines for special needs and applications. Europolveri: Experience, Efficiency and Evolution. info@europolveri.it - www.europolveri.it

P O W D E R C O AT I N G S I N C E 1 9 8 2

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

Chemical Products for Surface Treatment of Hot Dip Galvanised Metal – Past, Present and Future Marco Zavattoni direzione@condoroil.it

his article summarises the development of chemical According to the World products utilised on hot dip Steel Association, the annual galvanised (HDG) coils, highlighting the production of coils with progressive elimination of hexavalent metallic coating has increased chromium from its formulation. by over 150 million tonnes with According to the World Steel Association, most of this material is HDG.” the annual production of coils with the environment. Its use, storage, handling metallic coating has increased by over and disposal will be, in the best of cases, 150 million tonnes with most of this increasingly more complex and costly, and material is HDG. in the worst of cases, prohibited. Hot dip galvanised surfaces cannot For this reason, companies have started to be utilised immediately, but must first be coated with a chemical product. Depending on the end use of the coils, three families of treatments are primarily used: passivation; pretreatment prior to painting; and lastly, the application of a thin organic layer, otherwise known as Permanent Coating and AntiFinger. Traditionally speaking, chemical products used for the three treatments indicated have a common element: the presence of hexavalent 1 chromium in their formulation. As we can see in Figure Figure 1: Labelling of chromic acid. 1, products containing hexavalent chromium carry a safety label with all pictograms indicating search for alternative formulas that do not safety hazards, except radioactivity! include hexavalent chromium. Hexavalent chromium is extremely When we begin to analyse the most hazardous to both worker health and to commonly used products, i.e., passivating

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agents, we can see how the progressive elimination of hexavalent chromium started at the beginning of this millennium with the introduction of formulations based on trivalent chromium formulations and later on chromium-free formulations. Due to the lack of specific corrosionresistance properties of Chromium VI, the new formulations developed are more complex, and today’s products can guarantee a passivation performance not too different from that typical of products containing Chromium VI. At present, we can expect a corrosion-resistance of over 100 h in a neutral salt spray chamber and this meets the most stringent standards for use. Furthermore, comparing this result with the 120-144 hours of resistance obtainable with formulations based on Chromium 6, we do not note much of a difference. Major improvements were achieved with the development of completely chromium-free formulations. As it stands now, performance is slightly lower when compared with that guaranteed by a chromium product; for instance the expected neutral salt spray resistance is in the range of 50 © Condoroil Chemicals

Condoroil Chemicals, Casale Litta (VA), Italy

ÂŠ Condoroil Chemicals

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

2 Figure 2: Formula of a Cr III passivating agent.

hours, however active research is being conducted on this and improvements are expected in the very near future. All things considered, why is it that several industry players are developing chromiumfree products when trivalent chromium is a safe component? From a hazard analysis of a formulation containing trivalent chromium with one that is chromium-free, few differences can be noted (Figs. 2 and 3). Many reasons are for this, including: - some applications require zero chromium deposits; - in some environmental and pH conditions trivalent chromium can oxidise back to hexavalent chromium (this occurs, for example, in several smelting furnaces when alkaline silicates are added); - there is a concern that sooner or later the chemical companies will have problems producing formulations containing Chromium III, since production starts with hexavalent chromium acid; - there is a need for passivated coils that can be successfully coated in a coil coating line, and generally speaking, the chromium-free products meet this requirement. Several products are already available but for the moment their use is very limited due to the higher cost and at this time lower performance.

3 Figure 3: Formula of a chromium-free passivating agent.

Depending on the end use of the coils, three families of treatments are primarily used: passivation; pre-treatment prior to painting; and lastly, the application of a thin organic layer, otherwise known as Permanent Coating and AntiFinger. Traditionally speaking, chemical products used for the three treatments indicated have a common element: the presence of hexavalent chromium in their formulation.â&#x20AC;? We do not have the correct figures; however, by and large, we can estimate that 40% of existing lines in the world still use Chromium VI, 50% use Chromium III and 10% use chromium-free formulations. Continuing with the analysis of the trend in the formulations of permanent coatings, we essentially find situations similar to those we analysed for

passivation products, i.e., we have formulations containing Chromium III and others chromium-free. The main difference is that the use of chromium-free products is more common. Their higher use is justified by the following reasons: 1. The formula for a permanent coating is more complex, and the presence of high concentrations of resins and additives reduces the importance of the inorganic mixture; 2. Many characteristics are required of permanent coatings; corrosion resistance is not always the most important. According to the end use of the coils, the permanent coatings must have various properties. To make a detailed example, we have attempted to condense them all in Figure 4. In some cases, foamability and/ or overpaintability are the most important, in others it is the aesthetic effect, in still others corrosion-resistance; more commonly, a mix of different properties is required. In particular, considering the heavy competition in the HDG market, there is almost a race in the research into new finishes to increase the value of the material, and permanent coatings are the product that most allows for this possibility (Fig. 5).

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4 Figure 4: Characteristics required for permanent coating.

To conclude this overview of the stateof-the-art of chemical products used in HDG coating we should mention the developments in the pre-treatment prior to painting in the coil coating lines. Here, Chromium VI was eliminated in 1990 by chromium-free products utilising nanotechnological components, for example nanometric silica, silanes, zirconium and titanium salts.

5 Figure 5: Aesthetic possibilities of permanent coating.

observed at the micro or macro level. The European Commission has tried to fill this void by assigning the following definition: “Nanotechnology is the study of phenomena and fine-tuning of materials at atomic, molecular and macromolecular scales, where properties differ significantly from those at a larger scale”. Based on this definition, we clearly have to expect something new as a result of explorations in the nanometric world. What is nanotechnology? The nanoparticles contain from just a Nanotechnology is considered few to several hundreds of the most important technology atoms, not many billions of st of the 21 century. The atoms like the micrometric most common definition is: world, and this influences “Nanotechnology is the study their characteristics. and use of structures that are In particular, they react between 1 and 100 nanometres differently with other in size”. To put this unit of elements, behave measure into perspective, differently according to we should consider that the the temperature and can diameter of a human hair change colour according to measures 50,000 nanometers. size. At any rate, this definition For example, whereas does not show that the most gold at micrometric sizes interesting aspect is that some is practically inert in materials at the nanometric the nanometric world, 6 level behave differently because of its high angular with respect to what may be momentum of the atoms Figure 6: Different behaviour of gold according to the size of material. © Condoroil Chemicals

Hexavalent chromium is extremely hazardous to both worker health and to the environment. Its use, storage, handling and disposal will be, in the best of cases, increasingly more complex and costly, and in the worst of cases, prohibited. For this reason, companies have started to search for alternative formulas that do not include hexavalent chromium.”

