A new line of nanotechnologic conversion for corrosion classes C3H – C4H – C5M
DOLLCOAT GP 107 based on graphite engineered by
Multimetal no rinse product to be used at room temperature
Compatible with any plant and applied by spraying, deep immersion or by nebulization modules
Excellent pre-cataphoresis pretreatment
As the world‘s leading manufacturer of high-performance corrosion protection systems DÖRKEN consistently focuses on sustainability and environmental protection. In line with the current developments around the possible PFAS ban, we already offer our main products completely PFAS-free.
You can rely on innovative solutions that combine maximum performance and ecological responsibility.
Contact us.
Dörken Coatings GmbH & Co. KG . Wetterstrasse 58 D-58313 Herdecke . Telephone +492330 63243
18 19 17 JULY 2025
CHENNAI TRADE CENTRE, CHENNAI, INDIA
FOCUSED CONFERENCES: 350+ EXHIBITORS
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SURFACE & COATINGS
ADHESIVES & SEALANTS SUMMIT
INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT ON CORROSION TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT
TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE ON ELECTROPLATING
CII CERTIFIED PAINTS & COATING MANAGER COURSE
SESSION ON ELECTROPLATING (IN TAMIL)
WE’RE ALREADY IN THE NEW ERA
A compact line for outstanding results: Domoferm’s new powder coating plant
Efficiently coating heavy parts for plastic extrusion lines thanks to a hybrid conveyor: the case of SML
technical consulting turns contracts into a
Senses working overtime: using sight, smell, touch and sound to enhance automotive and other mobility-related interiors
Stators - Essential components with DÖRKEN’s advanced corrosion protection for automotive systems
DOGA’s new coating line for finishing windscreen wiper systems for off-road vehicles
FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
Flexible, automated, sustainable: inside Europe’s most advanced paint line
Engineered for maximum flexibility, our system adapts to diverse automotive and industrial needs with unparalleled efficiency
▪ State-of-the-Art Industrial Painting Line
▪ Built in 2020 and fully operational since 2021
▪ Utilizes 4 cabins equipped with Fanuc 6+1 axis painting robots, designed for handling complex 3D geometries and 2 transfer robots, providing unmatched operational flexibility
▪ Features WAGNER paint feeding system with gear pumps, ensuring high efficiency, versatility, and rapid color changes across 3 primers, 7 basecoats, and 2 clear coat circulations
▪ Designed with a large painting window and double-sided jigs to optimize maximum production output
▪ Employs RFID tracking for complete and reliable process traceability
Our robotic painting solutions deliver unmatched precision, reduced waste, and increased throughput for automotive and industrial applications
Discover our advanced solutions at motor-classic-solutions.com
OF THE MONTH
Olpidürr Spa focuses on energy efficiency to drive growth in the automotive sector and beyond
HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH
Clean air for flawless performance: Deltrian Italia filtration systems for the automotive industry
Lechler and IED Torino together for the third consecutive year: paint shapes the future of cars with the Rapida project
ON TECHNOLOGY
High-performance pre-treatment products and powder coatings combined to guarantee the quality and durability of AVUS Racing alloy wheels
Innovative and industrial PIG system: how CAT revolutionised automatic colour change on a plastic components coating line 118
Enhancing safety in electric vehicles: TEGO® Therm-based heat-protective and fire-resistant coatings for battery housings
122 HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH
Paint inspection 4.0: machine vision and artificial intelligence for a flawless finish 126 FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
Iveco’s new objective: recovering cleaning solvents and halving disposal costs with a latest-generation distillation system 134 FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
L.T.E. commits to sustainability and automation with its new fully electric coating line 142 HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH
PVD changes the rules of the game in automotive: from aesthetic coating to lever for innovation, sustainability and circular design
FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
A bi-osmotic demineralisation plant to optimise water conductivity in pre-treatment
A new regenerative thermal oxidation system to reduce VOC emissions for a major car manufacturer
WITHIN SURFACES
Automobili Lamborghini talks about industry through art: the Museum hosts “The Industrial Perspective”
160 HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH
MEGA-TEC launches new membranes for cataphoretic coating
The strength of Europolveri products does not derive from the sole mixture of carefully selected raw materials, but rather from the people who study, model and formulate powder coatings thanks to more than 40 years of experience, and provide customers with the best solutions on the market A clear corporate philosophy and a shared vision have allowed to supply a vast range of products for three generations With more than 1000 products available in stock and over 40,000 already formulated, Europolveri offers infinite solutions to customer requests
162 SUCCESS STORIES
Long-standing partnership between Dürr Systems AG and Orafol Europe
166 ROAD TO 2050
Arkema, Akzonobel and Omya design lower carbon footprint paints for mass market adoption
167 ROAD TO 2050
ABB receives CDP’s a score for transparency on climate change
168 HIGHLIGHT OF THE MONTH
Beyond colour: the future of surfaces among tactile perception, functionality, and sustainability
172
SUCCESS STORIES
COLMA transformed the chemical conversion process with the Drizzling system from ALIT Technologies
174 RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGH
Fraunhofer to replace fluoropolymers with high-performance elastomers and plasma coatings
176 UCIF INFORMS
The gender gap in Italy’s mechanical engineering industry: challenges and opportunities
178 COLOUR STUDY
Lechler at Fuorisalone 2025: colour as a guide to emotional experiences
ipcm® Academy’s new website revolutionises the training experience in the surface treatment sector
CPM chooses a cutting-edge and sustainable cleaning process for its special bearings
Innovation in 3D post-processing: AM Solutions’ C1 and C1 Max systems
CASE STUDY
At Mondeo Valves, a new-generation cleaning system streamlines management and speeds up production
Let‘s talk about powder coating. A technology that is proven since decades and actually, it‘s just getting started with FLOWSENSE. FLOWSENSE? It‘s a software masterpiece and a bunch of small sensors that do big things: Consistent powder output from the rst to the last workpiece. Reliability, measured in real time. Put quality on repeat!
Alessia Venturi Editor-in-chief Direttore Responsabile
Are cars still aspirational goods?
Aspirational customers are consumers who, despite not regularly purchasing luxury products or services, do so occasionally for personal gratification or to show off a particular lifestyle. For decades, cars have embodied freedom, power, and social status, making them the perfect aspirational purchase. They have been the object of desire for entire generations, a cultural and technological totem that defined the 20th century. But is this still the case today, amid an environmental, digital, and above all, social transformation?
For Gen Z, cars are no longer necessarily a dream to pursue. Their symbolic value has faded, replaced by more fluid priorities: sustainability, accessibility, experience. Ownership is giving way to usage. In a world where everything can be ‘on demand’, even cars are becoming a service rather than an object. That is why car sharing and integrated mobility models are gaining ground, especially in urban contexts. However, thinking that passion for cars has disappeared would be a mistake. Instead, it has become polarised. On the one hand, the rise of electric vehicles – silent, technological, often perceived as cold and uninspiring – responds to the need to reduce our environmental footprint. On the other hand, sports and classic cars – the ‘real’ cars – continue attracting a niche market of enthusiasts seeking excitement, identity, craftsmanship, and status.
The market is fragmenting: at one end of the spectrum, shared city cars and micro-mobility services for those who consider the car merely a means of transport; at the other end, electric or traditional hypercars with exclusive and highly customisable fittings and finishes to satisfy the contemporary consumer’s desire for uniqueness; and, in between, an increasingly narrow range of ‘normal’ cars whose degree of luxury is determined by the quality of the interior finishes and trims.
How is the surface finishing industry responding to this transformation in the car concept?
Traditionally associated with aesthetics and protection, the surface treatment and finishing sector is evolving profoundly, becoming more and more deeply connected to the consumers’ experience of vehicles, be they private or shared cars, aeroplanes, or trains.
On the one hand, the paint industry is investing in more sustainable formulations: water-based products, low-temperature curing cycles, and high-performance coatings that last longer and have a lower environmental impact. On the other hand, there is growing demand for customised and high-end finishes, especially in the sports and collector car segment, where coating becomes a functional art form that helps convey uniqueness and identity. Even in the car sharing field, where cars are often anonymous, wrapping solutions and modular finishes are emerging that allow vehicles to be quickly reconfigured to suit different contexts. Here, the focus is on protecting their interior and exterior surfaces despite repeated use by various people, not all of whom are accustomed to treating objects with care.
The common thread among all R&D activities in the field of vehicle finishes is the need to meet consumer expectations regarding experience: hygiene, comfort, air quality, durability, and reliability. Now more than ever, car surfaces are the meeting point among technology, sustainability, visual storytelling, and consumer experience.
Richiedi la versione in italiano a info@ipcm.it
You can read about how the industry is responding technologically to the need for flexibility, quality, and productivity on the part of OEMs and their suppliers in order to meet such new customer demands in this ipcm® issue’s special section dedicated to finishes in the automotive and transport world –alongside, of course, many success stories, innovations, and market news from the multifaceted world of the surface treatment industry.
Edited by Defil Srl
Sesto San Giovanni (Milan), Italy info@defil.it
Today, the strategic role of air filtration in promoting well-being in the workplace and improving the quality of work environments is a cornerstone in technological innovation and corporate social responsibility. Filtration is no longer merely a maintenance-related factor but a fundamental element in preventing occupational diseases, protecting workers’ health, and creating more sustainable and productive industrial environments.
The effectiveness of a filtration system depends on the careful selection of its filters and filtering materials, as well as the design of the entire air treatment cycle. To this end, Defil Srl develops advanced technologies to guarantee maximum performance and reliability over time.
HEPA and ULPA filters
These filters comply with the EN 1822 standard and meet the highest filtration criteria, with a capture capacity of up to 99.999995% of particles as small as 0.3 microns.
They are used to guarantee environments of the highest purity, minimising the risk of microbiological and ultra-fine particle contamination.
They are essential in sectors where sterile or highly controlled environments are required, such as the automotive industry, especially in coating departments and in the production of electronic components. Laminar flow filters are an example of HEPA/ULPA filters. These systems create a uniform, unidirectional air flow, essential in clean rooms and sterilised environments. Their design ensures that clean air comes exclusively from filtration sources, thus preventing the spread of contaminants.
One of Defil Srl’s strengths is its ability to design and manufacture filter cartridges and sleeves to customer specifications. It can also offer non-standard sizes and designs to respond to specific requirements that standard
products may not meet. Its flexibility enables it to establish relationships of trust and collaboration with its customers, positioning itself as a true partner supporting their growth and helping them protect their personnel, work environments, and products. Defil also manufactures pre-filters and fine filters, including cells and soft and rigid pocket filters. These capture the coarsest particles to protect the most delicate filters, thus reducing efficiency loss and extending the service life of the overall system. Classified according to ISO 16890, they range from ISO COARSE 30% to ePM10, ePM2.5, and ePM1.
Paper: characterised by extremely small pores and precision manufacturing, it ensures high capture efficiency without compromising air flow and has good mechanical resistance.
Polyester fibre and antistatic fibres: they are used for their chemical and thermal resistance properties and their ability to reduce electrostatic charge, optimising the capture efficiency of ultra-fine particles.
PTFE membranes: highly permeable and chemically resistant, they are ideal for aggressive environments thanks to their water- and oil-repellent properties.
Nanofibres: thanks to the most advanced production technologies, they can capture particles with a diameter of less than 0.1 microns and are particularly suitable for filtration in laser/plasma cutting systems.
To maximise effectiveness, filtration systems must be custom-designed by considering air flow, types of contaminants, environmental characteristics, and applicable regulations (ISO 14644, ATEX, FDA, DEKRA).
The correct combination of pre-filtration and final filtration units, their arrangement in series, and the strategic positioning of the filtering elements are crucial for achieving a perfectly controlled environment.
The designed systems must also include continuous monitoring and pressure drop analysis solutions so that timely intervention can be made and preventive maintenance optimised.
The advantages of filtration systems
Air pollution reduction: changing filters frequently ensures that filtration equipment operates at maximum efficiency, removing more pollutants from the air and helping reduce urban and industrial pollution.
Protecting global health: improving air quality through efficient filters helps reduce the spread of pathogens, allergens, and harmful substances, contributing to public health and containing pandemics or health crises.
Waste reduction: regular, well-planned filter changes prevent the accumulation of dust and pollutants in the environment, limiting the impact of contaminated material landfills and promoting a more sustainable material life cycle.
Increased environmental awareness: the care and maintenance of filtration systems is a concrete example of environmental responsibility and can inspire companies and individuals to make more mindful and sustainable choices.
Technological innovation and green engineering: the drive to develop more efficient filters stimulates technological innovations that, when applied on a large scale, can contribute to a cleaner and fairer world.
In short, changing filters regularly is not just a matter of maintenance. It is a responsible behaviour and a significant step towards a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable world.
The ELETTROSPRAY® manual and automatic painting equipment both for liquid and powder paints application are fully designed and made by RAVARINI CASTOLDI & C. S.r.l. and are on the market since 60 years.
ELETTROSPRAY® electrostatic generators in particular represent a “unicum” in the solvent and water based painting equipment market.
The ELETTROSPRAY® are compliant with CEI/CENELEC standards to guarantee the maximum working safety.
dive@ravarinicastoldi.it
www.ravarinicastoldi.it
IDTechEx’s companion report, PFAS Treatment 2025–2035: Technologies, Regulations, Players, Applications, explores the technologies and initiatives aimed at detecting and removing PFAS from the environment. The report also assesses efforts to mitigate the long-term damage caused by their widespread use.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), a large family of chemicals that includes both polymer and non-polymer variants, are widely used across multiple industries, from transport to consumer goods. However, growing environmental and health concerns are prompting increased regulatory scrutiny. A new report by IDTechEx, “Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) 2025: Emerging Applications, Alternatives, Regulations”, examines the evolving landscape of PFAS regulation, both at a global level and for specific compounds within the group. Among the more controversial uses of PFAS is their application in paper and fibre-based food packaging, often promoted as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics. These materials are typically coated with PFAS to provide resistance to oil and water. However, studies have shown that such coatings can leach into food and persist in the environment after disposal, casting doubt on their ecological credentials.
PFAS are known for their persistence in the environment and their bioaccumulative nature, meaning they do not break down naturally and can build up in water, soil, air, and even the human body. Products containing PFAS contribute to environmental contamination via wastewater discharge and landfill leakage, with traces now being detected in drinking water and air emissions around the world. The response to these challenges is gaining momentum globally. While many countries have yet to implement restrictions, others are leading the way. In particular, the European Union is considering a comprehensive ban
on the manufacturing, sale, distribution and use of PFAS. The draft proposal allows for a few exemptions—namely in pharmaceuticals and certain plant protection products—and may grant temporary waivers for specific applications, with a grace period of either 6.5 or 13.5 years depending on factors such as the availability of safer alternatives.
The EU’s key regulatory committees—SEAC (Socio-Economic Analysis Committee) and RAC (Risk Assessment Committee)—met throughout 2024 to assess the implications of a blanket ban across different sectors. Further meetings are planned for 2025, focusing on uses in lubricants, medical devices, electronics and semiconductors. Their final recommendations, expected to be presented to the European Parliament in 2026, could pave
the way for regulations coming into force as early as 2027.
Growing consumer awareness and mounting regulatory pressure are pushing other nations to consider similar bans. These concerns extend far beyond packaging. IDTechEx also explores PFAS usage in sectors such as electric vehicles, ion exchange membranes, thermal management systems in data centres, highfrequency 5G components, and specialised seals and gaskets. In each of these industries, conversations are beginning around the feasibility of phasing out PFAS and finding viable alternatives.
For further information: www.idtechex.com
With the Vintage Collection, Adapta invites designers and manufacturers to rediscover the emotional resonance of colour, bringing the soul of the past into today’s designs, as well as offering a sustainable, high-performance solution for the future.
The paints and coatings supplier Adapta has launched its latest innovation: the Vintage Collection, a refined range of micro-textured powder coatings in soft, pastel shades that pay tribute to retro aesthetics while upholding the highest technical standards.
Rooted in mid-20th century design, the Vintage Collection draws inspiration from the evocative visual language of the 1920s to the 1980s. This style transcends simple nostalgia, acting as a bridge between generations by tapping into shared cultural memories through colour palettes, typography and iconic decorative elements. Design, like culture, holds memory. Certain objects—beyond their function—embody the spirit of entire eras. The refrigerator, for example, stands out as a symbol of 1950s and 60s optimism, with its rounded forms, chrome accents and soft hues etched into the collective imagination. These timeless design cues have been reinterpreted through Adapta’s Vintage Collection, reviving classic silhouettes in a contemporary key. Infused with emotion and sustainability, the collection mirrors the warmth and familiarity of mid-century domestic life. At the same time, it incorporates the modern benefits of powder coating technology: zero emissions, exceptional durability, and complete recovery of excess material during application. This commitment to sustainability reflects wider trends in design and fashion, where vintage styles are increasingly valued for their longevity and lower environmental impact.
The Vintage Collection is tailored for industries such as furniture and domestic appliances, which are increasingly embracing the emotional value of colour. Its hues range from earthy neutrals and soft pastels to gently worn, desaturated tones, capturing the tactile and visual richness of bygone decades while looking resolutely towards the future.
The Vivendi Vintage Collection is built on polyester resin-based powder coatings, offering a wide spectrum of pastel micro-textured finishes, with options for custom development. Thanks to Vivendi technology, developed for architectural applications, the range ensures excellent performance in outdoor environments, maintaining both gloss and colour integrity over time.
Fully compliant with key international standards such as Qualicoat Class 1, these coatings represent a perfect marriage of aesthetic charm and functional excellence. For optimal results, Adapta recommends the use of its CR-0000 cleaning solution in accordance with cleaning protocols outlined by Qualicoat and the American Architectural Manufacturers Association.
For more information: www.adaptacolor.com/en/index
Lesta stands out as an excellence in the field of robotics, particularly in the production of self-learning robots. The company has been awarded the Made in Italy certification by the Istituto per la Tutela dei Produttori Italiani (Institute for the Protection of Italian Manufacturers) - an acknowledgment that certifies its quality and value. This achievement highlights Lesta’s ongoing commitment to innovation and the continuous improvement of its products, confirming the strength and reliability of a production process carried out entirely in Italy.
The Made in Italy certification is issued through a rigorous process that follows the parameters defined by current Italian legislation. This process includes the completion of a certification dossier and on-site inspections conducted by the Institute at the company facility to verify compliance with the requirements. This ensures that every stage of production, from design to final assembly, meets the quality standards set by Italian regulations. The certification process, including the preliminary assessment and company relations management, is overseen by Promindustria S.p.A., an organization that ensures certified companies maintain the highest standards of quality and reliability. Furthermore, the certification project has received co-financing from the Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico (Ministry of Economic Development), demonstrating a tangible commitment to innovation and the advancement of the Italian technology sector.
“For us, the Made in Italy certification represents not only a source of pride, but also a real guarantee for our customers. Our goal is to provide stateof-the-art robotic solutions, while maintaining the quality, reliability and support that lie at the heart of our company philosophy,” stated Mattia Croce, Marketing Manager at Lesta.
Another of Lesta’s strengths lies in its technical support, well known for its proximity and quick response times. With a philosophy oriented towards quality of service, Lesta offers rapid and efficient technical assistance. In the event of any issue, customers can easily reach out to the support team, which will respond promptly to resolve any difficulty.
To streamline problem solving, Lesta has developed a dedicated web page for rapid response. Customers can enter detailed information, such as the robot’s serial number, a description of the issue, any alarms, and even screenshots or videos to provide the most complete overview of the problem. This approach helps reduce waiting times and ensures precise, timely solutions.
Thanks to its Made in Italy certification and unmatched customer service, Lesta positions itself as the ideal partner for those seeking not only innovative and reliable robots but also continuous, guaranteed support.
The Lesta brand represents a conscious, safe, and high-quality choice for companies looking to optimize their production processes with advanced robotic technology.
“We have built our strengths on Made in Italy quality and on technical service. Choosing Lesta means choosing a company that puts its customers first, with cutting-edge solutions and a technical service ready to respond to every need,” concluded Mattia Croce. For further information: www.lesta.it/en
The acquisition of a shareholding in METAL CLEANER allows NOXORSOKEM Group to strengthen its partnership and consolidate its position in the chemical and surface treatment sector in North-East Italy.
NOXORSOKEM Group has acquired a shareholding in METAL CLEANER, a company based in Castelfranco Veneto (Italy) specialising in industrial chemical conversion cycles for metals. This operation follows a business partnership that has already been underway for several years and aims to exploit the synergies between the skills of the two companies, with the objective of establishing itself as a reference point in the North-East of Italy for chemical and surface treatments.
METAL CLEANER, with its consolidated experience in chemical conversion processes for metals, and NOXORSOKEM Group, specialising in waste water treatment and paint stripping, join forces to offer an integrated technical service, improving customer service and enhancing research and development activities.
At this stage, both companies will maintain their autonomy and market positioning. The results of this collaboration will be crucial for defining future strategies and increasing resources for innovation.
For further information: www.noxorsokem.it/en/
Engineering specialized in the supply of systems for surface treatment, painting and coating
E-COAT SYSTEMS
LIQUID PAINTING SYSTEMS
POWDER COATING SYSTEMS
SELF-LEARNING ROBOTS FOR AUTOMATED PAINTING
SYSTEMS FOR THE TREATMENT OF VOCs EMISSIONS
hubergroup Chemicals unveiled its latest innovation at this year’s RadTech UV+EB Technology and Conference in Detroit, Michigan: high-performance, bio-based UV-oligomers tailored for industrial applications.
hubergroup Chemicals, a leading specialist in resins and specialty chemicals for the coatings industry, has developed innovative bio-based UV-oligomers designed to minimise environmental impact while maintaining high performance across a wide range of applications. Based on renewable raw materials with certified C-14 content, these oligomers respond to the growing demand for sustainable raw materials in the coatings and inks industry. With comparable performance to conventional fossil-based products, they deliver excellent durability, reactivity, and chemical resistance to stress factors – while significantly reducing environmental impact. hubergroup offers a versatile portfolio, including:
polyester acrylates with 38% bio-based content
standard epoxy acrylates with 20% biobased content
epoxidized soybean oil acrylates containing up to 82% bio-based content.
All materials are developed to align with current environmental regulations and come with thirdparty certification verifying their actual biobased carbon content – making them a credible and impactful solution to reduce fossil-based raw materials in the supply chain.
“Sustainability in coatings is not just about reducing fossil resources – it’s about balancing performance, regulatory compliance, and environmental responsibility,” says Franziska Trapp, Technical Marketing Manager Coating Chemicals at hubergroup. “We’ve seen a strong surge in demand for bio-content products and received significant interest in product
sampling. At RadTech, we showcased our full portfolio of sustainable, bio-based UVOligomers and highlighting their application across various industrial coatings.”
This marks just the beginning – hubergroup Chemicals continues to push the boundaries in UV-curable chemistry, expanding its portfolio with new functionalities, broader application profiles, and innovations tailored to premium market demands, including solutions for highend plastic applications and lower/medium functionality ranges.
On May 19, Franziska Trapp, a seasoned coatings expert with over a decade of experience at various well-known chemical companies, presented her speech entitled “Sustainable Chemistry in Action: Bio-Based Oligomers for Industrial UV Coatings.” She joined hubergroup in 2024 to manage the technical marketing of coating chemicals. Her talk offered a deep dive into the central role of bio-based oligomers in the shift toward more sustainable, UV-curable coatings – featuring application cases and formulation insights. Earlier that day, Justus Back, Innovation Manager at hubergroup Chemicals – who has been with the company since 2017 – delivered his presentation “Sugar Alcohol Building Blocks for Sustainable and Regulatory Safe UV-Oligomers with a Superior Content of BioBased Carbon.” In his speech, he discussed the development of UV-oligomers containing sugar alcohols that reach up to 70% bio-based content, while ensuring strong reactivity and durability.
For further information: https://lp.hubergroup.com/radtech_2025
Ryton® PPS M2000 FP is tailored for clients seeking a sustainable, low-volatile powder coating with high molecular weight. It ensures safe application, optimised coating build, and minimal post-curing after film formation.
Syensqo has launched Ryton® PPS M2000 FP, a new polyphenylene sulphide (PPS) coating designed to enhance efficiency, safety, and sustainability in demanding industrial and energy applications.
“With this innovative Ryton® solution, we are responding to an industry trend that focuses on more easily applied highperformance coatings with a smaller health, safety and environmental (HSE) footprint. Building on our proven PPS chemistry, it delivers high barrier properties, provides excellent resistance to corrosive chemicals, demonstrates good adhesion to metals, and can operate at temperatures up to 200°C,” has commented Hong Chen, Principal Research Scientist at Syensqo. This powder coating has been designed to address challenges in application ease and coating performance at lower builds – thus enabling better deposition per pass, reducing coating time and resource use, and ensuring high throughput of coated components.
“Ryton® extends our PPS chemistry to powder coatings for use in demanding environments, such as the oil and gas industry. It makes the coating job easier and safer for applicators and is commercially available worldwide.,” has stated Boris Makhinson, Syensqo Americas Market Manager for Energy.
For further information: www.syensqo.com/en/
From an interview with Stefano Crotti, CEO of CM Automazione Srl
Turnover doubled in four years. New and ambitious market goals without losing sight of its specialisation in conveyors. A renewed focus on service and technical support made possible by the company’s structured growth. Emphasis placed on designing advanced transport systems for the logistics organisation of manufacturing companies. But also awareness of its production limits and its need for planned development. All this is CM Automazione today.
CM Automazione Srl (Giussano, Monza e Brianza, Italy) was founded, in the words of one of its founders, ‘with a lot of imagination’. It was 1999 when Stefano Crotti and Giuseppe Moscatelli decided to end their collaboration with a Lombardy-based handling system manufacturer going through the typical period of stagnation associated with generational change and set up their own business. Like many companies in the sector, it derived its name from the acronym of its founding partners’ surnames combined with a noun that is a statement of intent: automazione, or ‘automation’, i.e. the set of technologies that allows managing complex production processes
while minimising or eliminating the need for human intervention. Crotti and Moscatelli chose to remain in the conveyor sector, manufacturing handling systems that can serve various types of lines, such as coating and enamelling ones, and help organise a manufacturing company’s internal logistics among departments and production plants. The latter is a segment on which CM Automazione is now focusing in particular, as confirmed by this interview with Stefano Crotti.
“When we first started out, we mainly worked on contract design of conveyors for the company we both came from,” recalls Crotti. “At the same time, we promoted our products to new potential customers. After the first orders for conveyor parts came the first requests for complete monorail lines. Slowly, we achieved our first successes. Since there is no better advertising than working well and delivering quality, word of mouth enabled us to grow. In a short time, CM Automazione moved from its first premises, a basement that was an old local tax office, to its first rented, 300 m2-wide factory, which subsequently doubled in size and finally became its current headquarters in Giussano, covering 2,000 m² of production space, plus an external logistics area and office space. This
will soon undergo a complete renovation to reflect CM Automazione’s new identity and the growth it has experienced over the last five years.”
“Over twenty-five years in business have brought about a profound transformation within our company. If I had to define CM Automazione today, I would use the adjective ‘evolved’, because it has reached a certain degree of maturity and development and is now ready to embark on its next phase of growth and change. It has become an interesting player in today’s system automation market: there are certainly companies that are more structured and larger than ours, but many others are much smaller and have a purely local market. CM Automazione is becoming a benchmark supplier of handling systems for coating plants but also other industries, including power & free conveyor systems, which we began developing around fifteen years ago and now offer in a reliable and tested range. The market is responding positively to the experience we have gained in the power & free conveyor sector, and we have numerous happy customers who are delighted with the lines we have built for them.
Opening photo: Section of a power&free conveyor designed by CM Automazione of Giussano (Monza and Brianza, Italy), with highlighted the switches.
Detail of a steering trolley of a power&free system
“This evolution has led CM Automazione to become a team of almost 20 people, with a skilled technical office, a specialised software office, an in-house production department for conveyor components, and a well-organised warehouse with spare parts ready for delivery. A pilot power & free conveyor line is available to customers who want to see CM Automazione’s technological features first-hand. Finally, we have a team dedicated to start-up operations and technical assistance. Our technical service, which was our Achilles’ heel until a few years ago, is now a source of pride and a strength. I can state without fear of contradiction that CM Automazione now boasts an all-round ability to meet any handling-related demand as a supplier of both turnkey systems and solutions for major coating plant manufacturers.”
CM Automazione has always been seen as a company collaborating with coating plant manufacturers rather than directly with end users. Is this still true today? Have market objectives changed in line with the corporate evolution you have just described?
“The reality of industry taught us that it is not so much a company that decides what to do but rather the market that leads it towards certain decisions. As you correctly pointed out, we have always favoured collaboration with coating plant manufacturers, mainly Italian, rather than with end users. The reason is simple: working with an end customer requires much more energy and resources than supplying a plant manufacturer, and until a few years ago, CM Automazione did not feel ready to tackle the direct market.
Over the last fifteen years, however, we have been working on power & free systems, which, due to their nature and economic value, are often requested by end users, usually relying directly on the conveyor manufacturer as part of a larger investment project for a coating line. Therefore, responding to these requests was a natural evolution for CM Automazione, although they still do not constitute our core business.
CUSTOMIZATION - FILTRATION QUALITY - INNOVATION
We currently have three projects underway with end users, but we continue to prioritise working with plant engineering companies both in Italy and across Europe.
Our business ideal is to achieve a balance between direct requests and collaborations with plant engineering firms. It should also be noted that many manufacturers, especially large ones, continue to prefer relying on one partner to act as the main contractor, even though the costs may be higher. On the other hand, there are coating plant engineering companies that, due to their size and technical and economic capacity, cannot act as prime contractors: this is where we come in as direct suppliers of the conveyor. I believe that a business like ours, manufacturing high-quality conveyors with proprietary technologies, should be ready and able to both serve end customers and collaborate transparently with coating system manufacturers.”
Speaking of technology, what sets CM Automazione’s systems apart from those of its competitors?
“As for monorail systems, our distinctive features are the extreme flexibility of the chain pitch and the technical and revamping service we offer even on old lines. CM Automazione has always adapted to customer requirements, also producing chains with special pitches or non-standard sizes. This enables us to meet specific needs, such as optimising the hanging pitch. We can also support end customers that use outdated conveyors and no longer receive assistance from the original manufacturer in keeping their systems in perfect working order and carrying out targeted revamping projects to continue using them for a long time.
One of the unique features of our durable and reliable power & free systems is that we can design very tight curves thanks to the technology developed on our trolley bodies. I believe that, with power & free conveyors, it is not individual details that win the day, but the overall solution designed, which must be highly technical, content-rich, and service-oriented.
Technical assistance is currently our greatest strength: this was not the case ten years ago, but CM Automazione has evolved and now provides a comprehensive service covering all customer needs in the conveyor sector.”
What are your target markets outside the coating industry?
“Our conveyor systems are mainly used in the coating industry and occasionally in the enamelling one, but they are also increasingly finding application in internal logistics, a sector I would like to develop further. I invite ipcm® readers to look beyond the use of conveyors in coating plants: there are several processes upstream and downstream of finishing, so why not consider – where feasible – using a power & free conveyor system to handle the entire flow of parts within the factory? Companies in Southern Europe have adopted this approach only to a small extent, but in Northern Europe, millions of Euros worth of manual, semi-automatic, and power & free conveyors are produced for logistics-related applications.”
Until now, CM Automazione has focused on working with Italian plant engineering companies. In light of your confirmed participation in PaintExpo, the world’s leading trade fair for the industrial coating world, in 2026, what are your market objectives?
“We aim to establish partnerships with plant engineering firms outside Italy and within the EU. Some promising partnerships have already been established or have emerged over the last twelve months, but our goal is to develop them further. It should be emphasised that, like many (but not all) companies, CM Automazione has experienced strong growth over the last three years, doubling its turnover quickly. This has been possible thanks to a planned, conscious, and never risky development strategy based on both the search for new technical solutions and the enhancement of our customer service. Now, we are ready to promote ourselves in Europe.”
The pump is hermetically sealed to ensure no leakage of hazardous liquids or gases.
NETZSCH Pumps & Systems, a global leader in complex fluid pumping solutions, announces the NEMO® R. MY Magnetically Coupled Pump, an innovative pump designed to meet the most demanding requirements of industries requiring leak-free pumping solutions. It is ideal for use in chemical, pharmaceutical, paint, and food applications to convey highly viscous product.
While mechanical seals are widely used and are a proven method of preventing leakage in pump systems, the failure of a mechanical seal system leads to a seal leak. The NEMO® R. MY Magnetically Coupled Pump features a hermetically sealed design, eliminating the risk of leakage. The pump utilizes a magnetic coupling to transmit torque, ensuring a completely sealed and robust system. This design enhances safety and reliability, making it ideal for handling aggressive, toxic, or abrasive product.
Engineered for versatility, the NEMO® R. MY Magnetically Coupled Pump can handle a wide range of viscosities, from low-viscosity fluids to highly viscous, shear-sensitive substances. The pump provides continuous, pressure-stable, and low-pulsation conveyance, ensuring consistent and reliable performance.
The NEMO® MY Magnetically Coupled Pump offers the significant advantage of a maintenance-free sealing system. The magnetic coupling eliminates the need for constant sealing pressure and fluid level monitoring. This pump, specifically designed for handling slurries, can
efficiently manage products with viscosities up to 20,000 cps. The pump is also compliant with ATEX and can be used in potentially explosive atmospheres without problems.
With the introduction of the NEMO® R. MY Magnetically Coupled Pump, NETZSCH continues to set the standard for innovative, high-performance pumping solutions. This new pump reflects NETZSCH’s commitment to providing safe, reliable, and efficient products that meet the evolving needs of various industries.
NETZSCH Pumps USA is the US representative of NETZSCH Pumps & Systems which has served markets worldwide for more than 60 years, providing customized, sophisticated solutions for applications in every industry type. Experts in complex fluid handling, NETZSCH supplies NEMO® progressing cavity pumps, TORNADO® rotary lobe pumps, NOTOS® screw pumps, and PERIPRO® peristaltic pumps as well as N.Mac® twin shaft grinders, macerators, barrel emptying units, metering technology and accessories. With a workforce of more than 2,600, NETZSCH Pumps and Systems is the largest business unit in the NETZSCH Group, with annual sales of more than 420 million Euros.
For further information: www.pumps-systems.netzsch.com/
Graco has been recognised as one of the most trustworthy companies in the Machines & Industrial Equipment sector on Newsweek’s Most Trustworthy Companies in America 2025 list by Newsweek and Statista.
Newsweek, in partnership with market research firm Statista, has unveiled its fourth annual ranking of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America for 2025. The list, which spans 23 industries and highlights 700 leading companies, recognises organizations that have demonstrated exceptional trustworthiness in the eyes of consumers, employees, and investors.
In today’s competitive business landscape, trust is a key factor influencing long-term success. To identify the companies that have best cultivated this invaluable asset, Newsweek and Statista conducted a comprehensive analysis, leveraging both a nationwide survey of 25,000 U.S. residents and an extensive Social Listening analysis of 304,000 online mentions. U.S.headquartered public and private companies with at least $500 million in annual revenue were eligible for inclusion. Each company’s final score was weighted 80% from survey results and 20% from social listening insights, ensuring a balanced assessment of trust from both direct feedback and broader public discourse. “The ability to cultivate and maintain trust across multiple stakeholders is an invaluable asset for any company,” said Josh Smith, Senior Director Growth & Strategic Partnerships at Newsweek. “This ranking
serves as a resource for consumers, investors, and job seekers looking for companies that have earned a reputation for integrity, fairness, and reliability.”
The 700 most trusted companies span a diverse range of industries, including Technology, Retail, Health Care, Financial Services, Automotive, Media, Consumer Goods, and more. The highest-ranked companies not only excelled in individual trust factors but also demonstrated a sustained commitment to ethical business practices, transparency, and stakeholder engagement.
Graco Inc., headquartered in Minneapolis, is recognised as one of the leading companies in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of systems and equipment for transferring, measuring, controlling, dispensing, and spraying fluid and powder materials. The recognition by Newsweek places Graco among the most trusted companies in the Machines & Industrial Equipment sector.
For further information: www.graco.com and www.rankings.newsweek.com/most-trustworthycompanies-america-2025
Edited by Massimiliano Mingacci
IST - Italia Sistemi Tecnologici S.p.A., Modena, Italy sales@ist.it
Implementing integrated solutions for solvent distillation, waste water treatment, and automated cleaning is not only an environmentally responsible choice but also a real competitive advantage for companies. With forty years of experience, IST stands out for its ability to develop tailor-made, scalable systems that comply with the most stringent regulations.
IST designs and integrates solvent distillers, waste water treatment systems, and automatic cleaning plants tailored to the paint and coating industry.
Efficiency, safety, and environmental sustainability are now core issues for those working in the industrial formulation and application of paint, coatings, inks, adhesives, and resins. In these processes, the management of solvents and waste water and the quality and effectiveness of cleaning systems directly affect production costs, plant downtime, and compliance with environmental regulations.
The growing focus on the life cycle of substances and the need to reduce special waste are driving companies in the sector to review their whole workflows, from production to cleaning, with a circular approach. Automation plays a key role here: modern, safe, and environmentally friendly systems improve efficiency, reduce operator workload, and guarantee consistent results over time.
In this context, IST can act as an all-round technology partner, able to design and integrate solvent distillers, waste water treatment systems, and automatic cleaning plants tailored to the paint and coating industry, contributing to reducing operating costs, improving production performance, and achieving ESG objectives in a concrete way.
Organic solvents are essential in many production processes using paints, adhesives, resins, and inks: they are required to mix, fluidise, or clean equipment, dosing pipelines, and containers. However, once contaminated, they become hazardous waste, with high disposal costs and environmental risks. Distillation is one of the most effective solutions for regenerating these solvents through a thermal process that separates them from impurities and allows for their reuse within the production cycle. Designed to operate in batch and continuous-flow modes, IST’s systems can recover up to 90% of spent solvents with a purity level of up to 99%, maintaining their chemical and physical characteristics suitable for reuse even in critical applications. Thanks to their modular and compact design, the distillers adapt to any production layout and can support a wide variety of solvents (ethyl acetate, MEK, isoparaffins, toluene, xylene, IPA). They are equipped with automatic cycle control and hold ATEX, UL, and IECEx certifications for installation in classified areas.
They often ensure a return on investment in less than 12 months, making solvent recovery a beneficial choice from an environmental and economic perspective.
In addition to solvents, water also plays a crucial role in the environmental management of industrial processes. Cleaning, but also producing water-based paints, glues, and water-soluble inks, generates waste containing pigments, binders, surfactants, and chemicals that cannot be disposed of immediately. If not optimised, the management of such waste can lead to high costs, environmental risks, and unplanned production downtime.
To meet this need, IST designs and manufactures waste water treatment systems based on vacuum evaporation, as this technology enables concentrating the
pollutants and recovering and recycling up to 90% of water. That drastically reduces consumption and disposal costs while stabilising the production process, thanks to a constant, secure supply of treated water. The plants are fully automated, with continuous temperature and pressure control to minimise operator intervention. Management is simple, the environmental impact is low, and the systems can be easily integrated into new or already existing lines, offering a tangible return in terms of sustainability and competitiveness.
Be it mixers, containers, tanks, pipes, or pumps, manual cleaning slows down production and rarely guarantees consistent quality.
With IST automated systems, on the other hand, every cycle is controlled, repeatable, and safe. Thanks to medium and high-pressure
spray systems or ultrasonic technology with detergents optimised for the industry, it is possible to achieve a higher level of cleanliness, reduce downtime, and dramatically reduce the use of solvents or water.
IST’s solutions are available in standard or tailored versions, with tailored cycles and the possibility of integration with SCADA and PLC systems.
Implementing integrated solutions for solvent distillation, waste water treatment, and automated cleaning is not only an environmentally responsible choice but also a real competitive advantage for companies. These technologies enable them to limit costs, reduce their environmental impact, automate critical processes, and increase plant safety, contributing tangibly to the achievement of their sustainability and productivity objectives. With almost forty years of experience, IST stands out for its ability to develop tailormade, scalable systems that comply with the most stringent regulations. Its consultancyoriented approach and ongoing research and development enable it to support customers of all sizes in transitioning to cleaner, safer, and more efficient production operations without compromising on their end products’ quality. Choosing IST means investing in technological innovation, resource enhancement, and process optimisation, aiming for an industrial future where efficiency and environmental responsibility go hand in hand.
Ilaria Paolomelo ipcm®
Domoferm, a leading manufacturer of doors and frames for the residential and commercial sectors, has recently installed a new powder coating plant designed by Trasmetal to increase its production capacity and meet the needs of an increasingly customisation-oriented market. Despite the difficulties posed by limited space and the complexity of the treated products, this line, also equipped with Infragas IR panels and Nordson dense phase guns, has enabled the company to achieve its objectives and significantly improve the quality of its finishes.
We live in a world where personalisation is no longer just a desire but a genuine necessity. Consumers expect tailormade solutions and products perfectly adapted to their aesthetic and functional needs. This paradigm shift profoundly transforms the industrial landscape: companies are being challenged to rethink their processes, replacing standardised models with flexible, dynamic, and highly responsive production flows. The ability to respond quickly and accurately to increasingly complex and diverse demands is no longer an added value but a prerequisite for remaining competitive in the market.
Personalisation is particularly significant in the world of design and furnishing components, where every product is unique, exclusive, and designed to suit each customer’s tastes.
Companies such as Domoferm (Gänserndorf, Austria) have distinguished themselves for their ability to meet the growing demand for customisation by offering solutions that meet even the most sophisticated requests. Specialising in the production of security and fire-rated doors and frames for the residential and commercial sectors, Domoferm has developed a range of products that combine functionality and design while paying particular attention to shapes, sizes, and colours. With over 100 different finishes available, it can guarantee a high level of customisation: “A few years ago, we decided to turn to Trasmetal (Milan, Italy) for designing and installing a new powder coating line to respond to market changes, which today demand increasingly specialised and customised products, and to increase our production speed without sacrificing quality,” says Almis Pestalic, EHS Manager at Domoferm.
Founded as a small workshop in 1960, Domoferm has constantly evolved over time, establishing itself as one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of security doors and steel frames for the residential and commercial sectors. “Our company began building frames and doors in its early years, but it was with the opening of its first production plant in 1965 that it began to expand. Every two or three years, new production halls and facilities were added, contributing to the company’s structural growth and production capacity increase,” says Pestalic. “A key milestone was Domoferm’s acquisition by US Group Jeld-Wen, a global company with a strong presence in Europe, in 2018. That brought an important growth opportunity for us: the Group has around 18,000 employees worldwide, including 6,500 in Europe, and 24 factories across Europe, including 4 devoted to steel production – 2 in Germany, 1 in Austria, and 1 in the Czech Republic – as well as sales offices in Hungary, Poland, and Germany.”
Despite its international reach, however, Domoferm’s headquarters and production hub remain in Gänserndorf, where every stage from design to final assembly is carried out inhouse, ensuring complete control over product quality and customisation capabilities. Today, Domoferm is a leading manufacturer in Austria, its primary target market, while enjoying a solid international reputation. Its product range includes fire-rated, smokeproof, soundproof, and security doors and gates for residential and commercial applications, such as hospitals, shopping centres, underground car parks, and office buildings.
“We have witnessed a clear change in recent years: demand for standard doors has fallen significantly, whereas demand for special, custom-designed products has grown significantly. The number of building permits in the DACH region has reached one of its lowest levels in the last 20 years, strongly affecting the residential market, which is currently in decline. That is why we are investing in technology, aiming to specialise in the nonresidential segment, and in the production of customised products,” notes Johann Huber, Plant Manager at Domoferm.
In its factory, Domoferm operates 2 production lines for customised frames and 1 for standard production. The cycle starts with the processing of steel coils weighing 10 to 12 tonnes and with thicknesses ranging between 1.4 mm and 1.9 mm, selected according to the products’ characteristics. For standard frames, the process is fully automated: the flattened sheet metal is first cut and profiled and then treated in a roller machine that shapes it into the desired frame. This is followed by spot welding and sanding to make the welds as unnoticeable as possible after coating. On the other hand, the approach for producing
special frames is completely different, as it is managed entirely on a made-to-order basis. These are unique projects, developed according to each customer’s technical drawings and specifications. Design variables may include special dimensions, complex internal configurations, specific performance requirements, and special finishes. Some frames are designed for the integration of wiring or automation systems. “We pay particular attention to the frames intended for fire-rated doors,” emphasises EHS Manager Almis Pestalic. “Depending on the required rating, an insulating material such as rock wool or plasterboard is inserted manually into the frame’s profile to guarantee fire resistance of 30, 60, or 90 minutes.”