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INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

Industrial coatings

Electrodeposition coatings

7 Figure 7: Functioning of a nanotechnological passivating agent with a base of titanium-zirconium salts.

Major improvements were achieved with the development of completely chromium-free formulations. As it stands now, performance is slightly lower when compared with that guaranteed by a chromium product; for instance the expected neutral salt spray resistance is in the range of 50 hours, however active research is being conducted on this and improvements are expected in the very near future.” it becomes highly reactive and is used to catalyse reactions of oxidisation. Gold nanoparticles change colour according to their size. Moreover, the melting point of 2.5 mm of gold nanoparticles drops to 300°C from 1,064°C of the bulk material (Fig. 6). Considering that: - Nanoparticles behave differently from the bulk material; - Different shapes and sizes of nanoparticles show different characteristics; - Nature uses nanotechnologies to solve very complicated questions; and that: - Researchers now possess the tools to “play” with the nanoparticles, it goes without saying that a large part of the research is focusing efforts on this new area in every industrial sector.

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The use of chromium-free products is more common. Their higher use is justified by the following reasons: 1. The formula for a permanent coating is more complex, and the presence of high concentrations of resins and additives reduces the importance of the inorganic mixture; 2. Many characteristics are required of permanent coatings; corrosion resistance is not always the most important.”

8 Figure 8: Adsorption of silane on the metal surface.

To conclude this overview of the state-of-the-art of chemical products used in HDG coating we should mention the developments in the pre-treatment prior to painting in the coil coating lines.”

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As far as the specific areas of surface treatments for metal, we can mention a few applications of nanotechnology: - Self-cleaning coatings that simulate the behaviour of lotus flowers; - Self-cleaning coatings containing hydrophobic nanoparticles or titanium

bioxide nanoparticles, sometimes silver nanoparticles, that use the energy of the light to kill bacteria on surfaces via photocatalysis; - Aluminium profiles that are kept sterile thanks to the insertion of silver nanoparticles in the nanopores that

Currently, nanotechnology is a science that finds application in almost all areas of daily life; keeping in step with the constantly evolving developments is a challenge in a field that embraces so many applications. The industries and sectors that have been most influenced by the discovery of nanoscience are: - electronics - home and auto - personal care, sport and clothing - medicine - energy - space and defence - environment.

9 Figure 9: Simpliﬁed scheme of metal silane coating interaction.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

INNOVATIONS: PRESENT&FUTURE

Considering that: - Nanoparticles behave differently from the bulk material; - Different shapes and sizes of nanoparticles show different characteristics; - Nature uses nanotechnologies to solve very complicated questions; and that: - Researchers now possess the tools to “play” with the nanoparticles, it goes without saying that a large part of the research is focusing efforts on the new area of the nanotechnology science in every industrial sector.”

are generated in the anodic oxidation process; - Scratch – resistant clear coat that helps the paint to stay glossy longer and protects the paint by producing a surface similar to glass; And last: - Nanotechnological metal surface conversion coatings in preparation for paint deposition. A few words on the mechanism of the nanocoating formulation. First of all, with titanium-zirconium salts, and possibly the presence of nanoparticles of silica, we can create using a bottom up approach a sort of nanoceramic coating that, if well distributed on the surfaces, provides extremely good corrosion resistance (Fig. 7). Secondly, if we consider the silane

VERNICIATURA, SIGILLATURA, INCOLLAGGIO Pistole a spruzzo manuali ed automatiche – EcoGun

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activities, we have an initial hydrolysis of the molecule, followed by the formation of a very strong bond with metal, then with the paint (Fig. 8). The bond thus formed has an excellent adhesion to the paint and creates a moisture-proof layer that prevents the corrosion of metal (Fig. 9). Summarising our discussion, we can say that it is now possible to treat HDG surfaces with chemical products that have a very low environmental impact, that preserve operator safety, and that are easy to use. Simply put, products that make it possible to “work in peace”.

Eccellenti apparecchiature di applicazione per tutti i settori industriali, specifiche per prodotti vernicianti e prodotti ad alta viscosità ove è richiesta la protezione da corrosione, nonché la sigillatura e l’incollaggio.

BRAND-NEW

Cabycal Will Provide Frost-Trol with a New Coating Line

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Figure 1: The project for the new pre-treatment and coating line supplied by Cabycal to Frost-Trol.

Figure 2: A detail of the pre-treatment tunnel.

Figure 3: A bird’s eye view of the paintshop.

abycal will design, build and install a pre-treatment and powder coating line for FrostTrol (Fig. 1). The plant will coat fridge counters for Mercadona and other major supermarket chains in FrostTrol’s factory of Castellón (Spain). It will consist of a metal pretreatment tunnel, a drying oven, two powder application booths, a gelation tunnel, a polymerisation oven, and a Power & Free conveyor handling 195 racks for metal components (Figs. 2 and 3). The plant will be operational by the first quarter of 2018. Emilio Ferrando, the General Manager 2 of Cabycal, explains that “this project is very interesting because it will fully comply with the principles of Industry 4.0. On the one hand, it will integrate some Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGV), and, on the other, it will enable the two booths to apply different colours according the customer’s production needs at any time.” Frost-Trol has been designing, manufacturing and marketing high quality refrigerated furniture for the sale of perishable foods for over sixty years. It offers commercial cool solutions with its wide range of refrigeration furniture adaptable to the characteristics of any shopping mall.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

About Cabycal Cabycal is a highly innovative company that designs, develops and produces lines for industrial surface treatment and coating processes. It currently specialises in coating systems for the automotive sector and the general industry. In 2015, it opened its first foreign branch in Mexico City. For further information: www.cabycal.com