Finally, the components undergo a bonding phase, which is manual or automatic depending on the type of product. This delicate step requires a setting time of at least 24 hours, during which the products are kept in a horizontal position to ensure even glue distribution and avoid defects. At the end of the production cycle, the frames undergo a pre-treatment
and powder coating process. “We only coat traditional steel components, which account for most of our production. This is important to emphasise because we also use stainless steel in some cases, e.g. for applications in particularly aggressive environments, but this material is incompatible with powder coating.”
For Domoferm’s doors and frames, the pre-treatment phase entails a cleaning cycle by immersion in tanks containing water and specific additives, followed by the electrophoretic deposition of a white protective primer for the products that will be exported and therefore require greater protection. “After pre-treatment, the components are transferred to one of the 2 coating lines operating at the Gänserndorf site. The older line is reserved for small batches and special colours, whereas the one designed and installed by Trasmetal in 2021 is dedicated to high production volumes and standard colours such as white and anthracite,” explains Pestalic.
When the Milan-based plant engineering company designed the latter line, one critical issue it faced concerned the loading and unloading operations.
“The bottleneck was not in the coating process but in managing these phases,” emphasises Carlo Maria Caporale, Sales Manager at Trasmetal.
“To address the inefficient aspects of the previous system, we integrated 2 automatic loading stations managed by a manipulator. This enables Domoferm to feed the line with a new frame every 2 minutes.” Productivity has improved significantly: the new line allows between 200 and 250 frames to be loaded per shift, or between 150 and 170 special frames, which require greater attention from the operators.
The power & free conveyor takes the load bars to the closed, coldair ventilated coating booth. This configuration has been specifically designed to minimise heat loss, as the booth is close to the IR module.
“It was crucial to prevent hot air from entering the coating booth and compromising the quality of the powder application phase. At the same time, cold air escaping from the booth and passing through the infrared zone could have affected the pre-curing phase,” indicates Caporale. The epoxy-polyester powder coating is applied using Nordson HDLV dense phase spray guns – in one coat for most components and in two coats for products calling for a higher-quality finish. “Finally, if the final quality does not meet the required standards, the parts are automatically sent to a manual touch-up station,” concludes Pestalic.
“Designing the curing phase was particularly challenging because installing a conventional oven with a standard length was impossible due to the limited space available. Therefore, we opted for a pre-heating step with infrared panels supplied by Infragas (Mappano, Turin, Italy), which quickly bring the parts’ surfaces to about 100-120 °C, followed by a step in a convection oven that completes the curing of the paint in 30 minutes,” adds the Sales Manager of Trasmetal.
The main difficulty was the variability in thicknesses. “Heating the thicker areas (e.g. around the hinges) correctly risked overheating the thinner ones. However, that would not have been acceptable, due to the limited resistance of the adhesive to high temperatures. Thanks to the technical support of Infragas and a long testing phase, we found the right balance with an exposure time to infrared rays between 1 and 1.5 minutes.”
The process ends with a cooling zone and 2 unloading stations.
Domoferm’s decision to install a new powder coating line resulted from a profound change in market dynamics. With the gradual reduction in demand for standardised products, the company felt the need to equip itself with a plant capable of responding efficiently to new requirements in
terms of customisation, aesthetic quality, and technical complexity. “Today’s market demands flawless finishes and an ever-wider range of colours. We handle over 100 colour variants, but with the previous line, we could only work with one hue at a time. On the other hand, our new line enables us to manage colour changes quickly and flexibly, which is now vital for competitiveness.”
At the same time, the company’s product portfolio has also evolved towards more and more advanced technical solutions. In addition to the growing demand for T90-certified, fire-rated doors, which combine fire resistance of up to 90 minutes, burglar resistance, and sound insulation, it is increasingly receiving customised orders for residential applications, such as for doors that combine a steel frame and a wooden leaf and, therefore, require a different manufacturing process.
Precisely to cope with such production complexity, Domoferm turned to Trasmetal to find a plant engineering solution capable of guaranteeing both increased production capacity and greater operational efficiency. “The plant has enabled us to double our volumes: we have gone from around 150 to 350 parts per shift to up to 500 coated components per shift for standard products,” indicates Huber. “In addition to increasing our production capacity and flexibility, the new line allows us to achieve a high degree of quality
Our flexible system coating solutions – as exclusive as your requirements
and meet consumer needs. The transition from standard to customised products has become increasingly complex in recent years. Customer expectations have also risen significantly regarding surface finishing quality: 30 years ago, one coat of paint was enough, but today the market demands perfect, flawless surfaces and a vast range of colours. It was therefore essential to equip ourselves with an up-to-date, high-performance plant.”
“We are extremely satisfied with Trasmetal’s collaboration and the line it installed. Although the project, which included the loading and unloading area, the powder coating booth, the curing oven, and the IR modules, may appear simple, it proved to be anything but trivial, mainly due to the limited space available and the variety of products to be treated,” says the Plant Manager.
Indeed, Domoferm faced a journey full of challenges. Critical issues related to space organisation had already emerged in 2019, requiring an in-depth planning phase. During the design of the new line, further technical issues arose, again in terms of space, particularly related to the curing phase and the optimisation of the loading and unloading operations. This led to a radical review of the production area’s internal layout, aiming to make the most of every square metre available. Finally, the project was made even more challenging by the onset of the pandemic: the plant’s design phase took place during lockdown, while its installation only started towards the end of 2020.
“We had to deal not only with the forced shutdown of operations for several months but also with a subsequent period of uncertainty and operational difficulties. However, despite everything, we can now proudly say that we have met our goals: we have increased productivity and achieved a very high level of finishing quality,” concludes Huber.
Edited by Pierluigi Rostirolla and Simone Rostirolla Rostirolla Srl - Morgano (Treviso), Italy info@rostirolla.it
When it comes to hanging parts in the coating industry, choosing the right supplier can make all the difference in efficiency, quality and reliability. In a constantly evolving market with increasingly specific and diversified needs, Rostirolla stands out for its ability to offer an all-round and personalised service meeting any hanging and lifting need.
Founded in 1990, Rostirolla started as a small metal workshop, and in just a few years, it specialised in producing hooks and frames for industrial coating. Through constant commitment to research and development, it has grown to become a benchmark supplier in the sector, gradually expanding its range of products and services.
Today, Rostirolla is renowned for its ability to design and produce a wide range of hanging systems in-house, characterised by high quality standards and maximum customisation.
“Our mission,” says Pierluigi Rostirolla, co-owner of Rostirolla Srl together with his brother Simone, “is to provide reliable and innovative hanging solutions that
ensure maximum efficiency in production processes. We are committed to understand the needs of each customer and to develop products that improve quality and functionality in the industrial coating sector. Our values are based on three pillars:
Reliability: each product is designed and manufactured for excellent durability and operational safety.
Innovation: we constantly invest in R&D to supply increasingly highperformance solutions.
Customisation: we believe each plant has unique needs, so we offer tailor-made solutions that integrate perfectly into every production process, improving hanging density and streamlining the operators’ work.”
An uncompromising offer
The company offers a wide range of products designed to meet the diverse needs of the coating industry:
Hooks: available in diameters from 1 to 30 mm and with various types of bend (V-shaped, round, special), these components are made of highquality steel to guarantee strength and durability. They can be supplied with a load capacity certificate or CE certification.
Customisable racks and frames: these systems include round bar columns, systems with interchangeable modules, and systems with interlocking springs, to optimise part handling during the coating phase and improve workflow efficiency.
Masking devices: Rostirolla offers a full range of masking products, including conical plugs, silicone caps and profiles in various shapes, hightemperature adhesive tapes, round stickers and stickers in other shapes, but also customised masking solutions, ideal for protecting surfaces during industrial coating.
Accessories: including eye bolts, male/female ring bolts, tension springs, swivel hooks, and other accessories often useful to facilitate industrial coating operations.
Rostirolla’s headquarters: the beating heart of production
Products visible in the catalogue — also available online — are just the tip of the iceberg. There is an entire production structure underneath, made up of skills, organisational processes and technologies, capable of creating even highly complex solutions. It is here, in Rostirolla’s metal workshop, that each project takes shape through a well-coordinated internal workflow involving various specialised departments:
Looking for automatic coating machines for metal parts, plastic parts, glass or anything else? Let us consult you!
Back office: it manages offers and orders for standard masking devices, hooks, and racks, guaranteeing a 24-hour turnaround.
Technical department: it is the driving force behind custom design activities, capable of developing made-to-measure solutions even without any physical workpiece, thanks to the advanced use of parametric CAD software.
Wire department: with cutting-edge numerical control machines, it transforms bars and coils of wire into hooks and other products with customised shapes, faithfully following technical drawings.
Cutting department: it cuts tubes, beams, and large-diameter round bars to size with manual shears or automatic saws.
Spot welding department: it quickly assembles round bars to create semi-finished or finished products such as rods and combs.
Welding department: it has three manual workstations and a robotic island to create all types of standard and special structures.
“Being manufacturers gives us a strategic advantage,” says Pierluigi. “We are not restricted to a single product type nor pressured to favour one solution over another. We design and produce each component inhouse, carefully responding even to the most specific and complex needs. In a market where the available options are often limited to standard configurations and choices based more on profitability than on actual user benefits, our priority remains the search for the highest functionality. The goal is not simply to sell products but to develop customised solutions that ensure safety, durability, and operational efficiency while meeting the real needs of each plant.”
Choosing Rostirolla means relying on a company that puts experience and quality first.
“Thanks to our expertise and in-house manufacturing capacity,” concludes Simone, “we can assist our customers with personalised advice, tailor-made solutions, and products that integrate seamlessly into their processes.
If you are looking for a supplier that does not just sell (or resell) devices but is ready to develop the ideal solution for your requirements, Rostirolla is the go-to partner. Contact us and find out how we can improve your hanging and lifting operations with our customised solutions”.
CHEMTEC’S technologies are designed to have a very limited environmental impact, to reduce consumption of resources and for a greater operational simplicity.
CHEMTEC develops customized solutions that aim to maximize the customer’s satisfaction.
NANOTECHNOLOGICAL CONVERSION COATING
WATER PURIFICATION AND RECIRCULATION
ONE STEP METAL PRETREATMENT
PAINT STRIPPERS
DISCOVER MORE ON WWW.CHEMTEC.IT
Alessia Venturi ipcm®
Austrian company SML has installed a highly efficient and technologically advanced hybrid handling system supplied by NIKO Helm Hellas, designed to support the lean and flexible implementation of various combinations of surface treatments on plastic extrusion line components weighing up to 1,600 kg while optimizing process times and resource use.
The first to enter is the first to leave: that is FIFO – First In, First Out. According to this production and warehouse management approach, items must be processed and shipped in sequence, i.e. in the same order in which they entered the warehouse. In the manufacturing sector, the FIFO method is used to manage the flow of materials and components, avoiding production delays, reducing material waste, and maintaining accurate stock control. However, FIFO is not the most appropriate method for all manufacturing industries. Consider, for example, companies that produce parts with designs and performance degrees, that do not change over time, such as some types of equipment or mechanical workpieces, or machines made up of hundreds of different components with highly variable dimensions and weights. In addition, many manufacturing businesses work on multiple orders simultaneously and,
for some process stages such as finishing, may need to bypass certain treatments or skip specific components already in the production queue.
This is precisely the case for SML (Redlham, Austria), one of the leading manufacturers of plastic extrusion lines. In addition to extreme flexibility in treating the surfaces of its machines’ components, SML had another very challenging requirement for its finishing department’s part handling system: stability and safety even in transporting very heavy weights. The challenge was won by NIKO Helm Hellas (Corinth, Greece), manufacturer of overhead conveyor systems and handling systems for over 50 years, which supplied a hybrid handling system that combines the versatility and ease of use of a manual overhead conveyor with the power and stability of a lightweight bridge crane. NIKO has designed the perfect hybrid solution: fast when needed, stable and robust when necessary, flexible and easy to use for operators.
excellence in high-performance extrusion SML Machinengesellschaft mbH is a global market and technology leader specialised in manufacturing highperformance extrusion lines. The headquarters is located at the entrance to the scenic Salzkammergut region in Upper Austria. Originally founded as a division of Austrian fibre manufacturer Lenzing AG in 1967, since 1995 it has been a 100% family-owned company. In more than fifty years of activity, it has built up a unique wealth of expertise. SML’s product portfolio can be split in four different groups: Spinning lines for technical and textile multifilament yarns; extrusion coating and laminating lines for flexible compound structure, such as paper/aluminium laminates or aseptic board packaging; sheet lines to produce semi-rigid sheet used in thermoforming applications; cast film lines for the production of flexible, ultra-thin films used in a very wide range of applications – from stretch wrap film to hygiene applications and from barrier food packaging to components in Lithium-ion batteries.
From top to bottom:
Aerial view of the SML Machinengesellschaft mbH factory in Redlham, Upper Austria.
A view inside SML’s technology centre, where product development takes place and customer product samples are prepared.
The hybrid conveyor supplied by NIKO Helm Hellas combines a lightweight bridge crane system with a traditional manual C-rail overhead conveyor.
SML has an average turnover of around 150 million euros and employs 350 people. Thanks to its steady growth, in 2024 the company not only expanded the production area at its headquarters but also invested in a new part handling system in its surface treatment department. This investment ensures maximum reliability even with heavy loads and offers a high degree of flexibility for combining different surface treatments.
“SML’s core competence is engineering: mechanical, electrical, automation and application engineering. Our second key competence is assembly. That means, we do not carry out any metalworking or machining process in our factory: we focus on the design, R&D, and assembly of our lines,” explains Stefan Schlager, Head of Production and Logistics at SML.
All the required individual parts get purchased from external suppliers, stored for a short time before the commissioning, painting and assembling process starts.
“The preparation and surface finishing of our machines’ components are the only high value-added processes we perform in-house. This is to ensure the quality and durability of our extrusion lines. Complete control over coating quality is not the only reason why SML continues to perform its coating process in-house. Our customers can select any tint for their machines: some prefer corporate colours, but most often choose our standard colours, RAL 7035 / RAL 7024,” emphasises Schlager. “Therefore, our coating infrastructure must also achieve the necessary degree of flexibility. That is why we turned to NIKO Helm Hellas to integrate our finishing department with a handling system conceived for parts with very different sizes and weights, which would not force us to follow the FIFO approach but rather allow us to work on an order basis, thus coating large or small, heavy or light parts or components requiring different surface preparation phases within the same work shift. A conventional monorail overhead conveyor was no option for us: we needed a combination of different transport and handling systems in order to manage independently according to our needs and production schedules.”
From top:
The C-rail designed by NIKO Helm Hellas forms the base for the load bars, which can hold workpieces weighing up to 1,600 kg each.
SML’s surface treatment department includes an automatic belt shot blasting machine from OMSG.
The components of SML’s extrusion lines require different pre-treatment processes depending on the machining operations, they have undergone before reception, especially as regards welding. Their surfaces can be shot-blasted or cleaned depending on the level and type of contamination. If there are traces of calamine or oxidation, the parts are shot-blasted with round metal grit in an automatic OMSG pass-through machine or with angular metal grit in a manual cabinet (14x5 m) according to their shape and size.
From right, clockwise:
SML performs manual shot blasting on large and very large parts in a 14x5m cabinet.
Coating is done manually mostly with a 2K polyurethane product.
The bridge crane system installed by NIKO, with shuttles taking the load bars to the various treatment stations.
The OMSG LAUCO 1510/8 roller conveyor shot blasting machine can treat both standard commercial sheet metal and welded metal structures, thanks to the special arrangement of its turbines and their number, which is higher than in the standard version. The system installed at SML’s premises has 8 turbines fitted with 11-kW electric motors. The inlet section is 1,500 mm wide and 1,000 mm high. The inlet and outlet roller conveyors are each 6,000 mm long.
With very large parts with numerous edges, undercuts, and welds, however, SML prefers a manual shot blasting operation. If the parts are
contaminated with organic matter (oil), they are cleaned and phosphated before coating.
“Coating is mainly applied in one layer using a direct-to-metal, solvent-based, 2K polyurethane paint product, ALEXIT 402, supplied by Mankiewicz. If customers have clean room applications or other specific requests, we are also able to apply epoxy-based paints,” explains Stefan Schlager.
This is done in a manual booth with an automatic dosing and mixing machine from Hausleitner & Schweitzer – Nanomix-2KAMP. Drying occurs at room temperature (approximately 20 °C) in about 2.5 hours. Once the coated parts are dry to the touch, they are sent to their respective assembly lines.
“NIKO Helm Hellas supplied the part handling system for the coating area,” says Otmar Stockreiter, the Managing Director of NIKO Vertriebs GmbH, NIKO Helm Hellas’ Austrian site. “This hybrid system combines a bridge crane with a monorail overhead conveyor based on a C-shaped track (27.000 NIKO) with drop lift units motorized along long travels with a rated capacity of 3200 kg/flight bar. Hoisting speed of the conveyor (high low) is 2 m/min – 8 m/min., lifting height is 5 m while the line speed is 20m/ min. as a maximum.
We integrated the C-rail, which forms the base of the load bars, into an overhead crane system with shuttles that move the bars from one position to the next. The lightweight bridge crane is connected to a double drop lifter that assists the operators in loading, lifting, and unloading the workpieces attached to the flight bars, each with a load capacity of 1,600 kg. The handling system designed by NIKO is very flexible and perfectly meets our need to avoid FIFO-based coating operations: the bridge crane drop lift units pick up the parts from a pallet or another shuttle and take them to their destination, be it the automatic shot blasting
machine or one of the manual cleaning, shot blasting, and coating booths. The bridge crane then unhooks the load bars and attaches them onto the C-rail conveyor, which works like a manual conveyor,” adds Stefan Schlager.
“We chose NIKO as our handling system supplier because it has extensive experience in manual transport solutions for heavy loads. Our main requirement was to be able to bypass specific workstations or skip some workpieces already hung onto the line without following the conventional FIFO method,” states Schlager. “This requirement stems mainly from our production flow: the components in our range differ from one another in terms of size, geometry, and weight, as well as in the degree of contamination. As a result, they require different
surface preparation steps, as previously mentioned. “NIKO was the only conveyor supplier who not only understood our needs but also had a clear competitive advantage thanks to its extensive expertise. The result was a manual handling line for smaller, lighter parts that pass through the automatic shot blasting machine and a hybrid system with a bridge crane for heavier and larger components. That means our parts are transported by a system combining a drop lifter with a conveyor system and a bridge crane. This was the biggest advantage NIKO offered to us."
“It was a major challenge for NIKO,” adds Otmar Stockreiter. “When SML approached us, it was already working with another system that had been installed in 2019. It presented us with a wide range of technical requirements that were difficult to meet with a traditional solution. However, I must admit that we also received great technical support from SML. It was a team effort.”
“Undoubtedly, the challenge for NIKO was to deal with our wide range of parts and our need to manage them all with one efficient, highproductivity system. Not exactly an easy task!” adds Stefan Schlager. “The previous system could not handle parts with different shapes and weights at the same time. Moreover, the bars bent under the weight of larger parts and slid along the manual tracks, pushed by their weight. NIKO was able to provide a stable system thanks to its numerous fixed attachment points, and the bars no longer bend. It correctly sized the conveyor’s shuttles, which can now hold 8 bars with a maximum weight of 1,600 kg each, i.e. 12,800 kg in total. We are very satisfied with NIKO’s work, also because of its quick and reliable technical support and its ability to professionally handle all the unexpected points typical of the start-up of a system like this.”
“We will definitely involve NIKO again when the time comes to expand our coating area. But, at this time, our finishing department is perfectly adequate for our current production volumes and turnover,” Schlager concludes.
INNOVATION THAT STANDS THE TEST OF TIME, PRECISION BEYOND BOUNDARIES. We do not merely treat surfaces: we transform them into symbols of efficiency and beauty. For 75 years, Tecnofirma has been a global partner, enhancing your products with customized solutions and state-of-the-art technologies in the fields of washing, coating, and impregnation. From Italy to the world, we shape excellence with the meticulous craftsmanship of the past and the technological precision of the future.
“Tecnofirma: where technology meets beauty, for 75 years.”
Monica Fumagalli ipcm®
Clear contracts that precisely define every detail: this is the strategy adopted by liquid coating contractor Verniciatura La Nuova to stand out in an increasingly demanding market. Thanks to Germedia’s consultancy, this company has streamlined its production processes to optimise the transparency of its commercial agreements. The result? A considerable increase in turnover and a significant expansion of its customer base.
Article 1321 of the Italian Civil Code defines a contract as ‘an agreement between two or more parties to establish, regulate, or terminate a legal relationship between them’. In practical terms, it is a binding agreement between parties aimed at creating, modifying, or extinguishing rights and obligations of an economic nature. Until recently, however, in everyday industrial practice, contracts were often signed on the basis of established customs, with generic formulas and little attention to technical details. While this approach could facilitate rapid commercial relations, it exposed the service provider – in our case, the coating contractor – to significant risks such as operational ambiguity, possible disputes over results, and unexpected requests from the customer.
This awareness forms the basis of the consulting service provided by Gianmaria Guidi, a professional with thirty years’ experience in the industrial coating and corrosion protection sectors listed in the Register of Court-Appointed Technical Consultants (C.T.U.) of the Italian Ministry of Justice and the owner of the company Germedia. Guidi’s work with coating contractor Verniciatura La Nuova Srl (Cigole, Brescia, Italy) has led to a radical overhaul of how it negotiates contracts with its customers. By
adopting detailed technical contracts that clearly indicate every process stage, every allowed tolerance, and every responsibility, this company has not only eliminated disputes but has also strengthened its bargaining power, achieving a tangible increase in turnover and greater stability in its commercial relationships.
“The coating sector is becoming increasingly professional, with more and more specific and well-defined requirements,” Guidi emphasises.
“Although complementary and integrative, our approach differs from technical protocols such as Qualicoat or Qualisteelcoat because they aim to guarantee the maximum performance of the selected coatings, whereas Germedia’s goal is to define not the absolute best cycle but the one best suited to each customer’s actual needs and intended use of products. Offering a high-performance treatment in a context where it is unnecessary can be unsustainable from an environmental and, above all, an economic point of view.” Germedia, therefore, adopts an approach geared towards the sustainability of coating processes – starting with contracts: “The degree of coating quality agreed upon in a contract never gives rise to disputes or discussions.”
Verniciatura Industriale La Nuova S.r.l. can liquid-coat all types of small, medium, and large products up to 45 m in length. Below, Verniciatura La
site
“Our company was founded fifty years ago as a car body shop for painting vehicles,” says Marco Fausto, the owner of Verniciatura La Nuova.
“After a decline in production in 2002, we began offering our services to the general industry, and we specialised in high-quality industrial coating.” The production unit located in Cigole covers an area of over 4,000 m2, in addition to the approximately 650 m2 of the headquarters in Bagnolo Mella (Brescia). Its equipment fleet, managed according to parameters 4.0, includes: a steam cleaning booth that reaches up to 200 °C, guarantees less water waste, and can be converted into an oven if necessary; an extraction system for the sanding station; a 17x5x6 m shot blasting cabinet using metal grit or garnet; 4 oven booths with a size of 16x8x6 m that, when open, can become a single structure capable of accommodating components with a length up to 45 m; a 32x15x6 m paint application booth; 2 overhead cranes with a capacity of up to 16 t; and a 160-litre filtration system. Fausto adds: “We have recently installed a certified weighing system for heavy goods vehicles in compliance with the Industry 5.0 parameters and a 500 kW photovoltaic system to reduce energy consumption. One of our short-term goals is to limit our use of
solvent-based paints, which are still predominant, in favour of waterbased paints, which are especially found in the coating specifications of military vehicles, a field in which we specialise.”
“I have been working in this sector since 1983,” indicates Fausto. “In these forty years, customer relationships have changed profoundly. In the past, technical specifications were fewer and less stringent; today, we are required to guarantee not only the durability of our finishes but also full compliance of our processes with relevant regulatory standards. It was while drafting a letter of warranty for coating a traffic police vehicle that we first turned to Germedia, a company we already knew through mutual customers. That is how our collaboration began.”
Germedia first tested all the coating systems applied by Verniciatura La Nuova in the laboratory, aiming to obtain a concrete overview of the actual performance achieved by its processes in its actual working environment. As Guidi explains, “This preliminary analysis is essential because there is always a difference between the performance stated in a product’s technical data sheet – tested under ideal conditions by the manufacturer
– and the performance obtained in a production department – where variables such as dust, dirt, delivery deadlines, or simply operator fatigue at the end of a shift come into play every day.”
Germedia’s goal is to measure the gap between theoretical laboratory performance and actual process performance, in order to bring the latter as close as possible to the former, while recognising that perfect equivalence will remain difficult to achieve. The reference point for testing coatings is the ISO 12944 standard. “Regulations are both the basis of best practices and the result of them. They must be read, discussed, studied, understood, and applied by considering the factors that gave rise to them. In accordance with the collegial spirit that has inspired them and their natural openness to possible future innovations, they must be updated and adapted to the current context when necessary. In our specific case, this standard does not limit the scope of application but is open to the evolution of paint products. This approach allows testing any coating cycle in line with the protocols to verify if the product or process (as in this case) complies with the standards Verniciatura La Nuova indicates for each corrosion class.”
That ensures the company’s offer is consistent with market requirements, sustainable in terms of guarantees, and capable of protecting both the customer and the coating manufacturer. “Germedia’s work has brought order to our offer in terms of technical characteristics and process efficiency,” states Marco Fausto. “This has resulted in the drafting of a technical specification that is now our benchmark for defining any contractual agreement.”
The document drafted by Germedia was developed based on the legal experience gained by Gianmaria Guidi: “I am often called
in when the damage has already been done and a dispute has arisen. However, it is always possible to find a solution if a clear, detailed, and well-structured contract was signed before work began. And this is precisely the critical value of an effective contractual agreement.”
In the opening section, the document lists in detail the processes that Verniciatura La Nuova is able to perform, the regulatory references adopted, and the year of publication of the standards considered. The requirements for the customer and any exclusions are also clarified. “For example,” Guidi notes, “if the contract specifies a C5H coating cycle, but the customer has not correctly rounded the edges and sharp corners as required by the standard, the warranty is automatically void. In such cases, the responsibility lies with the customer. The reason is simple: the coater cannot grind weld profiles or other structural parts under any circumstances: as also clarified by standard EN 1090, only a qualified operator with a specific licence may intervene. If the coater were to do so in contravention of these requirements, the responsibility and the related legal consequences in the event of a problem would fall entirely on him.”
This is followed by a detailed description of the coating stages, the types of checks and tests required, and any excluded processes, such as filling and sealing. “It includes the standard activities carried out by the company; the customer must expressly request any additional work in the preliminary phase. For example, if the customer’s specifications require the use of materials approved abroad and not available locally, it is important to clarify the available options immediately, including bearing the costs of transport and any unused material or choosing a coating system certified by the painter, with equivalent performance but different economic conditions. The market particularly appreciates such transparency.” The document also provides precise guidelines on heavy and light machining processes, clarifying how the customer should correctly prepare metal surfaces.
“We have also defined two categories of colours: chart colours and certified colours. Chart colours are selected directly from the paint manufacturer’s colour chart and allow for a certain degree of colour tolerance. On the other hand, certified colours result from a specific colour
IBIX systems remove rust, scale, and old coatings to reach SA 2.5 grade (ISO 8501-1).
Anchor Profile
Controlled blasting creates uniform roughness for optimal coating adhesion.
For long-term anti-corrosion and waterproofing thermoplastic coatings.
Resistance to extreme weathering, UV and salt spray protection Fast turnaround: immediate use of coated items
Easy to repair THE FLAME SPRAY TECHNOLOGY IS THE ONLY SYSTEM WHICH CAN APPLY POWDERS ON SITE AND WITH NO NEED FOR A COATING LINE
study with rigorous and controlled parameters and, therefore, involve an additional cost due to the greater precision required.” The analysis ends with a standard definition for gloss levels: for example, for Verniciatura La Nuova, a matte effect corresponds to a value range from 0 to 20 gloss. “Thanks to this data sheet, our customers have a clear picture of what they are buying and can make an informed comparison between our offer and that of our competitors,” says Fausto.
In addition to the technical specifications, Germedia has developed a second operational tool: the ‘coating agreement’, used by the sales department to draw up quotes in real time. “This document,” explains Guidi, “has been designed to enable calculating the cost of the work required already during the initial phone call and preparing a quote ready for signing.” On the back of the agreement, two pages illustrated by a cartoonist explain in simple terms the conditions that must be met for the warranty to be valid. “There is also a diagram of the different corrosive environments with the commercial names we have assigned to them for easier identification, thus helping our customers select the most suitable and sustainable coating cycle.”
“We verify in the laboratory that every new coating system requested by our customers complies with relevant regulations. We also attach a photographic report and the technical data sheets of the products applied
and of the adhesives used for the pull-off tests. These documents can be certified on request so their compliance can be officially attested, thus giving them legal validity in Italy and Europe.”
Finally, to create a compelling and consistent corporate image, Germedia also edited the texts of Verniciatura La Nuova’s company brochures, adapting them to the contractual conditions described. This ensures that the message conveyed to the customers is transparent and concrete, and that the promises made are perfectly achievable.
Today, Verniciatura La Nuova can offer a complete, turnkey service precisely defined at every stage. “From collecting the material at the customer’s premises to returning it once the work is complete,” illustrates Fausto, “our ‘Painting All In One’ service provides a complete turnkey solution that meets the customer’s needs, eliminating logistical and organisational problems. When the parts to be treated arrive at our factory, we carry out a complete analysis of the ideal coating system and choose the best finishing method according to the customer’s requirements and the product’s specifications. The third phase involves selecting the raw materials to be used in collaboration with our partners to guarantee a final result of the highest quality.
“Work progress is monitored using multimedia devices that provide the customer with real-time updates. Quality control follows using advanced
measuring instruments to verify compliance with ISO 12944-6, 150 9001, and ISO 45001 standards. Once it has passed quality control, the material is carefully placed in specific packaging depending on the processing cycle carried out and returned to the customer. However, our work does not end there, as we remain available for post-process assistance requests. It is also worth mentioning that we have adopted the practice of photographing every part that enters our factory during all process stages. Storing these images in a dedicated database enables us to trace, even years later, the coating system applied or the number of batches processed on a specific date.”
left
All processes are carried out with a view to sustainable coating: it is not always a matter of performing the best possible cycle but rather the one best suited to the customer’s needs and the component’s intended use.
Verniciatura La Nuova serves different industries ranging from automotive to ACE, from furniture to construction, from shipbuilding to petrochemicals, fire protection, and more recently, the military.
The company is always attentive to the comfort of its operators and carries out intensive routine maintenance on all the machines and tools used in the various work cycles.
Marco Fausto summarises the advantages of the collaboration between Germedia and Verniciatura La Nuova: “Before we partnered up with Guidi, our quotes were generic, lacking in detail, and weak in the event of a dispute. Today, we can precisely define the guarantees associated with each coating cycle and comply with them fully. This has given us enormous bargaining power: our customer base is growing and, thanks to the clarity and transparency of our quotes, we often receive orders at short notice. Germedia has not only transferred new skills to our operators but also implemented structural innovations in our processes, even enabling us to access specific funding.” This has transformed Verniciatura La Nuova into a benchmark sector contractor recognised for its expertise, reliability, and transparency.
“Today, we offer surface treatments ranging from the preparation of
stainless, carbon, or galvanised steel and aluminium to the application of liquid finishes, serving various industries ranging from automotive to ACE, from furniture to construction, from shipbuilding to petrochemicals, fire protection, and more recently, the military. Our goal is to improve the aesthetics and durability of our customers’ products while complying with ISO 9001:2015, OHSAS 18001:2007, and IVECO standards.” Verniciatura La Nuova adds value through customised service, operational efficiency, and technical excellence. “With our turnkey approach, we offer a complete project management service that includes technical consulting, production, and final quality control. This ensures superior results and, at the same time, significant time and resource savings for our partners. Through these services and our constant commitment to innovation,” concludes the owner of Verniciatura La Nuova, “we are the ideal partner for all industrial finishing needs.”
Nanobell 803 Straight
Nanobell 801 Straight
Nanobell 801 head
Nanobell 801 Robotic (Full Wrist)
Nanobell 803 Robotic (Full Wrist)
Nanobell 801 Robotic (Hollow Wrist)
Nanobell 805 Robotic (Hollow Wrist)
The EcoProBooth replaces conventional linear layouts with a parallel production setup, aligning with Dürr’s vision of the Paint Shop of the Future. This configuration allows for variable tact times and significantly enhances efficiency.
The multinational engineering company Dürr has once again demonstrated its innovation leadership with the EcoProBooth, a revolutionary spray booth concept that has earned the esteemed 2025 Automotive News PACE Pilot Award.
The EcoProBooth impressed judges with its modular box layout, which allows for remarkable flexibility in accommodating various car body sizes and painting processes. This innovation significantly cuts down on energy, paint and solvent consumption, positioning it as a sustainable and highly efficient solution for modern paint shops.
“We are very proud that our technology has been recognised as a groundbreaking innovation that will be shaping the automotive industry.
With 14 patent applications, nine of which have already been granted, Dürr’s EcoProBooth is positioned to transform the industry and set new benchmarks in energy efficiency and cost savings,” has stated Daniel Ackermann, Senior Manager Product Management at Dürr.
Combined with the EcoBell4 Pro atomiser generation, the EcoProBooth enables the painting of both vehicle interiors and exteriors in the same booth using either solvent- or water-based coatings. Its universal atomisers
produce narrow spray patterns for interiors and wide jets for exteriors, including the application of metallic finishes. This eliminates the need to transfer car bodies between separate spray booths, saving valuable production time. Moreover, smart task distribution ensures that idle robots can perform cleaning or undergo maintenance in dedicated service cubicles located in each corner of the booth, without disrupting production flow.
A standout feature is its 95% air recirculation rate, requiring only 5% fresh air. This innovation drastically reduces both energy use and CO2 emissions. In fact, energy consumption is lowered by up to 80% compared to wet scrubbers in conventional systems and by 45% compared to dry scrubbers in traditional lines.
Now in its fifth year, the PACE Pilot programme, organised by Automotive News, celebrates emerging innovators, from suppliers to startups, developing transformative products, software, processes, or incubator concepts. Dürr’s recognition highlights its commitment to driving the future of sustainable manufacturing within the automotive industry.
For further information: www.durr.com
A basecoat/clearcoat system from AkzoNobel Aerospace Coatings features on a recently retired JStar Boeing 707 from the US Air Force, freshly painted by the LandLocked Aviation Services team at its facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana, as an aircraft on which students at the local SOWELA Technical Community College can train.
“The aircraft was actually one that we had already painted back in 2015, so it was great to see it again,” says Tyson Grenzebach, President at LandLocked Aviation Services. “The aircraft has been repainted to match SOWELA’s colours and Flying Tigers motif, while retaining notable elements from the original paint scheme, including the Air Force emblem and US flag.”
LandLocked Aviation Services supports SOWELA to deliver lifelong learning experiences, including those in aviation maintenance.
Burt Stimson, an account manager and MRO specialist within AkzoNobel says it all happened very fast: “Tyson is an active supporter of AkzoNobel and we were only too pleased to help him in playing a small part in being involved in such a worthy cause.”
LandLocked Aviation Services chooses to work with AkzoNobel as its preferred coatings provider. As an aviation refinishing specialist, and a principal supplier to United Airlines among others, Tyson recognises that failure is simply not an option: “Appearance is 90% perception and perception is everything. We work with
AkzoNobel because their products have exceptional quality, delivering a lustre and depth that makes their coatings shine.
“But equally important is their customer service. The experience of working with AkzoNobel, including the engagement of the senior management and the expertise of their Technical Services team, is where they really excel. It’s less like dealing with a major corporate and more like working with a family business. And I don’t say it lightly; if I like a company and I like its products, then there’s a good reason for it.”
LandLocked Aviation Services uses the full stack of AkzoNobel coatings, from primers to topcoats, and is impressed with its continued investment in research and development: “Their products continue to improve steadily over time,” he says. “I always tell people I am a painter by trade, and that means I am very well versed in the products and processes that are out there. And right now, AkzoNobel are nailing it.”
For further information: www.aerospace.akzonobel.com
AkzoNobel has launched a new generation of Dual Coat, a sustainable, zinc-free and BPA-label free powder coating system within its Interpon A1000 range dedicated to coil springs. It has been developed specifically to deliver the highest levels of protection against corrosion and everyday wear and tear for springs and other essential automotive components to advance vehicle safety.
From coil springs to stabilizer bars, this latest innovation delivers outstanding protection, ensuring vehicles remain safer and last longer on the road. By enhancing resistance to corrosion, as well as everyday wear and tear from chips and stones, it extends the lifespan of suspension springs, and reduces the risk of failure caused by challenging road conditions. For customers, this means greater reliability and fewer maintenance costs – ultimately improving both safety and long-term value; Interpon Dual Coat reduces the frequency with which the components need to be replaced.
A key advantage of this powder coating is that it doesn’t contain zinc. Zinc is abrasive in nature, and removing zinc from the primer
formulation results in less wear on the application equipment. This contributes to a more sustainable solution, reducing the production line’s environmental impact and the resources consumed. It enables customers to use less material due to the primer’s much lower density, optimizing the overall cost per unit coated, consequently increasing customers’ competitiveness in the market. Another key feature is that it is Bisphenol A (BPA) label free, ensuring safer handling, transport, and use across the globe.
This development also marks a major milestone for AkzoNobel in its ongoing commitment to sustainable innovation: “This is a significant achievement for the automotive coatings
industry,” says Gustavo Carvalho, Automotive Key Account Management and Segment Director, AkzoNobel Powder Coatings. “Our new solution not only meets but exceeds the challenging performance standards set by the world’s leading automotive manufacturers, while also providing cost efficiency gains at the coating line. It demonstrates Interpon’s ability to create products that balance exceptional performance, with the need for even greater sustainability.”
The result of more than three years of extensive research and testing, this product’s advanced corrosion resistance meets the latest industry standards and has successfully passed the stringent requirements set by one of the world’s leading spring manufacturers. This demonstrates its ability to withstand the rigorous demands of current and future automotive performance expectations.
Interpon A1000 series is a range of powder coatings designed to provide reliable protection not only against the weather, but also against fuel, battery acids, and other common challenges found in automotive applications. These coatings are widely used to protect a range of critical automotive components, including engine blocks, suspension springs, and brake systems.
For further information: www.interpon.com/products/automotive/ interpon-a1000
GM’s Supplier of the Year awards recognizes global suppliers for their execution across key categories like safety, innovation and resilience. The 2024 award marks the 18th GM Supplier of the Year Award for BASF.
General Motors presented BASF Coatings with a 2024 Supplier of the Year Award at GM’s 33rd annual Supplier of the Year event in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
“Our long-standing partnership with General Motors has been built over years of collaboration, shared values and a steadfast commitment to creating innovative solutions for our valued customer,” said Uta Holzenkamp, president of BASF Coatings.
“We are honoured to be recognized by GM, and it further ignites our passion to bring our partners bold ideas and tailor-made products.”
GM’s Supplier of the Year awards recognize global suppliers for their execution across key categories like safety, innovation and resilience. A global cross-functional team makes award selections based not only on an organization’s performance across 2024, but also their alignment to GM’s core values and ambitious goals.
“For more than 30 years, General Motors has recognized the company’s top global suppliers at our annual event, spotlighting their innovation and resiliency through even the most challenging circumstances,” said Jeff Morrison, global chief procurement officer at GM. “Together, we’re helping bring advanced technology and the industry’s broadest portfolio of vehicles to market for GM customers.”
This year, 92 suppliers across 12 countries made GM’s 2024 Supplier of the Year list.
For further information: www.basf-coatings.com
Germedia addresses both the professional and productive sectors. Thanks to its cross-disciplinary expertise, it collaborates not only with professionals such as architects, engineers, and law firms, but also with builders, paint manufacturers, and craftsmen.
The recently established Eisenmann Robotics division develops intelligent robotic solutions to enhance automation in modern production facilities. The system manufacturer has successfully entered the market with the development of a new hybrid gripper module for the precise and gentle handling of wheels. The Eisenmann Robotics team is also working on solutions for the intelligent integration of robots and application technology for other paint shop processes, such as high-quality seam and cavity sealing.
When developing the new gripper system, Eisenmann Robotics drew on its in-depth expertise and experience from over 200 installations worldwide. Using the new Eisenmann hybrid gripper system therefore offers a flexible, energy-efficient solution for increasing and securing the long-term efficiency of its customers’ production.
The new gripper modules are designed for gently handling all common wheel sizes in the passenger and commercial vehicle industries. They feature low-maintenance linear guides. The new drive technology can be pneumatically or electrically controlled and flange-mounted as a servo drive. Conversion is possible at any time according to individual capacity and production output. The completely enclosed housing, which integrates all moving parts, ensures a high level of process reliability in the powder coating sector. Due to its low weight, it is compatible with standard robot models from leading manufacturers.
Standard modules can be combined to create single- to five-finger grippers. The components that come into contact with the wheel are easily interchangeable and selected according to the application.
Sophisticated control technology enables the modules to approach smoothly, ensuring gentle treatment of wheel surfaces and reducing material consumption. The hybrid gripper also impresses with its high pre-positioning accuracy of up to 1 mm. “Our goal is to increase the degree of automation in production consistently with the help of intelligent, AI-supported robotics concepts, thus ensuring sustainable efficiency in our customers’ production processes. As a German company, we see this as a joint opportunity to strengthen our internationally recognized market positions and preserve important jobs in Europe,” said Jörg Robbin, Head of Research & Development.
Comprehensive solutions for sustainable paint shops
Eisenmann offers its customers a globally available service, short delivery times, and support from its own robot programmers. As a traditional plant manufacturer, Eisenmann develops innovative engineering solutions for economically and ecologically sustainable paint shops in the automotive, metal, wheel, and commercial vehicle industry. Its product portfolio offers technologies and system concepts for a wide range of processes from pre-treatment to final assembly.
For further information: www.eisenmann.com/en/solutions/ products/robotics
Jörg Robbin, Head of Research & Development of Eisenmann, and the new
Martin van den Berg, Global Market Manager Automotive Seat & Trim, Performance Coating Stahl Holdings B.V., Waalwijk (The Netherlands) StahlNL@teamlewis.com
Stahl explores how sensory-driven innovation is transforming automotive and mobility interiors, focusing on sight, smell, touch and sound to enhance comfort, durability and sustainability. Through advanced technologies like Stay Clean®, PolyMatte®, and NuVera®, Stahl delivers cleaner and more eco-friendly interior solutions.
First impressions count.” “New-car smell.” “Like sitting in your favorite armchair.” “Soft-touch materials ooze quality.” “The look, feel and smell of leather shouts “luxury.” “A rugged, hard-wearing interior.” “Bright, cheerful colors.” We have all heard these kinds of comments about the interior of a car, plane, train, bus, tram or boat. When it comes to our mobility choices, as in so many other areas in life, we often talk rationally - claiming to choose car A over car B because of its fuel economy or safety, for example - but scratch the surface and you quickly find that we are really driven by our senses of sight, smell, touch and sound. It’s always been this way. The difference today is that our senses are set to become even more important in defining our user experience and user preferences. After all, when you share a ride instead of owning your own car, every time you use one it becomes a first impression.
Automotive and other industries are stimulating each other
Product and service brands in industries and sectors ranging from apparel to food & beverage, home interior, home decoration, hotel & catering, beauty and beyond, are increasingly turning to the senses to make their products stand out. They know that smell, taste, sound, feel, texture, visual image and packaging combine in the brain to create indelible impressions and enhance experiences. Optimising them can create a “wow” reaction and make a product or service memorable, buzz-worthy and stand out at the point of purchase. Involving more of our senses can also heighten our post-purchase satisfaction.
The definition of mobility is changing
The same applies to the automotive industry. When every car is more or less reliable, you have to find other ways to stand out from your competitors.