BRAND-NEW

Monitoring of Paint and Powder Cure

omplementing the newly launched DATAPAQ EasyTrack3 temperature data logger for paint and powder cure, Fluke Process Instruments supplies a comprehensive range of precise and reliable thermocouple probes (Fig. 1). The type K thermocouples are specified to ANSI MC96.1 for an accuracy of ±1.1 °C or 0.4%. They are supplied with a PTFE-jacketed cable designed to give flexibility but also enhance life expectancy in an industrial environment. These measure temperatures up to 265 °C. In addition, hightemperature glass-fiber thermocouples rated up to 500 °C are also available. Various attachment options accommodate all magnetic and non-magnetic products of all shapes and sizes. Small patch probes have a very short response time and are therefore ideal for monitoring small parts, plastics, and cans. Clamp-on probes measure surface and air temperature and can be used universally for thin parts, including aluminumextruded products. A range of magnetic probes are available for rapid attachment to ferrous surfaces in moving lines – namely offset magnetic probes for monitoring flat products and air temperature and MicroMag surface probes which easily fit in tight spaces. The range is completed by two-, four-, and six-channel probe clamps for quickly detaching the data logger and probe ID tags. For further information: www.flukeprocessinstruments.com

Figure 1: The temperature proﬁling program includes thermocouples for ferrous materials, aluminum, and plastics.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

Helmut Fischer Srl Tecnica di Misura Turns 40! Francesco Stucchi ipcm®

Thus was born Helmut Fischer s.r.l. Tecnica di Misura, exactly 40 years ago. Adriano Colombo (Fig. 1) entered the company in 1988 with the role of sales manager, and in 2001 he took over the reins of Helmut Fischer S.r.l., also taking on the role of Managing Director. “The German company”, says Adriano Colombo, “is specialised in the production of instruments for measuring the thickness of organic and inorganic coatings

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Helmut Fischer is specialised in the production of instruments for measuring the thickness of organic and inorganic coatings on any type of material. In recent years the range was expanded to include instruments for measuring the microhardness of paint and portable instruments for controlling metal composition, like ferrite in stainless steels, and other sophisticated instruments for measuring electrical conductivity in non-ferrous metals.”

on any type of material. In recent years the range expanded to include instruments for measuring the micro-hardness of paint and portable instruments for controlling metal composition, like ferrite in stainless steels, and other sophisticated instruments for measuring electrical conductivity in non-ferrous metals” (Fig. 2). “Helmut Fischer is the world leader in the production of coating or galvanic layer thickness gauges”, continues Colombo. “The company recently introduced ultrasound instruments to its product range to measure the thickness of metals. To date, our instruments measured the thickness of the coating film or galvanic layer, while with the new ultrasonic instruments it is possible to measure the total thickness of the substrate”. © Helmut Fischer

elmut Fischer measuring instruments have been present in Italy for over half a century. Initially, the coating thickness gauges were sold in Italy by representatives of the German multinational, but many years ago, in 1977, two experts in the world of control instrumentation, namely Luciano Marcomini and August Von Wartburg, decided to found an independent company dedicated to the exclusive sale in Italy of the entire range of instruments produced by the large German multinational, now called Helmut Fischer Gmbh Institut Für Elektronik und Messtechnik, based in Sindelfingen near Stuttgart.

1 Figure 1: Adriano Colombo, Managing Director of Helmut Fischer Srl Tecnica di Misura.

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

The devices for measuring thickness are divided into two types: portable and tabletop. Tabletop thickness gauges use X-rays and mainly target companies that

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

2 Figure 2: Instrument for detecting microhardness and the mechanical properties of metals.

Helmut Fischer is the world leader in the production of coating or galvanic layer thickness gauges. The company recently introduced ultrasound instruments to its product range to measure the thickness of metals. To date, its instruments measured the thickness of the coating film or galvanic layer, while with the new ultrasonic instruments it is possible to measure the total thickness of the substrate.”

3 Figure 3: XDL series instrument based on X-ray ﬂuorescence for the quick measurement of coating thickness, particularly in the electroplating industry.

Figure 4: An instrument testing bench.

apply galvanic coatings, with precious or hard metals (fig. 3). The portable instruments are The most famous designed to be as ergonomic instruments of the Helmut as possible and are able to Fischer’s range are those detect coating film thicknesses belonging to the Dualscope® with an increasing level of and Deltascope® lines. The ® precision. Permascope range consists “Essentially, Helmut Fischer in simple instruments used by is the only company in the operators on the coating lines world that produces tools for for an immediate detection of measuring any kind of coating applied thicknesses.” on any type of support”, continues Colombo. “The current headquarters of Helmut Fischer Srl, inaugurated in 2012, is in Sesto San Giovanni, near Milan (Italy), and employs 11 people, half of whom work in technical support. The Milan office has a state-of-the-art laboratory dedicated to instrument testing (Fig. 4), a second workshop for maintenance and repair, and a warehouse that can ship any type of instrument just in time. Our highly stocked warehouse and customer service are the factors that differentiate our company from the competition. The fact that we have five skilled and experienced technicians guarantees a prompt response to any technical need”. “The most famous instruments of our range are those belonging to the Dualscope® and Deltascope® lines. The Permascope® range», notes Colombo, «consists in simple instruments used by operators on the coating lines for an immediate

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detection of applied thicknesses». Dualscope® FMP 100 is the most advanced and best seller of the Helmut Fischer range, able to measure thicknesses even on the smallest and most complex manufactured items (Fig. 5). This tool can produce a PDF of the test to allow for the sending of the final measurement report”. “Helmut Fischer S.r.l.’s current turnover is about 3,700,000 euros, of which almost 30% comes from technical assistance. I must especially thank the team at Helmut Fischer Srl for its dedication to our work”, concludes Colombo. “Even in these difficult years of recession they have worked hard to solve the smallest problems of our customers, allowing us to steadily increase our turnover even in the darkest years”.

5 Figure 5: Dualscope® FMP 100 is the most advanced instrument of the range, able to measure thicknesses even on the smallest and most complex manufactured items.