Leveraging our senses is one way, and it ties in with the other disruptive trends that are set to sweep the mobility industry. These include the transformation from selling cars to selling mobility and mobility services, the rise of autonomous vehicles and the consequent reinvention of the car as a home away from home (or an office on wheels), the rise of ride sharing instead of ride ownership, increasingly urban mobile lifestyles and
more environmentally conscious and better-informed consumers.
In turn, these trends will have a knock-on effect on interior spaces, the primary effect being that the interior space as a whole – how it can be used, the quality of materials, the design concepts and so on –will become a key. Cars will evolve from a cockpit for the driver, with occasionally a few passengers along for the ride, to living and office spaces – possibly shared with strangers. As this happens, the demand for premium surface finishes and lighter interiors –both things we are already seeing – will rise further. Material sustainability will also grow in importance, as will smart connectivity, personalisation and in-vehicle air quality, hygiene and cleanliness.
As an expert in car interior surface materials, Stahl will have a major role to play in realising, shaping and enabling the good trends and reducing the impact of the negative ones. Stahl’s approach is to explore the car interior through our senses – sight, smell, touch
and sound – to add value. Drivers include durability, hygiene and stay-clean surfaces, sustainable and lightweight materials, smart surfaces, noise reduction and air quality. These in turn are, or will be, reflected in solutions for seats to keep them looking attractive, solutions that enhance air quality in terms of appealing smells and no VOCs, in literally feel-good solutions for seats, instrument panels, steering wheels and other interior surfaces, and solutions that prevent seats squeaking or rattling. The influence of the senses on material innovations in the automotive industry is increasing. Car manufacturers and OEMs find themselves having to pay extra attention to the characteristics of different car materials, the location of the materials in the car and the coatings used on different car materials.
J.D. Power, a world-wide market research and consulting firm, conducted a global research among car owners in 2014. Their research shows that car seat issues are a major annoyance for car owners. Problems with the covering material are the biggest pain point (issues reported twice as often as other annoyances), with squeaks and rattles coming second. Uncomfortable seats come in at number three. And it’s notable that premium and non-premium brands perform similarly, although the worst brand shows four times as many problems as the best over the three years the J.D. Powers surveys cover. Specifically, J.D. Power’s Vehicle Dependability Study found that car owners hate the fact that their seat materials scuff and soil easily. And this annoyance is growing as car interior designers pale materials to create a sense of luxury. And the number one issue within the number one issue? It’s the transfer of blue dye to light-coloured seats. In other words, customers worry that their jeans and other denim clothes will discolour their light-coloured seats and make them look old and ugly. The bad news for auto designers is that these annoyances are likely to increase as cars increasingly become an extension of our home and workplace. We’re going to need surface materials that stay looking great, for longer, and in the face of even tougher assaults than they endure now. For instance, when people share a ride rather than own their own, will they look after it as well?
companies rely on vacuum distillation systems for the sustainable treatment of industrial wastewater. Do you want to benefit from a zero liquid discharge production with VACUDEST aswell?
Just contact our Experts!
Recognising this, Stahl created Stahl Stay Clean®. This finishing technology for both leather and synthetic surfaces adds properties to the surface that hinder the pick-up and migration of stains and dyes into the substrate. Upshot: seats and other surfaces stay cleaner, longer. So, it doesn’t matter so much if you spill your coffee while on a conference call during an autonomous drive to your next meeting. Or if your new jeans get wet and start leaching dye. Stahl Stay Clean® also passes the stick-slip test.
Smell and the quality of the air in your car – which are related but not the same thing – are another hot topic among car buyers and owners. For instance, J.D. Power’s 2017 IQS study on China revealed that the dissatisfaction felt by Chinese car buyers what they perceive to be the bad smell of new cars continues to grow, and that it has a direct influence on people’s purchasing decisions. The difficulty here is that what one person perceives as a pleasant smell, someone else may not. For example, in Europe, leather is perceived as having a pleasant smell, but in China people prefer their cars to smell ‘neutral.’ To overcome this, Stahl works with so-called ‘calibrated noses’: a group of people selected for their ability to distinguish different smells very precisely. There are calibrated noses at every manufacturing site.
Stahl EVO®
The other air issue besides smell is air quality – specifically, the emission of interior materials, also called Volatile Organic Compounds or VOCs. Stahl has different low-VOC and VOC-free solutions. Our Stahl EVO® range offers alternative coatings and finishes that reduce volatile components and are therefore optimized for odour and emissions.
Touching a car seat is one of the most personal experiences a car buyer will have. The feel of leather or a textile influences the mindset of the buyer. Soft, textured fabrics, for example, automatically make you want to relax and not go anywhere.
The J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study shows that the feel of the materials used is one of the most important aspects in overall car appeal. To meet this need, our partially bio-based PolyMatte® finish range, not only looks good, it feels good too. This smooth matte finishing technology is based partially on rapeseed oil rather than crude oil intermediates and makes car interiors feel warm and pleasant to touch. It forms a smooth, matte surface structure during the film forming and drying stage, which means fillers are not needed, while its polyurethane nature gives a luxurious feel to parts like the steering wheel and seats.
As cars have become quieter and quieter – and with the first signs of a clear move to even quieter electric vehicles – reducing interior noise is becoming increasingly important. That odd squeak that was once only irritating at low speeds is fast becoming annoying at all speeds. The rattle of some obscure component every time you hit a bump starts to drive you nuts when you hear it all the time and every time. It’s no surprise then that ‘squeaking car interior’ came in as the second most annoying new car ownership issue in J.D. Powers’ research. As cars get quieter, and rattles and squeaks get disproportionally louder, so it becomes more and more important to eliminate them.
Stahl Stay Silent® is the answer. This industry-first anti-squeak coating solution offers long-lasting protection against irritating noises in the cabin. Powered by our PolyMatte® polyurethane dispersion technology, Stahl Stay Silent® reduces the surface roughness of your materials on a
microscopic level, minimising friction and the creaks, squeaks, and rattles that result from materials interlocking.
What makes this coating truly groundbreaking, however, is the long-lasting protection it offers. Stahl Stay Silent® delivers excellent noise-suppression performance even over a 100,000 km vehicle life cycle – that’s a lot of time to focus on your work, your thoughts, or the peace of the open road. With the wide range of benefits offered by the PolyMatte® range and the capability for two-component coating using crosslinkers, Stahl Stay Silent offers symphonic comfort with uncompromised performance.
Our Stahl Stay Clean® coating technology not only protects a surface by hindering the pick-up and migration of stains and dyes into the substrate, it also does double duty as a squeak and rattle killer. Just like PolyMatte® that forms the ideal starting point to prevent squeak and rattle thanks to its combination of flexibility and resistance. And unlike most matting agents, PolyMatte® doesn’t weaken the coating so it stays stronger for longer.
Although not a sense, feeling good about our choices from an ecological and sustainable perspective is already a factor in car design, and it’s one that is only going to grow. There is increasing recognition that we as consumers and manufacturers must do all we can to reduce our impact on the environment. By changing the chemicals we use in our production processes and product formulae, Stahl can reduce emissions both during production and over the whole lifecycle of a vehicle.
Consumers increasingly expect sustainable products – and this is no different in the automotive industry. As such, there’s a growing drive for the mobility segment to reduce its environmental impact – particularly by using bio- and/or recycledbased raw materials. NuVera® renewablecarbon polyurethanes help contribute to these goals, thanks to their bio-based content. Many NuVera® products are derived from plantbased biomass – typically vegetable oils or sugars – and this bio-based carbon content is tested and certified using the ASTM 6866 carbon isotope method. What’s more, NuVera® products also comply with the strictest regulatory standards. In this way, they help automotive interior manufacturers to increase their use of renewable materials.
As our concept of mobility shifts and ownership gives way to sharing, so too will our expectations of what a vehicle interior should offer and how it should perform. Stahl is positioned to play a leading role in meeting the needs of future mobility users with smart surfaces, more appealing and versatile interiors, more dirt-resistant finishes, more durable finishes and more sustainable choices. It’s going to be a great ride.
DÖRKEN’s zinc flake coatings provide strong corrosion protection, even under harsh conditions. They boost mechanical durability and resistance to aggressive media, ensuring stators in automotive systems remain reliable and perform optimally over time.
Stators play a vital role in modern automotive systems and work in close conjunction with rotors to ensure optimal functionality. Their performance is critical to the overall efficiency and reliability of vehicle technology. As such, effective protection against corrosion is essential. An innovative coating process now offers a reliable solution to protect these key components.
In both modern vehicles and combustion engines, electric drive motors play a critical role in enhancing performance and efficiency, contributing significantly to fuel and CO2 savings. Electrical machines – such as generators and electric motors – contain components that endure substantial mechanical and thermal stress. At the core of these systems
lies the stator, working in tandem with the rotor to facilitate the conversion between electrical and mechanical energy. In motor compartments, where external stators are often used, these components face intense mechanical and electrical demands. As a result, they are particularly vulnerable to corrosion and wear. This underscores the importance of effective corrosion protection to maintain the longevity and functionality of these essential components.
Stator and rotor – a perfectly synchronized duo
The stator serves as the stationary outer component of an electric motor or generator, typically made up of an iron core wound with wire coils. Its
primary function is to produce a magnetic field that interacts with the rotor, which is located within the stator. The rotor, equipped with either magnets or coils, responds to this magnetic field. The dynamic interaction between the stator’s and rotor’s magnetic fields enables the conversion of energy – transforming electrical energy into mechanical motion in motors, or mechanical energy into electricity in generators.
In the automotive industry, stators are key components in both electric motors and generators, playing a crucial role across various applications:
Electric Vehicles (EVs): Electric motors – comprising stators and rotors – form the core of the drivetrain, with the stator acting as a central element.
Hybrid Vehicles: Stators are integral to the electric motors, working alongside combustion engines to deliver combined propulsion.
Generators: Stators are also essential in alternators, which generate and supply electrical power within the vehicle.
Despite their differing functions, all these applications share a common challenge: stators must operate under demanding conditions, including high temperatures, intense vibrations, and exposure to moisture. As such, effective corrosion protection is vital to ensure their durability and performance.
Zinc flake coating has established itself as a highly effective solution for protecting stators from corrosion. This proven technology, widely adopted in the automotive industry, delivers outstanding corrosion resistance even at minimal coating thicknesses of just 8-20 μm. DÖRKEN has advanced this technology with an innovative application process tailored specifically for stators. The solution involves applying the DELTA-PROTEKT® KL100 zinc flake basecoat to both the inner and outer surfaces, and the DELTA-PROTEKT® VH301 GZ topcoat to the outer surfaces only. The basecoat comprises zinc flakes suspended in a binder matrix that forms a protective layer through cross-linking. This basecoat provides robust corrosion protection.
To enhance performance, the topcoat adds multifunctional benefits, including increased resistance to aggressive media and improved mechanical durability. The entire coating system cures at relatively low temperatures – up to 240 °C – making it suitable even for sensitive or complex components. A key advantage of this zinc flake system is its active cathodic protection. In the event of surface damage, the zinc in the basecoat sacrifices itself to protect the underlying steel from corrosion when exposed to water and oxygen, preserving the integrity of the component.
Given the significant mechanical and environmental stresses stators face in automotive applications, effective corrosion protection is essential. Zinc flake systems offer comprehensive, high-performance protection and, thanks to innovative coating techniques, can now be applied to even the most complex geometries like stators—ensuring long-term durability and reliability.
According to recent market analyses, the off-road vehicle segment, driven by growth in the agricultural and infrastructure sectors, is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 5% in the period 2024-2029. The market of coated components for this industry, including windscreen wipers, reflects this trend, with a growing focus on sustainability and production efficiency. DOGA (Abrera, Barcelona, Spain), one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of windscreen wiper systems for off-road vehicles, recently collaborated with Cabycal (Valencia, Spain) to install a highly automated and digitalised coating line applying water-based paint.
How much attention do we pay to windscreen wipers when driving a car? We even often put off replacing them because they seem superfluous, an extra detail that cannot affect our ability to get from A to B even when not working perfectly. Often considered secondary accessories, however, windscreen wipers play a crucial role in the operational efficiency of a vehicle: they ensure safety and driving comfort by removing rain, snow, dirt, and other obstacles from the windscreen, guaranteeing optimal visibility in all weather conditions.
This also applies to windscreen wipers on offroad vehicles, such as bulldozers and tractors, and road transport vehicles, such as buses, trains, and lorries. In fact, every component of these vehicles must meet extremely stringent technical requirements, including those that seem most trivial – like windscreen wipers. They are also coated, and their finish is not just a matter of aesthetics but a vital protective barrier against corrosion, atmospheric agents, and mechanical wear (e.g. stone chips). It must guarantee high chemical resistance, film adhesion, and durability, even in environments with high dust, mud, or salinity levels. Indeed, inadequate coating can quickly compromise the functionality of windscreen wipers, increasing maintenance costs and reducing safety. The most commonly used systems include high-performance liquid paints and powder coatings selected according to specific manufacturer requirements and the vehicle’s intended operating environment, although with a clear preference for low-VOC or waterbased liquid products to reflect the industry’s growing focus on more sustainable solutions that comply with international environmental regulations. The new, digitalised, highly automated coating plant of DOGA, a company active in the production of windscreen wiper systems (motor, transmission, arm, and blade) for off-road vehicles since 1958, came into operation in mid-2024. Designed and installed by Cabycal, this line treats an average of 6,000 wiper arms per hour with a two-coat water-
based primer + top coat system, requiring minimal human intervention and ensuring finishing and functionality results that perfectly comply with the strict automotive specifications that DOGA must meet.
DOGA: the quality of 60 years of experience as an OEM manufacturer of windscreen wiper systems
DOGA was founded in Barcelona (Spain) in 1958, initially producing windscreen washer kits before expanding into the production of DC motors for motor vehicles and the general industry. In 1969, it moved into
its first 2,300 m²-wide premises in Abrera, north of the Catalan capital: at the time, the industrial area that stands today did not yet exist, and vineyards and peach trees surrounded the factories. In 1977, the buildings constructed eight years earlier were expanded with two new halls, for a total available area of 7,100 m². In 1990, DOGA added another 5,050 m² for a moulding and welding line. The new century marked the beginning of an internationalisation path, with the opening of Doga Brasil in 2001, Doga USA in 2003, Doga Italy in 2004, Doga Nantong in 2007, Doga India and Doga Mexico in 2016, Doga Morocco in 2019, and Doga Japan in 2024.
From top left, counterclockwise:
The area with the two air-conditioned coating booths and their related paint rooms and flash-off stations.
Inside one of the two coating booths with a dry filtration system. The application operation is robotised.
One of the two paint rooms. Both the primer and the black top coat used by DOGA are water-based.
Today, with 10 locations, a presence in 70 countries, and a staff of 1,200 people, DOGA boasts extensive know-how in developing and producing automotive components specifically designed for OEM applications. Each project is tackled in a customised manner, assigning a dedicated management team to achieve maximum performance. “Our team of engineers also acts as a technology partner to achieve results designed and tailored to specific requirements. Our ability to offer the best solution regardless of the complexity of the project is the result of our dedication and experience gained throughout a long history in the automotive industry, as well as our Technical Centre, which has a staff of 60 people who actively collaborate with customers – typically OEMs in the sectors mentioned above – to adapt and tailor our products to their needs. We specialise in the niche market of small and medium series, typically for off-road vehicles. Consequently, we handle over 1,500 different product types,” explains Raquel Gutiérrez, DOGA’s Operations Manager.
“Currently, we are leveraging the expertise we have acquired in the windscreen wiper sector to develop a new product line, namely electric motors for other applications, through our Drive Systems division,” continues Gutiérrez. “At our Abrera site, production is vertically integrated: we manufacture everything from the motor to the transmission, arm, and blade of each windscreen wiper system. In addition to the machining areas, we have several assembly and transformation lines, as well as a coating department applying waterbased paint products on arms, blades, and other small windscreen wiper components.”
“An arm that washes the windscreen wiper of an agricultural tractor or construction machine is subjected to very harsh operating conditions, which pose much more stringent mechanical, chemical, and corrosion resistance coating requirements than those of car windscreen wipers,” explains Technical Project Manager Alfons Maldonado.
“Moreover, the approval and validation times for the coating systems used are very long and require numerous tests: in addition to having a specific colour and gloss degree as established by each OEM, our parts must pass rigorous tests for hardness, stone chip resistance, humidity chamber resistance, and UV resistance. Together, these requirements formed the specifications we submitted to Cabycal for our coating plant.”
“After loading, the parts undergo a pre-treatment cycle including 9 stages + 2 optional sub-stages: 2 degreasing phases, 3 rinses with osmotised water, 1 surface conversion phase, and 3 final rinses. Pretreatment is followed by blow-off, oven drying, cooling, electrostatic application of the water-based primer, flash-off, baking, cooling, electrostatic application of the water-based top coat, further flash-
The new Gema ZA17 vertical module in combination with the ZS05 stationary axis precisely positions the gun axes UA05 and UA05-x on the coating object and guarantees perfect coating results for most complex application requirements and difficult part geometries.
off, final baking, and unloading,” illustrates Aiman Alhafi, Painting Plant Manager at DOGA. “We only apply one colour, a shade of black formulated by PPG for DOGA. The primer and top coat application booths have an air recirculation system and a dedicated mixing room with safety devices for electrostatic application.”
When designing the coating line for DOGA, Cabycal had to overcome a series of significant technical challenges to meet both the customer’s quality and carbon footprint reduction requirements and to cope with the limitations imposed by the installation schedule and space availability, which can be summarised as follows:
Limited available surface area and height;
State-of-the-art, energy-efficient technological devices in the pretreatment process;
Air conditioning of the air flows in the evaporators and application booths, through direct expansion with very high energy efficiency;
Polymerisation and drying ovens with future plans for partial (hybridisation) or total electrification;
Oven burners with modulating control and connected to the FIFO process to minimise gas consumption;
Waste water treatment system;
Use of water-based paints;
Real-time communication with the production management system
to automatically configure the process required by each load bar and ensure optimal, efficient, and high-quality production;
Continuous-flow air conditioning (24/7/365) of the mixing rooms and buffer zones to achieve the highest quality standards.
“The one installed at DOGA’s premises is one of the few coating lines in Spain that can boast such a high level of technology,” states Gianpiero Fontana from Cabycal. “Users generally opt for systems that are easier to maintain, even if they are not particularly efficient. DOGA, however, chose the most efficient and automated solution available. From a design perspective, Cabycal especially made a significant effort to reduce electricity consumption. Usually, in a liquid coating line, the highest operating cost is for air conditioning, i.e. to ensure constant humidity and temperature conditions during paint application. DOGA opted for the most energy-efficient option, which is direct expansion. All motors in the system are equipped with frequency inverters.
“In addition, the company invested in being ready for the future, i.e. for the possible partial or complete electrification of the drying and baking ovens, taking into account not only operating costs but also the fluctuations in raw material supply costs seen in recent years. Another critical aspect was process automation, to the point that the operator is only required to perform a few steps, while coating quality is ensured by all the automatic systems that Cabycal has installed on the line. To give a concrete idea of the design effort involved: in a space of 60 x 20 m, we
laid over 8 km of electrical sheathing to install all the sensors necessary for telemetry and process digitalisation.”
“The biggest challenge was fitting a line with all these characteristics into the available space, which was very limited,” adds Emilio Ferrando from Cabycal. “It was not easy at all: from design to assembly, this line broke all the project standards we had maintained at Cabycal up to that point. The project also changed as it progressed because new requirements were constantly arising. For example, during construction, we had to balance the size of the loading and unloading areas because the former was too small and cramped compared to the latter. Again, in doing so, we had to deal with the structural limitations of the hall selected by DOGA for the installation of the coating line. For this reason, I can also say we learned a lot from this project, as it made us see things differently and step off the beaten track to create something new. And the undoubted result achieved by Cabycal has made us realise that we are capable of meeting even the most extreme demands of our users. When tackling projects like these, it is essential to know how to make decisions when necessary: the perfect project is one with endless planning – but no company has endless time to devote to a project. In fact, with DOGA, start-up times were another vital requirement for the new line.”
“The time available was very limited,” confirms Raquel Gutierrez from DOGA, “as were the validation times for the new water-based finishing system by our customers, close to three months. If we had not
submitted the first coated parts to these tests on time, we would have had to backtrack, with obvious negative consequences for our company.”
“Without a doubt, designing our new coating line was a major challenge due to the need to integrate various elements and suppliers within the same project,” emphasises Raquel Gutierrez. “Cabycal was the main supplier, but there were also the paint and application equipment suppliers, each with its own requirements. DOGA’s team tried to coordinate and adapt to them all, and Cabycal was also very active in this regard.”
From left to right:
The control panel of one of the coating booths.
Top view of the drying and baking ovens.
Technical plan of the coating line with the booths’ air treatment and recirculation units.
“Projects like this demand a lot from the people involved because they put everyone under pressure, and the customer transfers this pressure to the plant engineering team. But this is a battle you cannot lose if you are to remain clear-headed. Therefore, Cabycal has also done a great teamwork job on a daily basis to adapt to the various changes along the way,” says Emilio Ferrando.
“One of Cabycal’s strengths is undoubtedly its ability to tailor projects to each customer’s needs,” confirms Mónica Peris from Cabycal. “Every project is a challenge for us in terms of customisation, since every aspect has to be tailored to a thousand different factors, from civil engineering work to the space available, access, and so on... Our job is certainly quite varied!”
“The installation was very complicated both in terms of timing and execution,” - comments Alfons Maldonado from DOGA – “as in addition to setting up the paint line, DOGA was undergoing a complete overhaul of the facilities we occupied and the processes we performed. This forced both us and Cabycal to work side by side, a collaboration that experienced moments of great tension, but thanks to the support of Gianpiero Fontana and his entire team, along with our cooperation, we managed to achieve the desired goal”.
“The person who won me over at Cabycal was Gianpiero Fontana. I immediately felt he was someone I could trust because he is analytical, pragmatic, honest. He has a very clear idea of what is possible and what is not, but he is also open to tackling challenges and trying new things. The project was expected to be very long and complex, so establishing good communication with Cabycal right from the start was essential,” says Raquel Gutierrez.
“I am proud to say that not all coating plant manufacturers in Spain are capable of completing projects of this calibre,” concludes Gianpiero Fontana from Cabycal. “If this were not the case, we could certainly not serve the automotive industry.”
Motor Classic, a Hungarian company rooted in classic car restoration, has evolved into a forward-looking industrial player through strategic investments in cutting-edge technology. The company’s most recent leap in quality has been the installation of one of the most flexible and advanced automated painting lines in Europe, which supports highly customizable painting cycles for both plastic and metal automotive parts. Motor Classic’s approach exemplifies a new generation of entrepreneurial thinking – where technical decisions are guided by a clear mission and long-term vision.
Not all entrepreneurs are the same. By its very nature, running a business is a gamble – on an idea, a market, a future yet to be written. But some entrepreneurs go further. They do not merely react to change—they anticipate it. They do not fear risk; they embrace it as a vital part of growth. These are visionaries willing to step into the game themselves, to leverage their skills, and to accept that the ambition for major evolution also carries the possibility of a hard fall. In these kinds of entrepreneurial ventures, every technical choice, every investment, and every innovation is anything but random. They are rooted in a mission that defines day-to-day operations and a vision that guides values and long-term direction. This is where thinking outside the box takes shape, enabling companies to face even the toughest conditions with the right mindset.
Sometimes, the perfect conditions align: the right inspiration, the right time, the courage to take bold steps. That is when a business becomes a success story. And the story we are telling today is exactly one of those: starting as a classic car restorer, Motor Classic - based in Tatabánya, Hungary - has grown into a specialised paint shop, turning a bold vision into a tangible competitive edge under the leadership of an entrepreneur known for innovation and calculated risk-taking.
At one point in its trajectory, Motor Classic decided to build up a solid and cutting-edge technology industrial background to be able to solve any issues related to car restoration in-house. During the last 10 years, the company has invested a lot in technologies such as CNC machining and chrome plating: the last addition to this vast array of production technologies is a robotic painting solution with a state-of-the-art plant that is today one of the most flexible and efficient painting line in Europe for premium automotive metal and plastic components.
The vision of Motor Classic was to create a unique, one-of-a-kind paint line that would stand out from any standard solution on the market. The automated paint line was built in 2020 and has been operating since 2021, incorporating the most advanced technological solutions. It was developed through a cooperation between KNIPL, a Hungarian paint line builder specializing in KTL/e-coating solutions, and J. Wagner, a leading name in application technology.
The Hungarian automotive market remains one of the key pillars of the country’s economy. It is home to several major OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers and plays a crucial role in both traditional and electric vehicle production across Europe. However, like many other markets, it is currently facing several challenges, including labour shortages, rising raw material costs, and global supply chain uncertainties.
At the same time, the transition to e-mobility and the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies are creating exciting new opportunities: the increasing demand for high-quality, complex components, advanced surface treatment technologies, and sustainable production methods are driving entrepreneurs in
the sector to invest in state-of-the-art solutions. Their goal: to ensure a production process that is consistently flexible, efficient, and capable of delivering the highest quality standards.
“In short, while the Hungarian automotive sector is transforming, it remains strong and full of potential, especially for innovative, qualityfocused suppliers like us,” says Zsolt Nagy. “This is why I decided to make such an investment, not without a fair share of entrepreneurial risk. My gut instinct told me to go for it, as the market was sending interesting signals, and the increase in production volume requested by one of our OEM clients was just the final push I needed.”
Motor Classic: a history of its own
The story of Motor-Classic began nearly 30 years ago under extremely modest conditions. The founder, Zsolt Nagy, started refurbishing motorcycles in a small garage in Környebánya, not far from Motor Classic’s current location in Tatabánya, using limited tools. From the very beginning, his work was defined by a commitment to quality and attention to detail, which quickly earned him a strong reputation. More and more people approached him with restoration projects.
This is how the company gradually specialized in the refurbishment of vintage cars, particularly Mercedes models from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
From the left, counterclockwise:
Manual painting and drying booths supplied by
The PLC that controls the automatic painting line.
Loading area: the handling robot picks up the jig identified by the RFID technology and starts the painting cycle associated to that specific jig.
“Restoring classic vehicles is not just a profession, but a way of life that demands continuous learning, flexibility, pushing boundaries, and delivering the highest possible quality. These core values still define our company’s approach today,” proudly says Zsolt Nagy. Motor-Classic has grown continuously by reinvesting a significant part of its profits in technological and human development, always intending to implement cutting-edge technologies. This led to the establishment of a CNC machining department and a robotic paint shop, among others. “Today, Motor Classic has 4 business units: besides its core classic-car restoration workshop, there are CNC Machinery, Surface Treatment (Zinc, Copper, and Nickel electroplated coatings + manual painting), and Industrial Robotic Painting. We are a stable company providing a livelihood for more than 120 families, recognized both in Hungary and internationally. The name MotorClassic has become synonymous with quality and reliability, as evidenced by numerous domestic and international awards, as well as the trust of our clients. Over the years, our scope of activities has expanded, and today we also serve as a modern supplier for highvolume production, particularly in the field of surface treatment and painting of plastic and metal automotive components. We mainly supply premium automotive brands, and the majority of our products are exported.”
The robotic paint shop constitutes the youngest division of Motor Classic. The development of this new business unit was driven by the sudden increase in demand for Porsche mirror parts from SMR. “In the autumn of 2020, to increase painting capacity, our management decided to invest in a more advanced coating technology with the idea in mind to follow the growth of domestic automotive production led by the development of new OEM assembly plants in Hungary (Mercedes 2012, BMW 2025, BYD 2025). By the end of March 2021, our robotic paint shop was completed,” says Jean-Romain Py, Business Development Manager at Motor Classic.
“It took another six months to truly bring it to life and begin mass painting of components that met the strict quality standards of the automotive industry. The short timeline, further complicated by COVID waves, posed serious challenges to everyone involved in the project, on both the supplier and investor sides. However, the biggest challenge was building a capable team entirely from scratch. It was no easy task to find the right professionals in such a short amount of time, both for operating the equipment and for establishing the technological processes and supporting operations,” Viktória Tasnádi, Key Account Manager, says.
Eventually, the team came together, and mass production began in August 2021. Since then, thanks to further developments, the
Design and manufacturing of plants and chemicals for industrial wastewater treatment
Chemical-physical plants
Sludge treatment and compactor systems
Ion exchange demineralization systems and reverse osmosis systems
Oil separators
Filtering systems
Batch type systems
Flotation units
Chemicals and spare parts for water treatment
Technical service, support and maintenance of wastewater treatment plants
business unit is now ready to take on new projects. “Despite the initial difficulties, we can proudly say that today we are coating various plastic and metal components for premiumcategory cars using one of the most advanced painting technologies available on the market,” underlines Zsolt Nagy.
Motor Classic currently operates a fully automated painting line as well as four manual paint booths for smaller series, prototypes, or custom finishes. The automatic line is suitable for treating both plastic and metal parts, mainly aluminium alloys. The system uses double-sided jigs with a large painting window (1900mm x 1200mm). All jigs are tracked by RFID, and the painting, flash-off, drying and cooling phases can be specifically customized for each of them. The line consists of a multi-zone system organized around a central track along which two 6+1-axis Fanuc R-2000iC robots handle and monitor the jigs in and out the individual treatment stations
following a pre-set sequence. The task is complex: to achieve high-quality results, hundreds of parameters must align, and each parameter must be assigned a precise tolerance window to create a stable and repeatable process. At the line’s entrance, there is a loading/unloading area equipped with the first 6+1-axis manipulator, which transfers the jigs with the parts to be painted to the robots on the line and receives from them the ones with the finished parts ready to proceed to quality control, packaging, and shipping. The line can perform two material-specific pre-treatment processes: CO2 (dry-ice) cleaning for plastics, which ensures effective and contactless surface preparation, and a 3-stage alkaline immersion cycle for metal parts, which includes drying and cooling steps. In this second case, “The robot automatically immerses, lifts, and drains the jigs in the degreasing, rinsing and DI-rinsing tanks and then takes them to the opposite side for drying and cooling,” Viktória Tasnádi explains.
“After immersion, any remaining liquid is dried off the gripper head to eliminate even the smallest water droplets, which could cause defects during painting. Once dried, the robot then transfers the jigs to the various painting stations to carry out the assigned process recipe.”
The process continues in four temperature- and humidity-controlled spray booths, each equipped with four Fanuc P-250iB 6+1-axis painting robots.
These allow coating any complex 3D geometry with excellent repeatability. The painting robots are equipped with J. Wagner electrostatic application equipment, as well as HVLP and Bell Spray technologies: the choice between electrostatic and pneumatic application depends on the size and shape of the parts to be painted, thus enabling precise and consistent finishing results. The application technology handles 1k and 2k solventbased or water-based paints, which can be used simultaneously within the same production cycle, maximizing flexibility and output.
The paint kitchen features a multiple-colour paint supply system. “The components are treated with multiple coating layers in four spray booths,” Viktória Tasnádi goes on to explain. “We can combine a 2k water-based primer, a 2k solvent-based primer/filler with a putty-like consistency, a 1k water-borne base coat in different colours, and a 2k solvent-borne clear coat. Each coating system has a dedicated application booth. Currently, we are assessing the implementation of further solvent-based painting systems because we are receiving a lot of requests. At present, we use a four-layer coating system for exterior metal parts, consisting of two primers, a base coat, and a clear coat. For plastic exterior components, a three-layer system is applied, including a primer, a base coat, and a clear coat.”
After each booth, the parts pass through the same flash-off/drying/cooling tunnel, where two 3-axis manipulators perform the necessary processes. “Flash-off lasts 15 minutes at ambient temperature, and curing 30 minutes at 80 °C. We have 8 positions in the flash-off area, 14 positions in the oven and other 7 positions in the cooling area. A reliable air circulation and filtration system allows drying components coated with water-based and solvent-borne products next to each other without affecting the quality of the finishes,” Viktória Tasnádi adds. “We can also choose to apply a wet-onwet paint system. Essentially, this automatic painting line gives us full flexibility, since it is not bound by the rigidity of a traditional conveyor or a specific tack time.”
The controlled-environment painting technology ensures exceptionally low scrap rates, even for challenging finishes such as piano black and high-gloss coatings. The entire line is supported by two high-capacity air handling units, along with multiple heating, cooling, and other auxiliary systems to ensure optimal painting conditions. In addition, the line is equipped with eco-friendly features such as a VOC burner and waste water treatment systems, featuring a KMU evaporator that treats the water curtains of the painting booths and recirculates clean water into the system, significantly reducing environmental impact. “Waste water from water-based and solvent-based painting booths follows different treatment circuits, and then both water streams converge to the vacuum evaporator,” Jean-Romain Py points out. “The concentrate is disposed of, whereas the purified water is recycled and recirculated into the system, in a closed circuit.”
The line is completed by a laboratory where Motor Classic manages all short-term quality tests in-house before releasing a production batch. The lab is equipped with a microscope that allows conducting analyses in case the quality control team detects surface defects and preparing a correction plan for the technical team. “We also have offline programming
capacity, which helps us to be more efficient in terms of development and set-up of painting recipes,” underlines Viktória Tasnádi. “90% of the robot trajectories are done offline, while the remaining 10% is done online when the plant is not working.”
The robotic paint shop’s operations are divided into three main areas:
The technology team works in 12-hour continuous shifts;
The preparation and quality teams work in two 8-hour shifts;
The support team operates in a single 9-hour shift.
Our leading surface solutions enhance performance, design and applications for the automotive industry. We continuously refine our production processes to reduce CO₂ emissions and introduce eco-efficient innovations to help our customers shape a sustainable future for mobility.
www.basf-coatings.com
Besides the automatic painting line for mass production, Motor Classic coats small series, test series and custom products in four manual spray booths (designed and supplied by the Italian Blowtherm) with a highly-qualified team of manual painters, whose experience derives from their work on classic cars.
“From an efficiency and cost-effectiveness perspective, our goal is to increase the operation time from the current 3–4 days to 6 days per week. To achieve this, we must focus on acquiring new customers, and to ensure greater stability, we aim to win projects from non-automotive sectors as well,” concludes Zsolt Nagy. “We intend to continue providing our clients with sustainable, automated, and high-quality surface treatment services in the long term. In addition, we want to strengthen our export partnerships and become a supplier to new premium customers. Digitalization and Industry 4.0 solutions also play a key role in our plans. We are currently evaluating several technological improvements aimed at reducing contamination levels even further. Our goal is to achieve an even higher level of quality and production efficiency. There is increasing demand for special visual solutions, such as Liquid Chrome and other high-gloss surfaces, as well as pad printing. Accordingly, we are constantly developing our painting technologies and materials and increasing automation in order to keep pace with market expectations.”
From top to bottom:
The waste water collection and treatment system. The evaporator supplied by KMU-LOFT.
Zsolt Nagy, Founder and CEO of Motor Classic.
We met Patric Pedruzzi, Olpidürr Spa’s General Manager since 2021, at the company’s new headquarters in Vimodrone (Milan, Italy). Founded as a workshop producing electrical panels, Olpidürr has followed, and often anticipated, the evolution of the Italian and European automotive industry, becoming a global benchmark supplier of industrial coating systems. Starting from a lucid analysis of the complex current situation, Pedruzzi identified this sector’s drivers in relation to the broader economic context and outlined the premises for future technological developments.
For those who have been working in the Italian industrial coating sector for some years, the name Dürr is inextricably linked to Olpi, a Milan-based company founded in 1949 by Pietro Pizzamiglio and Pietro Olivotti for the manufacture of electrical panels. Olpi then quickly specialised in developing coating systems, achieving its first major milestone in 1958 with the installation of a system at the Innocenti factory for coating the world-famous Lambretta scooter that dominated the Italian roads for 25 years. In 1965, Olpi began collaborating with German company Dürr, based in Stuttgart. That led to the first joint project for the FIAT plant in Cassino in 1974. Three years later, Dürr acquired a majority stake in the Italian company. The plants developed by the
two companies together were gradually implemented globally, finding application in various production fields, from the coating of car bodies to components such as wheels and eyeglass frames. Dürr completed Olpi’s acquisition in 2021, further consolidating the Group’s presence in Italy and on the international industrial plant engineering landscape.
“Today, the Dürr Group,” explains Pedruzzi, “is one of the world’s leading players in the mechanical and plant engineering sector, with consolidated expertise in industrial automation, process digitalisation, and energy efficiency optimisation. The technological solutions, systems, and services offered by our Group enable highly efficient and sustainable production processes – mainly for the automotive sector but with significant applications also in the chemical, pharmaceutical, medical device, electrical engineering, and battery production industries.” With around 18,400 employees and 139 operating sites in 33 countries, the Dürr Group reached a turnover of 4.7 billion Euros in 2024. The Dürr Group operates in the market with the four divisions Automotive, Industrial Automation, Woodworking, and Clean Technology Systems Environmental.
“The Italian branch of the Dürr Group is part of the Automotive division and consists of three companies,” adds Pedruzzi. “In addition to Olpidürr Spa, it also includes CPM Spa (Beinasco, Turin), a leading company in the field of final assembly, and Verind Spa (Rodano, Milan), which specialises in designing and manufacturing systems for the industrial application of paint and coatings.” Olpidürr has recently reorganised its internal structure to optimise space management and streamline business
processes. “That’s why in December, we inaugurated our office at our new headquarters in Vimodrone.
For the market there is no change. Olpidürr continues focusing on the design and manufacture of solutions for the automotive industry. “In addition, advanced solutions for emission treatment and noise reduction are core business and a main growth driver for Olpidürr”, emphasises Pedruzzi, “supported by steadily increasing demand in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food sectors in response to the growing awareness of environmental sustainability issues. On the other hand, we are seeing a decline in investment by some of the leading automotive OEMs, affected by the uncertainty of the current macroeconomic environment.”
Although the whole European automotive market is currently facing a complex scenario, the leading OEMs, such as Stellantis, are going through a particularly critical phase in Italy. How is Dürr positioning itself as a supplier in this context?
“Yes, some car manufacturers have been investing less in new production lines. But not all of them. We were acquiring substantial orders for new plants from OEMs with high technological standards for their high-end cars. One example is a major order we received for the construction of a new coating plant from an Italian car manufacturer – a project that involved CPM Spa for the supply of the factory’s entire AGV system. And there has been a significant increase in demand for revamping existing plants with the aim of improving their energy efficiency.”
Data for the first quarter in Italy show an increase in electric car registrations but also highlight the country’s lag in production compared with the rest of Europe. How do you expect the electric car market to develop?
“In 2021-2022, the Italian market experienced particular dynamism, with long-standing automotive brands launching significant plans to develop production lines dedicated to electric cars. However, these projects encountered some obstacles, mainly related to difficulties in sourcing raw materials and high component costs. I believe that the market will find its balance with concrete measures in terms of incentives and infrastructure, which are unfortunately still lacking in our country. Production, which has temporarily halted due to factors external to OEMs, will resume and close the gap with countries such as China, where electric vehicle production began earlier than in Italy.”
What about revamping projects?
“We have a lot of inquiries from larger OEMs who are focusing on optimizing their systems. Especially car manufactures with high production capacities are interested to modernize their plants with a view
to saving energy. High-end cars, produced in small volumes, follow a market trend that is at odds with the projects of major OEMs with large volumes, which tend to focus more on process optimisation in order to keep production costs as low as possible.”
What are the main technological solutions that Dürr is developing to improve environmental sustainability in coating processes?
“In Europe – to a much greater extent than in Italy – OEMs tend to adopt fully electric coating systems to minimise the environmental impact of their production processes and reduce CO2 emissions. Dürr has already implemented several fully electric coating solutions, eliminating the use of fossil fuels. We expect this trend to also affect the Italian market in the near future. Improving energy efficiency and reducing product consumption are key objectives for our company. A concrete example of this strategy is the work of our sister company Verind, which develops innovative devices to reduce paint consumption. Optimising energy efficiency is one of the main focuses of Dürr’s R&D activities, as the coating department is the most energy-intensive area in a production plant.”
How does the Clean Technology Systems Environmental division drive your current growth?
“As mentioned, the air pollution business is a continuous growth factor for our company. Initially we were specialised in researching innovative solutions for purification in coating plants, an operation that had a significant environmental impact at the time. But over time we are serving many more industries beyond surface treatment. Today, the automotive sector accounts for only 15% of its target markets, with the remaining share distributed among other sectors, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, and more recently, cosmetic packaging. Growing environmental awareness requires new systems, and we are receiving orders for these systems in many cases. Accordingly, our expanding customer base makes the service business an important driver of our growth.”
Well, not only in this area: throughout its history, Dürr has always pioneered plant innovations. What are the latest developments you can share with us?
“Dürr developed a new paint shop concept called “Paint shop of the future” allowing the coating system to be expanded according to user requirements through innovative design that makes the line modular and flexible. This solution simplifies the work of OEMs, which often cannot plan their plants’ design according to production peaks. Its smart concept allows a system to be started up at 100% production capacity and expanded in the future if necessary. This is a key advantage for manufacturers because they can focus on the current market without having to anticipate and plan for future developments that are impossible to predict.
We are also implementing the use of artificial intelligence in our plant solutions. For three years now, we have been using algorithms to perform predictive maintenance and to analyse and optimise energy consumption data. Recently, in Germany, AI has also been used to optimise the car body handling flow within the paint shop, with the aim of avoiding any downtime that could have a knock-on effect on the entire production process and further reducing the impact on energy costs.”
Thanks to its ability to ‘anticipate the future of coating’, Dürr continues to play a key role in the search for advanced plant solutions, responding to market needs and transforming key drivers, such as energy efficiency and sustainability, into concrete levers for its development.
From an interview with Alfonso Scalzotto, CEO of Deltrian Italia deltrian.italia@deltrian.com
In a highly technological and competitive sector such as the automotive industry, attention to air quality in production departments is essential. This is not just a matter of environmental sustainability but an actual operational necessity. Deltrian Italia is a benchmark designer and supplier of advanced filtration solutions that combine performance, sustainability, and safety.
Air quality is a fundamental requirement in every sector for ensuring safe and efficient work environments. In particular, air purification and filtration play a strategic role in the automotive industry. That is especially true for coating booths, where the presence of dust, oil mist, and suspended paint particles poses a risk to both the health of operators and the integrity of finished products.
Keeping the air clean means protecting one’s staff against harmful exposure while safeguarding the aesthetic and functional quality of components, since even the slightest contamination can compromise the uniformity of the applied finish. Fighting airborne contamination from polluting particles is a complex challenge: every element in the production environment, from people to objects, can become a potential vehicle for pollutants. It is essential to rely on high-efficiency filtration systems capable of ensuring constant control of contaminants even under the most critical operating conditions. That is where Deltrian Italia comes in. Based in Spino d’Adda (Cremona, Italy), this company specialises in air filtration and purification for numerous industrial sectors and professional environments. Thanks to a tailor-made approach and latest-generation technologies, it guarantees the creation of controlled environments, compliance with current environmental regulations, and optimal working conditions for every type of application. “Filtering air is not just a technical matter: it is a responsibility towards people and the environment. At Deltrian Italia, we are committed to ensuring clean air and optimal conditions every day, even with the most complex applications,” says Alfonso Scalzotto, the CEO of Deltrian Italia.
Deltrian Italia was founded in 2014 as the Italian subsidiary of Deltrian International, a long-standing Belgian company founded in 1967 and active for over 55 years in the air purification sector. Over time, this Group has established itself as an international benchmark designer, manufacturer, and distributor of advanced air filtration and purification solutions, thanks to its
consolidated know-how and commitment to innovation.
Located in the province of Cremona, its Italian branch is now a rapidly expanding technical and commercial hub. “We started out with just a few people, but currently, we have a staff of 15 and premises covering approximately 1,800 m², of which 1,400 m² is warehouse space and around 400 m² is office space,” the CEO of Deltrian Italia states proudly. “We are a close-knit team of professionals with extensive technical expertise in various fields, capable of offering highly specialised guidance and prompt, knowledgeable technical support tailored to our customers’ needs.”
Core business and product range
“Our added value is our consultancy capacity. Each project starts with an in-depth analysis of the customer’s operating environment
and production requirements, continues with the installation of the most suitable filtering solution, and is completed with after-sales technical support.”
The company’s portfolio covers a wide range of needs:
Filters for HVAC systems;
Filters for industrial environments;
Filtration systems for the automotive sector;
Customised solutions for critical environments.