BRAND-NEW

New Syntha Pulvin® Vision 2020 Colour Collection of Architectural Powder Coatings Introduced

n response to the ever-changing aesthetic desires seen in worldwide trends, Sherwin-Williams has introduced the Syntha Pulvin® Vision 2020 Colour Collection of powder architectural coatings for aluminium. The Syntha Pulvin Vision 2020 Colour Collection features four unique families including: 1. Future Lux – A palette that features colours reflecting the future of luxury. These shades consist of natural, earth mineral tones, but with an extra touch of a glamorous shimmer. Future Lux represents accessible luxury that favours remarkable quality. 2. Hit Pause – Colours included in this palette are rich and healing, offering a safe place to unwind and reflect. In a world where technology is king and phones are almost never shut off, Hit Pause reminds us to take the time to look inward. 3. Median – An array of conventional colour options that prove minimalism and practical shades can be as groundbreaking as loud, dynamic hues. Median provides a middle ground, where conservative and neutral tones can take the spotlight. 4. Sustain React – Bringing the shades of nature into the realm of technology, Sustain React demonstrates finding a balance with the natural and the innovative. This palette consists of bold and reactive colours. Inspired by current colour trends in the modern world, Vision 2020 brings new aesthetic opportunities to the renowned Syntha Pulvin product line, one of the highest quality architectural powder coatings in Europe. This variety of unconventional and innovative colour options expands upon Syntha Pulvin’s sparkling reputation. In addition to the extraordinary colour palette additions of Vision 2020, Syntha Pulvin also provides fantastic durability and excellent colour consistency, suitable for both commercial and residential use. Colour cards with descriptions and examples of the Vision 2020 Collection colour families and palettes are available for customers upon request. For further information: www.synthapulvin.co.uk

HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

IST Celebrated its Thirty Years of History with a Rich Three-Day Program

ST – Italia Sistemi Tecnologici, based in Modena (Italy), has been operating in the waste solvent treatment field for thirty years. Established in 1987, it immediately begun to design, build and market solvent regenerators and cleaning tanks, always focussing on four elements: safety, sustainability, eco-friendliness, and economics. Its farsightedness has enabled it to gain positive feedback and become the sole partner of many Italian and foreign companies for the supply of a range of products that is one of the largest available on the market. The company designs and develops distillers and cleaning tanks for the design, chemical, automotive, aerospace, and hospital sectors, as well as for firms handling fiberglass products,

Francesco Stucchi ipcm®

IST designs and develops distillers and cleaning tanks for the design, chemical, automotive, aerospace, and hospital sectors, as well as for firms handling fiberglass products, paints and inks. In thirty years of intense production activity, the company has installed more than 27.000 plants worldwide.” Figure 2: IST’s President Palmiro Debbia, the second from the left with the event’s celebratory plaque, among some staff members.

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HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH

SINCE 1958

Custom-built industrial ovens Forni industriali personalizzati

3 Figure 3: Massimiliano Mingacci, IST’s Sales Manager.

paints and inks. In thirty years of intense production activity, IST has installed more than 27.000 plants worldwide. In 1990, also thanks to the experience gained on foreign markets, IST established Set – Sistemas Europeos de Tecnología, based in Vigo, Spain, to serve the local and the South American markets. IST’s product range includes as follows: - solvent and waste water regenerators; - continuous-flow distillation systems integrated with production lines; - water-based cleaning tanks; - ultrasound cleaning tanks for components and cylinders/ anilox sleeves; - plate cleaning machines; - pneumatic and electric vacuum generators.

Static curing ovens Forni di cottura statici

A three-day meeting to celebrate the ﬁrm’s anniversary The celebrations for IST’s anniversary took place from 13 to 15 July 2017 at the UNA Hotel in Modena. The company’s leaders delivered their technical speeches on Friday 14 (Fig. 1). IST’s President Palmiro Debbia (Fig. 2) opened the event with a welcome message dealing with the major landmarks in the company’s history, from the launch of the first 10 litre/batch distiller series C1 to the recent 1200 litre/batch type HR 1200 and the 3200 litre/batch machines delivered a few months ago. Massimiliano Mingacci, the Sales Manager (Fig. 3), presented IST’s winning market strategy. “From the beginning, the philosophy of IST has been based on the idea that the market has no boundaries: we consider the whole world

Automatic curing ovens Forni di cottura a passaggio info@eurotherm.eu T + 39 011 98 23 500 F + 39 011 98 23 560 Via Pisa, 78 - 10088 Volpiano (TO) Italy EUROTHERM SpA

EUROTHERM SAS

EUROTHERM GmbH

e u ro the rm . e u

4 Figure 4: Group photo with the participants in the event.

as our potential reference market. That is and his experiences with some customers. In been able to develop a small network of ambitious, especially for a small company the afternoon, the event participants had the specialised retailers serving some niche like ours, but not impossible. Indeed, over opportunity to visit IST’s factory and meet the sectors. In future, it aims at breaking into the years, our firm has installed machines operators – that is, “the people who every the expanding market of the extraction of in 104 countries around the world, creating day place another brick in the great building active ingredients and essential oils for a solid and ever-growing network of our business history”, as Debbia of agents and distributors in all five stated – and the new projects being IST’s President Palmiro Debbia opened continents. Last year, IST exported implemented. The first day ended 77% of production: an enviable with a dinner offered by IST to all the event with a welcome message dealing result, but that must not stop us.” participants. with the major landmarks in the company’s This analysis was further deepened history, from the launch of the first The second day of the event was with the reports of Alessandro Galli 10 litre/batch distiller series C1 to the and Gianluca Desliens, representing “recreational” and entertaining for recent 1200 litre/batch type HR 1200 and the guests, since it was devoted to the sales department. the 3200 litre/batch machines delivered a The morning was continued with visit some of the most important few months ago.” the speech delivered by Michael local landmarks, including the Robbins, the President of NexGen Panini Motor Museum and the Ferrari Museum in Maranello (Fig. 4). Enviro Systems, the distributor of IST’s the legal marijuana food industry as well products in the United States. After twenty The meeting celebrating IST’s anniversary at the ship cleaning field. ended with the Saturday dinner offered years of collaboration, NexGen enjoys an The last report of the morning session excellent position in the sector’s sales by the company and the departure of the was delivered by Davide Govoni, who rankings in North America and it has also participants on Sunday. presented the latest product innovations

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BRAND-NEW

Micro-Gloss 60° XS: Brilliant Gloss Control for Small Parts

YK-Gardner, a global leader in the field of measuring colour and appearance and testing physical properties of plastic, coatings and cosmetics is introducing a new member of the well-proven micro-gloss family, which has an ultra-small port for measuring gloss at small surface areas. Matte, satin-finished, semi-glossy or glossy – no matter how your product looks like – consistent appearance expresses high quality. Products like smart phones or home electronics, that combine small and large parts or connect parts such as frames, buttons or decorative trim pieces, cannot afford varying surface appearance. The size and design of small parts make it difficult to evaluate with a classical gloss meter. Therefore BYK-Gardner has developed the new portable micro-gloss 60° XS with a small measuring area of 2 x 4 mm - the ideal solution to measure small parts. The performance and compatibility of the XS version are as excellent as of micro-gloss itself and assure that measurement data of small and large components are comparable. The long-term stable LED light source of the micro-gloss provides not only highly repeatable results for many years, but also will never burn out. A 10 years warranty on the lamp life is guaranteed. Due to advanced temperature control, the micro-gloss assures the highest stability of the readings. The automated calibration procedure during the production of the gloss meters enables an excellent inter-instrument agreement. The intelligent auto diagnosis of the micro-gloss guarantees long-term calibration stability and even tells the operator when to calibrate. Its brilliant colour display and the easy scroll wheel operation make the micro-gloss a very userfriendly tool. The intuitive menu offers all functions for efficient gloss control, inclusive complete statistics, difference and pass/fail evaluation and saving of the results. The smart communication with the new software smart-chart allows fast data transfer, easy graphical and statistical data presentation and an instant QC report. For further information: www.byk.com/instruments