Products include pocket filters, compact and rigid filters, HEPA and ULPA filters, activated carbon filters, boxes and mounting elements, air flow regulators, air purifiers, and CO2 detectors. Finally, Deltrian offers an air filtration maintenance and management service through its TFM® (Total Filtration Management) programme.
Most commonly used in the automotive industry where the filtration processes require high temperature resistance and remarkable efficiency, on the left the HE-MP filters, and, on the right the RPV-HT filters.
In the automotive industry, air quality is not just an environmental issue but also a strategic factor in ensuring manufacturing excellence. Eliminating all possible sources of atmospheric contamination, such as fine particles, dust, bacteria, and other agents, is essential to preserving the quality of finished products. A filtration system that is not perfectly efficient can compromise the flawless appearance of bodyworks – a critical standard for this market – with significant consequences, including higher costs and slowdowns in the production cycle.
Deltrian Italia has earned the trust of leading international car manufacturers, with which it has been working closely for years, thanks to a range of filters tailored to the specific needs of this sector. “Among our leading products for the automotive industry are the DPA (Deltrian Paint Arrestor) filters, made with Paint Pockets® media (distributed in Europe by the Deltrian Group) and capable of retaining up to 5 times more overspray than other filters. These are complemented by the DPA C product, a compact and versatile version that acts as a modular container, capable of accommodating various filter media from Paint Pockets® to synthetic polyester and Columbus filter media, depending on system requirements. Finally, our range also includes high-temperature filters, designed to maintain high performance even in extreme conditions, with thermal resistance up to 350 °C,” explains Scalzotto.
Deltrian’s filters offer numerous benefits in the automotive sector:
Cost optimisation: its filtration systems developed for the automotive industry offer excellent value for money and low maintenance costs.
Sturdy equipment for industrial environments: ideally suited to the requirements of industrial work environments.
Health and work environment protection: Deltrian’s filters effectively remove pollutants and contribute to a healthier and safer environment for operators.
Greater production line safety: the production lines are protected from external contamination, minimising potential breakdowns and machine downtime.
In addition to the automotive industry, Deltrian Italia operates successfully in the pharmaceutical, food, and chemical sectors, offering tailor-made solutions for critical environments. Its scope of action is not limited to Italy but extends to Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Malta, and Greece.
Deltrian places environmental sustainability, product quality, and workplace safety at the heart of its mission. This is a concrete and ongoing commitment, as also demonstrated by the certifications obtained over the years. The company is ISO 9001 certified for quality management and ISO 14001 certified for environmental management, and it holds VCA (Veiligheid, Gezondheid en Milieu Checklist Aannemers) certification, which attests to the adoption of strict health, safety, and environmental standards, particularly relevant in high-risk industrial contexts. However, Deltrian’s commitment goes beyond regulatory compliance, as it actively participates in waste reduction initiatives and promotes the adoption of energy-efficient technologies, in line with the decarbonisation and sustainability objectives of the international Group to which it belongs. As further recognition of its good practices, Deltrian has been awarded the silver medal by EcoVadis, one of the world’s most authoritative platforms for assessing ESG (environmental, social, and governance) performance. “This significant result is not a point of arrival but an incentive to keep improving. Moreover, our parent company monitors each site’s progress every month, encouraging actions aimed at enhancing the Group’s overall sustainability,” notes the CEO of Deltrian Italia.
Lechler is thrilled to extend its partnership with IED Turin, confirming its role as technical sponsor for Rapida, the concept car developed by students in the Master’s Course in Transportation Design to combine bold design, accessibility, and driving excitement.
Rapida is an unconventional car with bold design, created to embody the thrill and pure pleasure of driving and make it accessible to a new generation who loves speed, aesthetics, and freedom. Designed by students in the Master’s Course in Transportation Design at IED Torino in collaboration with Italdesign, this vehicle is a manifesto of style and innovation that draws inspiration from icons of the past to redefine contemporary sportiness. For six months, the young designers worked as a part of a true style centre, supported by teachers and professionals from Italdesign, using market analyses,
benchmarks, and advanced technologies to create a full-scale prototype developed from the initial sketch to physical production at the company’s factory in Moncalieri (Italy).
The result is a compact car with balanced proportions (4,510 mm x 1,860 mm x 1,280 mm), clean lines, a racing stance, and functional aesthetics dictated by aerodynamics. Its 2+2 interiors combine simplicity and sportiness with technical materials, tactile-effect surfaces, and streetwear-inspired details.
Designed to adapt to different powertrains – internal combustion, hybrid, or electric – Rapida is an open concept, not tied to a specific brand but ready to be adopted by any car manufacturer. With a strong identity and a focus on affordability, this car aims to bring the thrill of sports driving back into the hands of the younger generation.
“We are proud to present Rapida, the result of an outstanding collaboration with Italdesign that has taken shape here in Turin, in a region that has made
the automobile a symbol of ingenuity and creativity. IED has deep roots in this unique context, which is home to internationally renowned design centres and continues to nurture a wealth of knowledge steeped in a glorious automotive tradition. Each concept car expresses a collective effort and the synthesis of a complex and multifaceted design process based on the educational concept that knowledge and knowhow must grow together. In an era of transformation in mobility, it is essential that the world of design opens up to new paradigms and visions: Rapida is our response to this challenge,” states Paola Zini, the Director of IED Turin.
“Our Master’s Course students wanted a car they could identify with and dream about,” comments Dario Lauriola, Italdesign Exterior Designer and tutor. “With Rapida, they responded to the lack of small sports cars that used to offer fun and affordable driving experiences to young people in the 1990s.” Andrea Porta, Italdesign Business Development Officer
• 3D Masks by cutting Silicone
• Max precision
• Multiple materials for multiple uses and industries
• No minimum order quantities
and tutor, adds: “Rapida captures the essence of JDM and winks at the cars featured in the cultural products loved by Generation Z.” He notes:
“Just like manga, video games, films, and TV series, which help today’s young people find themselves and create connections among different backgrounds and generations, Rapida is ready to unite parents and children in their shared passion for cars.”
As a technical sponsor, Lechler (Como, Italy) provided advanced coating solutions, making a decisive contribution to defining the car’s aesthetic and technological identity. Its commitment reflects a virtuous combination of innovation, research, and passion, aimed at supporting the training and talent of new generations. This leading coating manufacturer has made its expertise available to enhance every detail of Rapida’s body, surfaces, and materials.
The car body’s coatings were formulated using the Cube Effect ER3135 colour from Lechler’s collection of metallic and pearlescent tints. A singlecomponent matte metallic red paint (29903 1K MATT) was used as the base coat and a transparent matte base coat (Refinish 09896 Macrofan HS 2000 SAT) as the finish. On the other hand, the carbon and glass parts’ coatings were formulated using the Cube Effect ES9575 colour. Lechler supplied a metallic black base coat (29903 1K Matt Base) and a glossy, ultra-fast drying, low-energy consumption transparent finish (MC405 Macrofan Power UHS Clearcoat).
“Innovation, research, and training are the pillars of our commitment to supporting new generations of designers. We are proud to have once again participated in a project embodying educational and creative excellence. Our heartfelt thanks go to IED Torino for continuing to share this journey made up of vision and inspiration with us,” concludes Lechler’s team enthusiastically.
Monica Fumagalli ipcm®
Coating alloy wheels has always been one of the most difficult industrial processes, complicated by the particular shape of this product and the growing demand for aesthetic perfection from end customers, who now have the opportunity to analyse the painting results more closely through online shopping. RVS, the manufacturer of AVUS Racing alloy wheels, has successfully met this challenge by working with pre-treatment and powder coating suppliers Condoroil Chemical and TIGER Coatings to optimise its painting cycle and achieve the high degree of quality and durability demanded by today’s market.
In the automotive sector, ‘tuning’ refers to changes and customisations applied to standard vehicles to improve or modify their performance, aesthetic, or acoustic characteristics. Originally a technical practice aimed at optimising mechanical performance, it has gradually expanded to include aesthetic and stylistic modifications. Such changes range from functional solutions designed to increase the vehicle’s performance or usability to purely visual transformations enhancing its aesthetic impact and personalising its look, including the coating of its body and rims.
“Aesthetic tuning is becoming increasingly popular among not only enthusiasts but also ordinary users, thanks to the increased availability of aftermarket components that are easily found online,” explains Davide Fraccaro from RVS Srl, the manufacturer of AVUS Racing alloy wheels for cars, SUVs/off-road vehicles, and commercial vehicles. “As wheels are one of the most iconic and impactful elements for customising a vehicle, they are among the most sought-after products in the tuning sector. Until a few years ago, tyre dealers were responsible for purchasing and fitting them to
deliver a complete vehicle to the customer, but today online purchasing has changed this habit: the product is delivered directly to the buyer, who can then inspect it personally and with greater attention. Rims’ surface coating has thus become of crucial importance because it is their first visible element: even the slightest imperfection is immediately noticeable – to the eye and the touch.
That is why RVS began making significant investments in its coating department a few years ago: “We had been intending to insource this fundamental production stage for some time, also because the growth of our company and the expansion of our production capacity had been making logistics management for material transport increasingly complex. Over the last five years, we have launched several programmes to automate our equipment fleet with the aim of relieving our employees of the heaviest tasks, optimising workplace safety, managing human resources, and reducing the environmental impact of our operations. After improving our foundry department with latest-generation, lowenergy consumption systems, we decided to invest in the automation of machining processes and finally, in 2021, in the installation of a coating
plant. Thanks to the expertise and knowledge of our production manager, Tiziano Milani, we were able to involve our ideal suppliers already during the line’s design phase, initiated with plant engineering company AVIN Srl: Condoroil Chemicals for pre-treatment products and TIGER Coatings’ division specialising in powder coatings specifically developed for alloy wheels.
RVS, from contract manufacturing to the acquisition of the AVUS Racing brand
“RVS was founded in 2003,” says Fraccaro, “after acquiring a company established in 1979 in Castelfranco Veneto (Treviso, Italy) for the contract manufacturing of rims and known on the market as an industrial partner to the most famous national producers of alloy wheels. Since then, our core business has been the production of alloy wheels for high-end cars, which lately have gone from 50,000 to 190,000 units per year.” Since June 2007, RVS has also been managing the production and distribution in Europe of AVUS Racing monoblock alloy wheels, a well-known brand in the sector as a supplier to prestigious Formula 1 teams such as Red Bull
and Toro Rosso (2007) and ING Renault (2008).
“Finally, just one year later, we became the owners of this brand and also launched it in the world of off-road racing, developing and patenting an innovative system called RBS01 (RVS bead lock system). This consists of an alloy wheel designed for both standard use and use with a dedicated bead lock kit without requiring structural modifications.” Today, RVS develops customised designs for every car model, harmonising them with the vehicle’s style as much as possible. “We are well aware of the strategic importance of style centres for car manufacturers, which is why we want to be able to offer wheels that match any livery chosen by the most important automotive OEMs.”
“Our entire production cycle,” continues Fraccaro, “is carefully monitored at every stage form design development to structural design (FEM), mould production using CAD-CAM systems, shell moulding, CNC machining (now carried out on plants capable of working on three different rim sizes simultaneously), final product inspection, packaging, and storage.”
One of the aspects to which the Veneto-based company pays the most attention is environmental friendliness: “Thanks to our sustainability policy, we have been ISO 9001:2015 certified by the authoritative German body TÜV for years and recognised as a trusted supplier by some of the most important European companies, particularly in Germany, which accounts for about 60% of our production, and in Northern Europe. RVS is
also approved by both the Italian and German Ministries of Transport. This requires a significant investment in in-house testing, from raw material quality checks to X-ray inspections, rotary bending tests, impact tests, TBL tests, and dimensional checks on finished products.”
The company’s current portfolio includes numerous models with diameters ranging from 15 to 23 inches. “We have recently launched a colour customisation programme to respond to market demands that are no longer solely focused on performance in extreme conditions, such as snow, ice, and road salt, but also increasingly on the aesthetic perfection of finishes. Our typical customer is not just the motor enthusiast looking to make their vehicle more eye-catching, but above all the everyday driver who covers long distances and prioritises safety, thus tending to switch to smaller, narrower wheels during the winter months and revert to a wider configuration in summer. This clearly shows the strategic role of the coating phase within our production process and the importance of achieving some of the highest quality standards in the industry. This is precisely why we have chosen to collaborate with leading specialists in alloy wheel finishing.”
About four years ago, RVS launched a project to build a high-efficiency coating system, entrusting the task to AVIN (San Martino al Tagliamento, Pordenone, Italy). “The biggest challenge in starting a project of this kind,” Fraccaro points out, “is not so much securing the necessary funds as
finding qualified personnel capable of managing the plant once it is up and running.”
The line was configured to meet RVS’ requirements regarding advanced automation and production capacity, i.e. approximately 120 parts per hour. “To achieve this goal,” explains AVIN’s Sales Manager, Matteo Macor, “we focused on automation to minimise manual intervention. Today, operators are only involved in loading, unloading, and quality control.”
The construction of this plant also called for the development of completely customised management software to adapt it to Industry 4.0 requirements. “We completed it with the most innovative devices, including Wagner coating equipment for powder and liquid cycles; new filters and cyclones for the powder application booths, also featuring fire extinguishing systems; a CMA liquid coating robot; a demineralisation system; motorised roller conveyors for unloading; and a robot for transferring the rims from the pre-treatment tunnel to the coating line.
From left to right:
The Wagner SuperCenter EVO.
The roller conveyor takes the parts to the booth that applies the liquid intermediate coat.
The shape of rims is one of the aspects that makes their coating process particularly complex.
Finally, the project included a modern, state-of-the-art purification system. The design and installation of the plant took approximately one and a half years to complete.”
“The three-layer (primer, intermediate coat, and clear coat) painting cycle begins with the manual loading of the wheels,” explains Tiziano Milani, RVS’ production manager, “and continues in the 6-stage pre-treatment tunnel. A robot then transfers the parts to the coating line, which starts with a main booth for powder primer application connected to a Wagner SuperCenter EVO machine. This system ensures high repeatability in colour changes and consistent finishing quality, thanks to controlled powder dosing by weighing. Next to the main booth are two additional booths, one dedicated to sampling and the other used as a backup, ready to take over in the event of a plant shutdown. After dwelling in the oven, the rims enter the booth devoted to the low-pressure application of the liquid intermediate coat, performed by a robot with Asahi equipment and managed by the Intellimix system, which ensures uniform and precise finishes. Following a flash-off phase, the powder clear coat is applied.”
The parts are then oven-cured, cooled, and subjected to quality control. Finally, at the end of the cycle, they are packaged, labelled, and placed on pallets for transfer to the warehouse.
While the coating line was still being completed, RVS called in powder manufacturer TIGER Coatings – for advice on the most suitable application cycle – and pre-treatment product supplier Condoroil Chemical. “We greatly appreciated this choice,” emphasises Alberto Zancan, the Sole Director of TIGER Coatings Italy, “because it enabled us to develop specific products based on the plant’s characteristics and RVS’ high quality standards before the line was started up.”
In fact, the coating system developed by TIGER, which included a primer and an acrylic powder clear coat, led to a substantial modification in the line’s initial design: the last robotised booth, initially intended for the application of a solvent-based liquid clear coat, was adapted to allow applying a powder product as well. This choice also reflects RVS’ commitment to environmental sustainability, as confirmed by Tiziano Milani: “In addition to the obvious advantage of reducing emissions, using a primer and a clear coat with the same chemical characteristics allows us to achieve a higher finishing quality on our wheels.”
“We tailored the pre-treatment cycle to RVS’ needs to ensure high cleaning efficiency without damaging the rims’ alloy surfaces, thus also guaranteeing optimal aesthetic results,” explains Moreno Zuccarelli, Business Development Manager at Condoroil Chemical. “The process consists of six stages: degreasing with Condorine SG 511 N, a highly concentrated, mildly alkaline degreaser, in combination with the MIX A additive; rinsing with mains water; deoxidation with Cleaner SF; further rinsing; passivation with Condorcoat AL 91; and a final rinse with demineralised water.”
“The Condorine SG 511 N degreaser, with a pH of approximately 10, is specifically formulated for aluminium and contains biodegradable surfactants and anti-foaming agents,” adds Mario Rossi from Condoroil Chemical’s Technical Assistance department. “It is active at 50–55 °C and is enhanced by the additive MIX A used in low concentrations, which increases its degreasing power, acts as an emulsifier by capturing the oil in the bath, and acts as a highly effective anti-foaming agent. The Cleaner SF deoxidiser, with a pH of approximately 2, is an acidic product particularly suitable for pickling aluminium at room temperature; it can be used by either spraying, as in this case, or dipping, in combination with a
hydrofluoric acid-based additive. Finally, the nanotechnology passivating agent Condorcoat AL 91 works at a neutral pH (6.5–7.0) and is suitable for both cycles with a final rinsing stage and dry-in-place treatments without rinses; in addition to ensuring excellent coating adhesion and corrosion protection, it is free of heavy metals, VOCs, and harmful substances, in full compliance with RVS’ environmental policy.”
“TIGER Coatings is a long-standing partner to the wheel industry,” says Zancan. “Our automotive team works closely with Tier 1 suppliers and OEMs to meet the strict quality and performance standards imposed by this sector. We supply RVS with a powder primer from our 200 series, which is epoxy polyester-based and available in grey and black. It provides an excellent base for the subsequent layer, improving corrosion protection even in the most difficult-to-reach areas. The primers in this series are also distinguished by their high resistance to overcuring, excellent antioutgassing properties, and compatibility with liquid intermediate coats. The acrylic-polyester clear coat from our 250 series, available in a glossy finish, offers solid chemical properties, excellent film distension, and
unparalleled clearness. It also eliminates the need for a subsequent protective layer with an additional liquid clear coat, thus speeding up the application process and reducing its environmental impact.”
RVS’ coating department carries out two colour changes per day. “Our catalogue of finishes,” notes Fraccaro, “includes black (currently the most popular colour), grey, anthracite, and bronze (the most unusual colour), as well as diamond finishes, which require the wheels to return to the workshop before further coating.”
“We have relied on the best the market has to offer in terms of both plant engineering and pre-treatment and coating products,” Fraccaro points out.
“Today, thanks to this optimised cycle developed through collaboration with our two reliable partners, Condoroil Chemical and TIGER Coatings, we can offer a five-year guarantee also on the most complex wheels, such as diamond-finish ones, even in Northern European countries, where driving conditions are extreme due to colder temperatures. In particular, choosing an acrylic powder clear coat meant a leap in quality in the eyes of our customers, who appreciate its aesthetics and, above all, its gloss, even in diamond finishes, which are among the most difficult to use and handle.”
“Continuous aesthetic research drives us to develop increasingly highperformance products,” confirms Zancan. “Painting a rim is a complex operation: it is necessary to ensure uniform thickness at every point and consistent quality that will last for years, regardless of weather conditions. High performance is also achieved through careful analysis of the specific coating lines in which our products will be used. Indeed, one of our greatest strengths is our ability to adapt and customise our coatings according to the characteristics of each plant to optimise performance.”
“Our development plan, which involved our entire production process from the foundry to the machining and coating departments, called for a considerable effort. It was a complex journey, but essential to provide our customers with perfect products in every respect. Quality was not the only cornerstone of this process: attention to our work environment and environmental impact was also key. We worked hard, especially with TIGER Coatings, to reduce emissions by adapting a coating cycle originally designed for completely different products.”
Edited by ipcm®
CAT has installed multiple PIG systems aimed at optimising colour change and minimising paint waste for a company in the automotive sector. The unique feature of this solution lies in the automation of the pipe cleaning cycle and in the specific design of the paint feed equipment.
In recent years, the automotive sector has been undergoing a true revolution revolving around customisation, recording an extraordinary increase in the variety of colours and finishes not only for bodies but also for plastic components such as bumpers, handles, and dashboard components. Colour is no longer just an aesthetic detail but a distinctive element capable of expressing identity, style, and uniqueness. Maximalism is increasingly in vogue, understood as
the art of exaggerating and celebrating the overabundance of styles, colours, finishes, and textures. In the March issue of ipcm, the editor’s letter1 already reflected on the comeback of this trend as a philosophy focused on enhancing individuality and freedom of expression. For car manufacturers and OEMs, offering customised options has thus become a strategic competitive advantage.
However, this evolution has also brought new production challenges: complex coating cycles, frequent colour changes, and the need to optimise consumption while reducing paint waste and plant downtime in order to remain competitive in the market.
A leading Italian manufacturer also found itself facing this issue: how to achieve production efficiency and quick colour change operations while maintaining the high degree of performance and quality that characterise the automotive sector?
“This customer needed a smart, compact, and above all, flexible system,” explains Ivan Conti, the owner of CAT – Coating Application Technologies (Val della Torre, Turin, Italy). “There was no space for large paint management units, nor was it possible to devote a paint feeding system to each colour, especially with the ones used the most infrequently, the so-called ‘wildcard’ tints, which are not always ready for use but share the paint feeding systems with other colours. Therefore, we needed to find a flexible solution that could guarantee high performance without completely revolutionising the existing plant.”
The solution was identified in a PIG system designed and installed by CAT, a cutting-edge technology conceived to recover coating residues from the feeding pipes to drastically reduce the consumption of paint and cleaning solvents. This has not only optimised the customer’s production process but also contributed to making it more sustainable and efficient – two values that are increasingly central to today’s industry.
“The heart of the system we have installed is a device called PIG. It is a cylinder made of flexible material, slightly wider than the pipes’ internal diameter, which is pushed through the tubes by a fluid (air, nitrogen, or solvent). The PIG drags any residues with it, thus cleaning the internal walls of the paint feeding system and recovering 95% to 98% of the coating product, which is conveyed back to its tank instead of being lost, thus reducing both paint waste and the amount of solvent needed for cleaning the pipes,” explains Ivan Conti. “Generally, pigging systems are used on multi-product pipelines to prevent contamination between paints and to empty the pipes between the tank and the receiving end, thus reducing or eliminating the need for long cleaning cycles.”
1 https://www.ipcm.it/en/open/ipcm/2025/92/11.aspx
CAT’s system - in its fully equipped configuration - integrates several phases, including as follows:
Coating product loading
Coating product usage
Coating product recovery
Colour tank replacement
Pipe cleaning
Pump cleaning.
During the loading phase, when the operator starts the pump, an automatic valve system managed by the PLC comes into action: the colour valve opens and, at the same time, the valve that discharges any residual solvents present in the pipe also opens, conveying them into a special tank.