G RT

ÂŠ Egor - Fotolia

BUSINESS TRAINING

Customer Satisfaction Analysis & Management â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Part 4 Felice Ambrosino consultant

simeida@tin.it

The Customer Satisfaction Management plan The Customer Satisfaction issue lends itself to a wide variety of interpretations and applications with different types of strategic content. Some authors (Leoni and Raimondi, Un metodo per la

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misurazione della Customer Satisfaction, published in Customer Satisfaction, ISEDI) distinguish between poor and high level of involvement as well as between the check/control factor and the continuous improvement one within the related action plan. For instance, a

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company could opt for the check/control of the adequacy of its performance as is perceived by the clients, or for the creation of a customer-oriented corporate culture with a vocation towards continuous improvement in order to ensure loyal customers. On the other hand, it could

BUSINESS TRAINING

decide that Customer Satisfaction-related actions must be taken only by the departments with frequent contacts with customers, or that the whole firm is involved in the creation of a new customer-oriented mindset even in the intermediate relationships with “in-house” clients.

or performance factor of the product or service purchased. An appropriate sample of customers must therefore be selected and the product/ service concerned must be “broken up” into elements. Then, the firm must conduct a survey through interviews about the perceived quality level and the perceived position of the company

Check/control

Continuous improvement

High involvement of the corporate structure

Contradictory position Waste of resources

Strategic coherence Ideal situation

Low involvement of the corporate structure

Settling for making sure there are no great risks, at a low cost

The goal of continuous improvement is difficult to reach

Of course, the more strategic the plan’s content is, the higher commitment is required by its implementation, i.e. total involvement of the corporate structure and commitment to continuous improvement. On the other hand, the higher the commitment, the more exciting and concrete the results. The implementation of a Customer Satisfaction plan aimed at managing Customer Satisfaction, and therefore at creating a business culture oriented to it, must involve all management members from the beginning, although in different ways – operationally or just by informing them. The creation of mixed work groups entrusted with the implementation of some plan phases or of a whole business-based plan is the most commonly adopted solution. First of all, it is important to identify the people to be asked about their satisfaction level and for what, i.e. for what aspect, characteristic,

compared to its competitors. By asking the same questions to the management, it will be possible to assess the company’s self-perception of the quality provided and the level of customer satisfaction. By processing the information obtained, it will be possible to determine with precision and objectivity the firm’s behaviour towards its customers, its level of “presumption of quality”, how well and in what aspects it is “working”, what needs to be corrected, and on what to invest especially compared with competitors, in order to meet, or even exceed, the customers’ expectations on the product/service offered. Eventually, this will provide the company with a new customer-oriented mindset. It will be ready not only to create an improvement plan, but also to start a Customer Satisfaction Analysis routine in order to constantly monitor the clients’ satisfaction level as a function of its continuous improvement efforts.

From satisfaction to loyalty

A company could opt for the check/control of the adequacy of its performance as is perceived by the clients, or for the creation of a customer-oriented corporate culture with a vocation towards continuous improvement in order to ensure loyal customers.”

Customer loyalisation is a process through which a provider starts by meeting its clients’ expectations and then gradually enriches its offer in order to establish a solid relationship, a necessary condition for achieving this goal. Assistance, consulting services, technological and legislative updates, identifying sources of funding, finding unpublished literature of interest to the client, etc. – these are a few examples of ancillary services that can help a supplier in the loyalisation process. Sometimes the

services provided, besides enriching the “product system”, also aim at increasing the customer’s switching costs, e.g. computer connections for the creation of an automatic order system, certain incentives to purchase, and improvement in the products’ performance, which however require rather exclusive implementation actions. Even more so than achieving the customers’ satisfaction, their loyalisation requires the involvement of the entire management of the supplying company. On the one hand, the benefits to be offered can be generated by any corporate function or activity, and, on the other one, the complexity of the task is such that it would be naive to think that the marketing department alone, or a group of willing employees, or a small task force, can accomplish it. Finally, since the loyalisation plan must result in the creation of a trust relationship with the customers, or even a partnership, it is unthinkable that this can happen through sporadic contacts. It seems undoubtedly more feasible if there are several contact persons available and, above all, if the identification of the services to be offered (and their cost/benefit ratio) is done with the skills and expertise of the entire management.

Conclusions In steady or declining markets, it is not possible anymore to grow based on the “mors tua, vita mea” concept, i.e. by subtracting customers to competitors.

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Any company will hold on to its clients and will react violently to any “intrusion” attempt. This leads us to conclude that the costs for winning new customers are very high, and that a firm will have to bear equally high costs to defend itself from the “retaliation” actions of the competitor to which a client was subtracted. A research study recently conducted by TARP (Technical Assistance Research Program) show that the costs for winning a new customer are five times

The implementation of a Customer Satisfaction plan aimed at managing Customer Satisfaction, and therefore at creating a business culture oriented to it, must involve all management members from the beginning, although in different ways – operationally or just by informing them. The creation of mixed work groups entrusted with the implementation of some plan phases or of a whole business-based plan is the most commonly adopted solution.”

higher than those for keeping an already-existing client loyal; moreover, it takes five years to earn from a new customer the same figures earned from an already-existing one. Therefore, “merely tending one’s own garden yields more than attempting risky intrusions in the others’ gardens” and “the best development opportunity lies in the loyalisation of current customers”. The

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

new marketing motto is therefore as follows: “Total Retention, Zero Defection”. Customer loyalty thus becomes the starting point of a new development path. What does loyalty depend on? From the level of satisfaction: if a buyer is satisfied with its purchase, it is certainly willing to repeat it. Once, twice, five times… Maybe forever! Provided that the satisfaction level remains the same, of course. At this point, someone might ask: what does this have to do with development? The “Total Retention, Zero Defection” concept might help keep a situation stable, but it cannot generate any development opportunity. Well, that is not true. Customer Satisfaction Management activities bring intrinsic advantages that promote development while avoiding all disadvantages of dissatisfaction (see Customer Satisfaction, Analysis & Management – Part 2), which notoriously hinder development. However, despite being a significant step forward, none of this is enough to ensure lasting development: our competitors will try to entice our customers with a better offer, thus creating the conditions to make them feel less satisfied with our performance. In order to prevent this from happening, we must continuously improve our offer, as the Japanese have been doing for decades (Kaizen). Continuous improvement entails the constant assessment of the customers’ satisfaction degree, which, in turn, entails a constant contact with clients. Eventually, we will become a Customer Driven Company that will position itself on the market based on its clients’ perception, which, from what we have said, is the only one that matters.

CO-LOCATED WITH:

26 - 29 NOVEMBER 2017

THE FUTURE OF CONSTRUCTION BEGINS HERE Visit The Largest Construction Event in The Middle East

NEW The Big 5 Solar Dedicated HVAC-R Hall Smart Technology Focus Product Sector Talks

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STANDARD & LEGISLATION - UCIF Informs

CETA: Protocol on Conformity Assessment Marcello Zinno UCIF - Unione Costruttori Impianti di Finitura, Milan, Italy

info@ucif.net

n 21 September fundamental parts of CETA “Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement” entered into force, a free trade agreement between the European Union and Canada approved by the European Parliament last February and that is now being ratified by the Member States of the Union. The European Union and Canada can now designate their own conformity assessment bodies to evaluate and certify products exported to the other country, in accordance with their respective requirements.

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There is a number of sectors involved, including: - Electrical and electronic equipment, including electrical installations and household appliances and related components. - Terminal equipment for radio and telecommunications. - Toys. - Construction products. - Machinery, including parts and components, safety components, interchangeable equipment and kits.

STANDARD & LEGISLATION - UCIF Informs

With the CETA Protocol on Conformity Assessment, the European Union and Canada have agreed to accept conformity assessment certificates for the specific sectors. This means that a designated EU conformity assessment body will be able to test products from the European Union destined to be exported to Canada according to Canadian rules, and vice versa.”

- Measurement instruments. - Hot water boilers, including connected devices. - Equipment, machinery, devices, control components, protection systems, safety devices, control and regulating devices - and related instrumentation and prevention and detection systems - intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX). - Equipment for outdoor use with regard to the emission of environmental noise. - Pleasure boats and their components. With the CETA Protocol on Conformity Assessment, the European Union and Canada have agreed to accept conformity assessment certificates for the specific sectors. This means that a designated EU conformity assessment body will be able to test products from the European Union destined to be exported to Canada according to Canadian rules, and vice versa. This makes it possible to avoid having to test the same product twice (in the country of origin and in the country of destination), thereby reducing time-to-market. A page dedicated to “CETA Protocol on Conformity Assessment” was created on the website of the European Commission in the DG Growth section. This section also includes: • The text of the CETA Protocol on Conformity Assessment. • The list of designated conformity assessment bodies in Canada. • The list of designated conformity assessment bodies in the European Union. • The list of designated laboratories and certification bodies in Canada.

TRADE FAIRS & CONFERENCES

OCTOBER 2017 DEBURRING EXPO Karlsruhe, Germany October 10-12, 2017 www.deburring-expo.de

ARAB COATING EXPO

ipcm

media partner

Cairo, Egypt October 19-22, 2017 arabcoatingexpo.com

ARCHITECT@WORK ITALY

MANUFUTURE

Rome, Italy October 11-12, 2017 www.architectatwork.it

Tallinn, Estonia October 24-25, 2017 manufuture2017.eu

EGYPTIAN COATINGS SHOW

PARTS2CLEAN

Cairo, Egypt October 11-12, 2017 coatings-group.com/mecs/cairo/

Stuttgart, Germany October 24-26, 2017 www.parts2clean.de

MTA HANOI

EXPO COATING

Hanoi, Vietnam October 11-13, 2017 www.mtahanoi.com/home/

Moscow, Russia October 24-26, 2017 www.expocoating-moscow.ru/?lang=en-GB

PAINTEXPO EURASIA

KOREA METAL WEEK

Istanbul, Turkey October 12-14, 2017 www.paintexpo.com.tr

Goyang, South Korea October 24-27, 2017 www.korea-metal.com/en

IPC - PAINTS & COATING EXPO

ALUMINUM USA

Karachi, Pakistan October 13-15, 2017 www.ipcexpo.net

Nashville - TN, USA October 25-26, 2017 www.aluminum-us.com

RADTECH EUROPE Prague, Czech Republic October 17-19, 2017 www.radtech2017.com

NOVEMBER 2017 NIGERIA BUILDEXPO 1,*(5,$

&216758&7,21 %8,/',1* (;+,%,7,21

Rimini, Italy November 07-10, 2017 en.ecomondo.com

FABTECH USA

BLECHEXPO

Chicago, USA November 06-09, 2017 www.fabtechexpo.com

Stuttgart, Germany November 07-10, 2017 www.blechexpo-messe.de/en/blechexpo/

ARABAL - ARAB INTERNATIONAL ALUMINIUM CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION

MAROC INDUSTRIE EXPO

Muscat, Sultanate of Oman November 06-09, 2017 https://arabal.com

Casablanca, Morocco November 08-11, 2017 www.midest-maroc.com

BATIMAT

EICMA

Paris, France November 06-10, 2017 www.batimat.com

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ECOMONDO

Lagos, Nigeria November 02-04, 2017 www.nigeriabuildexpo.net

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Milan, Italy November 09-12, 2017 www.eicma.it

ipcm

media partner

ipcm

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NOVEMBER 2017 AGRITECHNICA

ALTECNOLOGIE

Hanover, Germany November 12-18, 2017 www.agritechnica.com

Erba (Como), Italy November 23-25, 2017 www.altecnologie.it

CHINACOAT

THE BIG 5

Shanghai, China November 15-17, 2017 www.chinacoat.net

Dubai, UAE November 26-29, 2017 www.thebig5.ae

EXPO TRANSPORTE ANPACT

51ST ECCA AUTUMN CONGRESS

Guadalajara, Mexico November 15-17, 2017 http://expotransporte.org

Brussels, Belgium November 27-28, 2017 www.prepaintedmetal.eu/877

COMPLAST SOUTH AFRICA

ARCHITECT@WORK ITALY

Johannesburg, South Africa November 16-18, 2017 complastexpo.in/southafrica2017/

Milan, Italy November 29-30, 2017 www.architectatwork.it

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DECEMBER 2017 SURTECH MIDDLE EAST

WIRE AND CABLE ARABIA

Dubai, UAE December 04-06, 2017 www.surtechme.com

Dubai, UAE December 17-19, 2017 wirecablearabia.com

TUBE MIDDLE EAST

METAL MIDDLE EAST

Dubai, UAE December 17-19, 2017 www.tube-arabia.net/index.html

Dubai, UAE December 17-19, 2017 metalmiddleeast.com

WELDING AND CUTTING MIDDLE EAST Dubai, UAE December 17-19, 2017 www.weldingcuttingmiddleeast.com

JANUARY 2018 INDUSTRIAL BUILDING

STEEL FAB

Essen, Germany January 10-12, 2018 www.messe-essen.de

Sharjah, UAE January 15-18, 2018 www.steelfabme.com

COMPLAST VIETNAM

EUROGUSS

Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam January 10-12, 2018 www.complastexpo.in/vietnam-2018/

Nuremberg, Germany January 16-18, 2018 www.euroguss.de/en

OPTI

NEPCON JAPAN

Munich, Germany January 12-14, 2018 www.opti.de/en/

Tokyo, Japan January 17-19, 2018 www.nepconjapan.jp/en/About/ICP/

international PAINT&COATING magazine - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - N. 47

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ZOOM ON EVENTS

ÂŠ FairFair

Coating Solutions for Plastic Surfaces with Optimized Characteristics

1 Figure 1: PaintExpo will present solutions for coatings on plastic surfaces at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre (Germany) from the 17th through the 20th of April, 2018.

n the one hand ever stricter demands for surface finishes, and on the other hand rising cost pressure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this balancing act for coatings on plastic surfaces can only be mastered by means of consistent process optimisation. PaintExpo will present solutions to this end at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre from the 17th through the 20th of April, 2018 (Fig. 1). Offerings range from pre-treatment, application systems, equipment and paints, right on up to quality control, identification and packaging. Due to numerous factors, companies

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with in-house painting operations and coating job-shops are facing new challenges where the painting of plastic surfaces is concerned: immaculate appearance and haptics, greater durability, smaller lot quantities and a growing multitude of colours resulting from advancing individualisation, new and further developed materials required for lightweight design and electromobility, integration of the painting process into networked manufacturing, improved sustainability and energy efficiency to mention just a few. And all of this has to

N. 47 - SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017 - international PAINT&COATING magazine

be accomplished in the face of rising cost pressure within an increasingly globalised market. And thus solutions for painting plastic parts in various industry sectors and applications represent a significant exhibition segment at PaintExpo 2018, for which 410 companies had already made firm bookings at the end of August 2017. Optimisation potential begins already during pre-treatment. Traditional power-wash systems are being replaced in this area more and more frequently with spacesaving, more ecological cleaning technologies with low operating costs such as plasma and

ZOOM ON EVENTS

CO2 snow-jet cleaning. These are being used to an ever greater extent in flatbed coating lines, into which subsequent integration is also possible. Other approaches to streamlining the painting process and implementing high levels of material efficiency also involve the eradication of possible causes of loss such as atomiser over-spray, as well as losses due to colour changeovers, during application and in the paint supply lines. This can be accomplished, for example, through the use of electrostatically supported paint guns and high-speed rotary atomizers. Transfer efficiencies of greater than 90% can be achieved in this way. Application systems which permit minimised use of rinsing agents and shortened colour changeover times also assure improved efficiency. Where the paints themselves are concerned, new developments resulting from so-called single-coat systems are making it possible to reduce the number of required painting steps, at the same time achieving strong resistance to external influences for painted surfaces. Innovative water and solvent-based paints are also available for an attractive chrome-look which, amongst others requirements, fulfil the exacting demands of the automotive Industry for interior parts. New paint solutions are also being developed which, in addition to their protective and decorative features, fulfil other functions as well. These include, for example, self-healing, self-cleaning, antimicrobial paint layers. The trend towards fast-curing UV paints with high levels of resistance to outside influences remains unbroken as well. In this respect, new and further developed paints and drying technologies are ensuring a continuously expanding range of applications. Where reduced energy consumption is concerned, new developments in the fields of drying technology and conveyor systems are contributing to the minimisation of losses involving conditioned air and heat. The use of painting robots and automation solutions makes it possible to reduce costs thanks to targeted application and lower scrap rates. The 7th worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading trade fair for industrial coating technology will take place at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre from the 17th through 20th of April, 2018. The exhibition portfolio includes systems and equipment for liquid painting, powder coating and coil coating, application systems and spray guns, liquid paints and powdered enamels, automation and conveyor technology, compressed air technology, cleaning and pre-treatment, drying and curing, environmental technology, air supply and exhaust purification, water treatment, recycling and disposal, accessories such as covering materials and systems, painting hangers, filters and pumps, measuring and test technology, quality assurance, paint stripping, job-shop coating, packaging, identification, services, basic and further training, research and technical literature. For more information: www.paintexpo.com

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The Big 5, the Most Influential Construction Event in the Middle East, Returns in November

cities, for example the Desert Rose Housing ubai government have created a Running from the 26 – 29 November at Project which will see 20,000 plots using solar roadmap that spreads 545 smart the Dubai World Trade Center, the two panels to produce 200 megawatts of electricity. initiatives and services across eight shows will showcase the innovative In order to supply the peaking demand for government entities and two smart districts. products and solutions that will take sustainable building solutions, the organisers The infrastructure of this roadmap alone is Smart Dubai to its 2021 deadline (Fig. 1). of The Big 5 are launching the co-located Big 5 estimated to cost 8USD billion. The Big 5 product sectors include: Solar. According to the BNC Smart City report MEP services, Building Interiors & commissioned by The Big 5, the largest Finishes, Building Envelope and most influential construction event in Special Construction, Construction the region, the first wave of initiatives are Tools & Building Materials, and focused on connection and technological Construction Technology & infrastructure; such as Smart Governance. Innovation. The second wave of initiatives and services The Big 5 Solar features will be geared towards Smart Living technologies from leading PV providing monumental opportunities for manufacturing countries and is investment in the construction sector. set to become the premier event There are approximately 185 proposed for solar industry professionals. projects in the transport sector holding The Global Solar Leaders’ Summit an estimated value of USD 32bn. These and the free to attend Solar Talks 1 include rail ventures, marine plans, and exploring the present and future aviation projects. of solar technologies in the region Figure 1: The Big 5 exhibition will take place from 26 to 29 November 2017 in Dubai. Josine Heijmans, Exhibition Portfolio complement the exhibition’s Director for The Big 5, observes offering. that awareness of a transforming Last year’s edition of The city should be generated to those Big 5 was the largest to in the construction business should date, attracting 78,579 be made aware of their vital role participants from 142 towards building a smart city. countries, and 2,586 “The Dubai Smart City plans are exhibiting companies from aiming to improve the mobility and 59 countries (Fig. 2). In access points in Dubai” she notes, 2017, the event introduces “and they will continue to rely on a new dedicated area the construction sector as they for the HVAC-R sector, progress, revealing the important while returning features role the industry will play in building include the Live Product 2 the near future of the Emirate.” Demonstrations, and The The BNC report further details that Gaia Awards. Figure 2: The latest edition of The Big 5 attracted 78,579 participants real estate projects address the For more information: from 142 countries and 2,586 exhibiting companies from 59 environmental agenda of smart www.thebig5.ae countries.

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Visit the Professional SFCHINA – For the Future of The Industry!

FCHINA2017, the 30th China International Exhibition for Surface Finishing & Coating Products, will open its gate on November 15-17, 2017 in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC), P.R. China (Fig. 1). The event will see over 310 companies from 21 countries/regions exhibiting their state-of-the-art technology and products to visitors from all over the world in 3 exhibit zones in 3 days.

in the market at SFCHINA2017, including Atotech, Wagner, Gema, Hante, Raschig, Graco, MacDermid Enthone, Nordson, Huali Coating, Joihey, GSTC, Harter, Munk, IFO, Linnhoff & Partner, QUBUS, Everfast, Anest Iwata, Sames Kremlin, Yu Tung, RKT, Ekem, Bostar, Xinliguang, Guanghua, Aobang, JASCO, Fischer, Winstar, Intensive, Highnic, Jinchuan, Zi Yi, Huachuang, WIN-WIN, ODM, Ultra SFCHINA2017 Union, will be the NOROO, biggest Uyemura, etc. edition in its Running history successfully Since its debut for the past in 1983, SFCHINA 30+ years, has been SFCHINA will dedicating to continue to offer visitors a provide an platform to update engaging 1 themselves with platform for the latest market visitors to Figure 1: SFCHINA2017 will open its gate on November 15-17, 2017 in the Shanghai New International trends and expand Expo Centre (SNIEC), P.R. China. understand their networks. the direction of development The show will be in the industry. displaying in the following three exhibit zones: 18,000 square meters of gross exhibition In addition, a series of Technical Seminars • Zone 1 (Hall E1): Electroplating & Finishing space, the scale of SFCHINA2017 has will be organized at the exhibition Technology increased by 31% as well. site. Professionals from world-leading • Zone 1A (Hall E1): Environmental, Safety & companies will share their advance An ideal platform to see Protection new products and novel technologies as well as practical solutions • Zone 2 (Hall E2): Coating Applications & technologies to allow visitors to stay tuned with the Coating Products latest market trends. Leading players in the surface finishing *CHINACOAT2017 will be co-located in Halls For more information: industry will present their cutting-edge E2, E3, E4, E5, E6, W1, W2 & W3 (Zones 3, 4, www.sfchina.net innovations that are highly sought after 5, 6 & 7).

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As a must-attend gathering, SFCHINA has received favourable support from the industry. Record-breaking number of over 310 exhibitors will participate, 7% and 15% more than in the 2015 Shanghai and 2016 Guangzhou editions respectively, offering more choices to visitors. Occupying over

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Successfully Closed the 10th Aluminium World Congress: Aluminium Two Thousand and ICEB World Congress Confirm Their Leading Role

More sections were represented by he success of the 10th Aluminium Two (Aluminum Anodizers Council), the markets and strategies, extrusion, surface Thousand World Congress together American Association of Anodizers to learn treatments, rolling, and coil technologies, with the 6th ICEB (International essential techniques for producing quality casting and melting, transport industry, Conference on Extrusion and Benchmark) was anodized products (Fig. 1). The conference recycling & environmental issues that expected, but the numbers and the outcome sessions took place in 4 separate parallel have been very successful for innovative were beyond any positive expectation. conference rooms and during the whole presentations. As many as 100 papers These are the numbers for “Verona 2017”: duration of the congress there was the were presented by famous technicians, 315 participants, 100 technical papers, General Sponsor Area dedicated to participants from 36 sponsor companies, countries, over 75% of a meeting point for all participants have already participants. expressed their intention The great number of coming also to the of papers presented next edition. American have brought to and German delegates the attention of the were the most numerous aluminium industry participants together very innovative with the Italian ones. technologies and However, the presence some of them of experts coming from have already been Europe, China, the Far requested to the East and North and South speakers and to America, is a proof of the their companies for importance of the chances industrial application 1 offered by this unique in the near future. event. Real aluminium The scientific Figure 1: The “Advanced Anodizing Class (Level 3)”, held by the anodizing experts of committee was formed specialists are rare and far AAC (Aluminum Anodizers Council), the American Association of Anodizers to learn away from each other all by Dr. L. Donati, essential techniques for producing quality anodized products. over the world: this is why Prof. L.Tomesani, they are so ready to grasp Dr. R. Squatrito, Dr. B. researchers and managers from the most the occasion of meeting each other under Reggiani, Dr. I. Todaro, from DIN, University important aluminium companies at a one roof in a Conference where all aspects of of Bologna, Italy for extrusion and casting world-wide level. All of this resulted in aluminium technologies are discussed. The sessions; Dr. Walter Dalla Barba, of Interall, three days of intense work. international panorama of the aluminium Italy and F. Vincenzi, Italtecno Italy, for the Big interest and participation to the market during the plenary session on the first anodizing and coating sessions. “Advanced Anodizing Class (Level 3)”, day of the conference has attracted much For more information: interest. held by the anodizing experts of AAC www.aluminium2000.com

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