The paint product pushes the PIG from the starting station (‘source’) to the arrival station (‘target’) at the end of the feeding system. When this reaches the second point, the discharge valve is closed, and the product recirculation valve opens. The feeding system comes under pressure, and the colour is ready for use.
At the end of the colour application cycle, the system moves on to the paint recovery phase. It closes the recirculation valve and opens a valve that uses compressed air to push the PIG back from the target station to the starting one.
The return valve to the coating tank also remains open. When the PIG reaches the starting station, all the residual paint product has returned to its tank.
Once the coating has been recovered, the pipe cleaning phase begins: alternating jets of air and solvent and keeping the return valve to the solvent tank open creates turbulence that thoroughly cleans the inside of the pipeline. Once this phase is complete, the other elements of the paint feeding system are cleaned, i.e. the pump, agitator, and dip tube. “Typically, this last step - in a standard configuration - is done manually: the operator replaces the paint drum with the one containing the cleaning solvent, starts the pump cleaning cycle, and then lifts the lid to manually clean the agitator and the dip tube. Finally, they remove the solvent container and replace it with the drum with the new colour to be applied,” explains CAT’s founder, Sandro Conti. “In the latest installed configuration, we introduced a significant innovation to our system, consisting of the automation of this cleaning cycle, on which we have worked on for a long time. The lid covering the paint drums is opened by pneumatic lifters and automatically rotated 180° to enter a dedicated tank where air and solvent nozzles perform cleaning in a completely automatic manner. Once the new paint drum has been positioned, the lid automatically returns to its position, and the system is immediately ready to be restarted. The operator never comes into contact with the paint or the solvent: their only task is to monitor that the cleaning cycle is carried out correctly, avoiding any risk of contamination between one colour and another.”
The main engineering challenge in this project was to develop a user-friendly yet high-performance software interface. “Our goal was to create a technologically advanced system that was also easy to configure and customise according to production requirements,” says Sandro Conti. The software package developed by CAT allows the operator to independently adjust key parameters such as cleaning times and paint recovery modes. The system’s initial configuration was defined in collaboration with the customer, but the software package was designed to allow subsequent optimisation independently to progressively fine-tune the cycles, further reduce solvent consumption, and improve overall performance.
“With regard to automation, on the other hand, the main challenge was designing a fully automatic cleaning cycle for the paint feeding system, designed to minimise human intervention. What makes it even more competitive is its compatibility with existing coating lines: thanks to open technology and Siemens communication protocols, this system integrates perfectly with the colour change valves already present on robots or other coating equipment without the need for plant revamping,” illustrates Ivan Conti.
The system has been in operation for several months and has already produced significant results that have fully satisfied the customer. “One of the main objectives was to maximise the recovery of the coating product that accumulates in the pipes during each colour change, reaching a recovery rate of approximately 95-98% through a quick and efficient cleaning process,” says Conti. Another key result to be achieved was to lower the amount of solvent used in the cleaning phase. As the PIG system moves inside the pipes while scraping off residual paint, the lines are already clean, and the need for solvents is significantly reduced. That translates into greater environmental and economic sustainability. “The return on investment is very fast. At a time when expenses are assessed more cautiously, upgrades and revamps like this offer an important opportunity because they allow benefiting from cutting-edge technology with a very favourable ROI,” Ivan Conti emphasises. The success of this project has already led CAT to develop two additional PIG systems for the same customer and even prompted the company to install this technology in the CAT Lab, its in-house laboratory where new solutions are tested and optimised before being launched on the market.
The PIG system has long been an established technology in the automotive sector, where efficient colour change management and residual paint recovery have become essential to ensuring competitiveness from a sustainability perspective. CAT has taken it a step further, making this system suitable for the world of general industry with a semi-automatic solution that offers the same benefits, i.e. product recovery, reduced consumption, and minimised waste, but with lower investment costs, perfectly in line with the needs of this field. “The solution designed and installed for the general industry features the use of EcoSupply P Core hardware developed by Verind SpA, part of the Dürr Group, integrated with CAT’s flexible automation and control logic. Especially for coating contractors that work with dozens of different colours daily, relying on a system that minimises solvent consumption and recovers almost all of the paint product from the pipelines can be a concrete and immediate economic advantage,” concludes the owner of CAT.
Helios Quartz Group SA
Via Roncaglia 20 6883 Novazzano - Switzerland
Tel. +41 (0) 919233555/6 Fax +41 (0) 919233557 swiss@heliosquartz.com www.heliosquartz.com
Helios Italquartz S.r.l.
Via delle Industrie 103/A 20040 Cambiago - Milano - Italy
Tel. +39 02 95 34 93 18 Fax +39 02 95 34 50 85 italy@heliosquartz.com www.heliosquartz.com
Niko Haberkorn, Markus Hallack
Evonik Industries AG, Essen (Germany) niko.haberkorn@evonik.com, markus.hallack@evonik.com
As the electric vehicle (EV) market continues its rapid expansion, the demand for safer and more efficient battery technologies becomes increasingly important. The goal is to reduce the risk of fires resulting from infrequent but hazardous thermal runaway incidents in EV batteries.
As the electric vehicle (EV) market continues its rapid expansion, the demand for safer and more efficient battery technologies becomes increasingly important. The goal is to reduce the risk of fires resulting from infrequent but hazardous thermal runaway incidents in EV batteries. Thermal runaway starts in a battery cell and can be triggered by a short circuit, cell malfunction, or external mechanical failure leading to a rapid increase in temperature and potential ignition. Industry faces stringent safety standards to mitigate these risks, necessitating advanced thermal insulation solutions. Evonik addresses this challenge with its cutting-edge
TEGO® Therm based heat protective and fire-resistant coatings designed for EV battery housings and covers.
Evonik’s TEGO® Therm product line offers a robust response to the industry’s safety demands. These coatings provide superior thermal insulation and fire resistance, crucial for preventing thermal runaway in EV batteries. The TEGO® Therm coatings are engineered to meet and exceed the UL 94 V-0 fire safety standards, ensuring a high level of protection for electric vehicle batteries.The TEGO® Therm coatings are designed for easy spray application, allowing for complete and efficient coverage of complex three-dimensional battery housings. This versatility ensures that every contour of the battery housing is protected, providing a uniform barrier against heat and fire.
The TEGO® Therm toolbox includes a variety of components, each meticulously engineered to enhance the performance of thermal insulation and fire-resistant coatings:
TEGO® Therm L 300 Binder: The waterborne polysiloxane hybrid binder enhances the thermal stability and fire resistance of the coatings. It is known for its superior heat stability and low smoke and odor development, making it an environmentally friendly option.
TEGO® Therm HPG Insulation Granules: These granules feature a microporous silica core, offering low thermal conductivity, high hydrophobicity, and reduced flammability. This makes them ideal for creating coatings that are not only effective insulators but also noncombustible. When the different particle sizes are combined these granules improve mechanical performance, contribute to excellent dimensional stability and ensure smooth, even surfaces for insulation coatings. Coatings based on this range of products meet the UL 94 V-0 fire safety standards, providing a new level of protection for EV batteries. The versatility of TEGO® Therm allows for spray application on complex threedimensional substrates, ensuring complete and efficient fire resistance of the coverage of every contour of the battery housing.
Fire resistance test - 20 minutes exposure to a 1000°C jet flame
During rigorous testing, coatings formulated with TEGO® Therm demonstrated their ability to minimize heat transfer to the underlying substrate while preserving superior mechanical integrity during direct exposure to flames.
Coatings based on TEGO® Therm L 300 binder combined with TEGO® Therm HPG granules can reach a thermal conductivity (λ value) of less than 40 mW/ (m K).
During the test the coating based on TEGO® Therm was subjected to stress by a propylene flame for a period of 25 minutes, which can reach temperatures of over 1000 °C. To be able to assess this accurately, the temperature on the back of the steel substrate was meticulously measured. This experiment was carried out with two different dry film thicknesses of the coating in order to compare their respective fire protection properties.
When exposed to a direct jet flame with temperatures exceeding 1,000 °C, the temperature increases gradually, and the maximum temperature on the reverse side remains below 250°C with a dry film thickness of just 2.0 mm. Increasing the dried film thickness to 5 mm further lowers the back panel temperature to 110°C.
The tests show that thin coatings with a dry film thickness (DFT) of only a few millimetres, suitable for applications with limited space, enable effective insulation and protection of the substrate. As electric vehicles become more prevalent, the demand for improved battery safety will only grow. Evonik’s TEGO® Therm fire-resistant coatings provide a vital solution to one of the industry’s most pressing challenges. By enhancing the safety and reliability of EV batteries, these coatings contribute to the broader goal of sustainable and secure electric mobility. As the market evolves, innovations like TEGO® Therm will play a pivotal role in ensuring that electric vehicles are not only efficient but also safe for consumers worldwide.
with a complete service that includes system design manufacturing, installation, technical support and chemicals
SPRAY BOOTHS WATER SLUDGE REMOVAL
RESIN DEMINERALIZATION
SYSTEMS
REMEDIATION OF CONTAMINATED SITES
BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
BATCH TREATMENTS
PHYSICAL-CHEMICAL SYSTEMS
ADSORPTION FILTRATION
REVERSE OSMOSIS
MEMBRANE SYSTEMS
EVAPORATORS
BIOGAS BIOMASS SYSTEMS
OIL SEPARATORS
DESANDERS
DESALINATION SYSTEMS
MULTIDISC SCREW PRESS
OTHER SYSTEMS
CHEMICALS
Helios Quartz boasts many years of experience in integrating infrared and UV technology into the automotive sector, not only in vehicle painting processes but also in other stages of the production cycle - where its technology is often not yet well-known but can provide significant benefits in terms of productivity and cost-efficiency.
Painting is the most intuitive process where Helios Quartz’s products are applied. UV lamps speed up the drying phase of the paint, allowing the production line to simultaneously handle coating and drying of pieces of different sizes, thicknesses, and shapes. This makes the entire process faster, more efficient, and smarter.
Infrared lamps are also widely used in this field. Helios Quartz has collaborated with many major international players. On several occasions, the company developed projects where infrared technology was used to heat the sealing strips for sunroofs and rear windows, streamlining the process in a fully automated way.
Another automotive application of IR technology involves heating rubber seals used in door and interior finishing: infrared radiation ensures controlled vulcanization that shapes the exterior of the seal while maintaining interior elasticity for compression. This process also optimises energy use, significantly reducing heat loss compared to systems that use convective heat (i.e., hot air).
Helios Quartz has also designed various solutions for heating leather prior to car seat assembly. Under normal environmental conditions (below 30°C), leather is stiff and hard to fit perfectly onto the seat, resulting in time-consuming adjustments for operators. Helios Quartz developed a solution to heat the material up to 60°C before installation, increasing productivity.
The IR lamps are housed in a metal reflector (IR module) to prevent injuries to operators or damage to the material. The devices involved never come into contact with the heating module, as a special protective frame separates the heating area from the handling zone.
Recently, Helios Quartz was approached by a major player in the leather processing industry to design a machine suitable for the vacuum/ thermoforming process of leather used in luxury car interiors. In this case, infrared heating reactivates the adhesive between the leather and its substrate, enabling quick, uniform, and wrinkle-free bonding. This application is still relatively unknown in automotive leather processing but represents a crucial solution for the industry’s future development.
Infrared lamps are also used in processes not strictly tied to automotive production, such as plastic deburring and flocking.
Deburring removes leftover plastic burrs after machining and becomes significantly faster and more precise with infrared lamps. Flocking, the application of millions of tiny fibres onto an adhesive-coated surface to create a velvet-like texture, is widely used in car interiors, especially in high-end models.
Helios Quartz’s technology is not intended to disrupt automotive production processes but rather to streamline, accelerate, and optimise them - offering clients solutions with an excellent price-quality ratio, reduced operating costs, energy savings, and versatile applications. Looking ahead, Helios Quartz continues to invest in R&D to bring its technology to all stages of the production chain—not just painting—and to foster long-lasting partnerships that will strengthen Helios Quartz’s presence and reliability in both Italian and international markets.
For further information: www.heliosquartz.com/?lang=en
Venjakob will be showcasing at Battery Show Europe from June 3-5, 2025, in Hall 8, Booth D-31.
With over 60 years of experience in surface technology, we are excited to present our novel coating process that replaces traditional film wrapping of battery cells with a more cost-effective solution.
Independent tests have demonstrated that our UV coatings outperform adhesive films in both mechanical and electrical tests, especially under extreme conditions.
Join us to learn more about our efficient, fully automated coating lines for battery packs, cooling plates, and automotive interiors and exteriors. Let’s shape the future of battery technology together!
For further information: www.venjakob.com
Revolutionary precision in paint defect detection brings new standards to surface inspection. The Eines Surface Quality Paint Inspector automatically detects, locates, and classifies even the tiniest paint defects in real time — with no line stops. Powered by high-sensitivity machine vision technology and AI, it ensures flawless car bodies straight from the line.
Pushing the limits of automated quality control: no manual inspection, no rework delays — and full compatibility with automatic sanding and polishing systems.
Technology | Powered by
Edited by EINES Vision Systems Almussafes - Valencia, Spain comunicacion@eines.com
Automation, machine vision, and artificial intelligence are redefining surface quality inspection in the automotive paint process.
The quality of a vehicle’s surface finish not only determines its aesthetic appeal—it also influences overall product perception, customer loyalty, and brand reputation. For this reason, quality control in the paint process is one of the most critical challenges in automotive manufacturing plants. Despite technological advances, many factories still rely on manual visual inspections, which are subject to variability, fatigue, and a lack of traceability. In this context, automated inspection using machine vision has emerged as a robust, objective, and scalable solution. We spoke with Javier Aramendi, Chief Commercial Officer at EINES Vision Systems, to learn how automated paint inspection is transforming quality standards in the automotive industry.
Paint inspection: one of the final barriers to full digitalization
ipcm®: Why does paint inspection remain such a complex challenge in a highly automated environment like the automotive industry?
Paint is a complex, dynamic surface. It reflects light, colour, and texture, and even the slightest imperfection, such as a dust particle, crater, or flow mark, can disrupt its appearance. Detecting these types of defects objectively and consistently, regardless of lighting conditions or operator experience, is a major technical challenge. And the cost of an undetected defect reaching the final customer goes far beyond economics: it directly impacts brand image.
Data-driven technology, not perceptions ipcm®: What does machine vision offer compared to traditional manual inspection?
Fundamentally: objectivity, traceability, and complete coverage. Our system, ESFI (EINES Surface Quality Paint Inspector), uses a setup of high-resolution cameras combined with uniform white LED lighting, capable of capturing more than 40,000 images per vehicle. From this data, vision algorithms and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) analyse how light is reflected on the painted surface to detect and classify defects in real time. In addition, multi-frame techniques allow the same defect to be analysed from different angles and moments, increasing diagnostic reliability.
Types of defects detected and accuracy achieved ipcm®: What types of defects can the system identify and with what level of precision?
The system detects common issues such as dust, craters, drips, and orange peel, as well as hard-to-see flaws like surface dents or pinholes. Thanks to prior training of the neural networks with both real and synthetic data, classification capabilities are extremely accurate. In real production environments, audited results from our clients show a detection rate above 99% - far exceeding the 50-80%1 range typical of manual inspection, depending on the environment and operator experience.
1 https://www.sandia.gov/research/publications/details/visual-inspection-reliability-for-precision-manufactured-parts-2015-12-01/
From the left, clockwise:
Finish Line screen for displaying defects
Defect frame detected.
ESFI at different paint phases.
Efficiency, traceability, and reduced operating costs
ipcm®: What operational advantages does automated inspection offer?
The benefits are numerous. First, consistency: the system delivers stable results over time, free from external influence. Second, data traceability: each detected defect is recorded with detailed information on its location, type, and size, enabling further analysis and continuous improvement. And third, integration with automatic repair systems, since defect location data can be sent directly to a robotic cell. All of this translates into fewer reworks, improved operational efficiency, and a significant reduction in the cost per inspected unit.
Agile deployment and adaptability via simulation and Digital Twin
ipcm®: How is the solution adapted to the specific needs of each plant or vehicle model?
During the design phase, we use a Digital Twin simulation environment that allows us to define the optimal system architecture for each model or body type. We simulate vehicle behaviour inside the tunnel, camera placement, lighting conditions, and artificial defect detection. This enables us to anticipate coverage needs, shorten commissioning times, and minimize initial investment.
A proven industrial solution, not a proof of concept
ipcm®: Is this a pilot-phase technology, or is it already validated in industrial settings?
It’s a fully mature solution. Since 2016, we’ve installed dozens of inspection tunnels for major automotive OEMs worldwide, with excellent results in terms of reliability, stability, and return on investment. This is not
an experimental technology - it’s a proven tool in continuous evolution, with short improvement cycles thanks to production data feedback.
Control across all paint process phases
ipcm®: At which stages of the paint process should this type of system be installed?
It can be installed at multiple stages: after cathodic dip coating (KTL), after primer application, and especially after the topcoat. Each stage allows the detection of different types of defects, and the earlier they are identified, the easier and more cost-effective they are to fix.
Impact on customer perception and brand value
ipcm®: What are the benefits in terms of perceived quality and brand image?
Surface quality is one of the first aspects a customer evaluates when seeing a vehicle. A visible defect raises concerns about the overall reliability of the product. Therefore, a system that ensures finish uniformity not only enhances internal quality but also protects product image and brand reputation.
We study your particular case
The future of quality control: from reactive to predictive ipcm®: What’s the next step in this technological evolution?
The ultimate goal is to move toward predictive and preventive systems. We’re already working with models that correlate detected defects with process parameters in the paint booth, such as humidity, temperature, airflow, or robot painter behaviour. This paves the way for intelligent control systems that not only detect but also anticipate deviations and propose automatic adjustments to prevent them.
Automated paint quality control is no longer optional—it’s essential for competitiveness, efficiency, and excellence. Machine vision has proven it can see what the human eye cannot—and go further, by turning data into intelligent decisions. At EINES Vision Systems, we understand that every production plant has unique characteristics: specific workflows, line configurations, and quality standards. That’s why we approach each project with a tailored mindset, thoroughly analysing the operational context and client goals.
If your organization is considering implementing automatic paint inspection systems, we would be happy to assess your specific case and apply our expertise to identify the most suitable solution.
Verification of the correct application of structural sealants and adhesives on car bodies, ensuring continuity, proper thickness, and the absence of gaps or excess material in critical sealing areas. Inspection of correct colour application and uniformity through advanced image analysis, detecting chromatic variations that could impact the final finish perception and panel-to-panel consistency.
A Statement in Industrial Design In industrial design, this powerful trend color finds diverse applications. TIGER Drylac® Ruby Flame lends a sophisticated touch to urban outdoor furniture and city garden accessories. It pairs seamlessly with modern materials like brushed stainless steel,
Iveco, a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, has recently upgraded its coating process with a plant for distilling the solvents used to clean its related equipment. Designed in collaboration with Water Energy, the new distiller reduces solvent consumption by over 50% and cuts the environmental impact associated with management, handling, and disposal operations.
Some vehicles do more than travel the road. They carve out a path in the history of commercial transport. The Iveco Daily is one of them. Launched in 1978, just three years after the Iveco brand was founded, this van immediately embodied a clear vision: to offer a commercial vehicle that combined structural strength with high load capacity. Unlike many of its competitors at the time, the Daily was designed with a truck-like chassis on which the axle, rear bridge, and engine were mounted and then coupled to the body. The first generation, equipped with a 2.5-litre 72 hp diesel engine,
quickly made a name for itself with its ability to carry up to 5 tonnes of total weight. But this was only the beginning: in the following years, Iveco invested heavily in technological innovation, introducing the 4x4 version in 1984, capable of tackling the most challenging terrain, and the legendary TurboDaily in 1985, whose turbocharger brought its power to 95 hp, ensuring superior performance and optimised fuel consumption. However, the real strength of the Daily has always been its ability to anticipate market needs and adapt to changes.
Already in 1986, Iveco presented an electric-powered prototype, a sign of its early focus on environmental sustainability. This vision would come to fruition many years later with the new electric generation of the IVECO Daily. Today, the eDaily version is the result of a fully optimised in-house production workflow. Its complete assembly process takes place at the Suzzara plant (Mantua, Italy), and the batteries are integrated in the Brescia plant (Italy).
Most of the models in the Iveco Daily range take shape in Suzzara. “This production site is our global hub for the manufacture of this vehicle: up to 450 types of bodies are produced here, available in thousands of different versions and over 230 colours applied in our two coating lines,” explains
Iveco
Claudio Nerenti, the Pretreatment, E-Coat & WWTP Manager of Iveco’s Painting Unit.
The coating phase (already presented in detail in issue no. 78 of ipcm®_International Paint&Coating1 Magazine published in 2022), therefore, plays a central role in this site’s production cycle because of both the variety of finishes required and the quality standards to be met. Equally important, however, is the issue of sustainability. “With a view to continuous improvement and environmental responsibility, Iveco has recently chosen to make its coating process even more efficient from an ecological point of view by adopting a new distillation system for the solvents used to clean the painting equipment,” says Nerenti. For this project, the company turned to Water Energy (San Pietro in Casale, Bologna, Italy), which provided a technologically advanced solution that optimises solvent reuse, reduces waste, and contributes to a significantly lower environmental impact.
1 https://www.ipcm.it/en/open/ipcm/2022/78/98-104.aspx
The long-standing Iveco headquarters in Suzzara.
Iveco
The history of the Suzzara plant dates back to 1878, when the Casali brothers and their sons founded a small workshop, MAIS - Macchine Agricole Industriali, specialising in the maintenance of agricultural machinery. Over the years, the company grew and, in 1936, began designing and manufacturing agricultural machinery, thus becoming a benchmark supplier in the sector. A fundamental shift took place in 1957 with the entry of FIAT and the start of the production of commercial vehicles, including minivans. This marked a real turning point for the Suzzara plant, which in 1975 became part of the newly formed Iveco Group, the result of a merger between several metalworking companies operating in the industrial vehicle sector.
Under Iveco’s leadership, the former FIAT plant underwent extensive restructuring between 1978 and 1981, which led to the creation of three
main departments: sheet metal working, coating, and assembly. “At the beginning, we had a maximum productivity of 110 vehicles per day, but over time, thanks to structural improvements carried out between 1996 and 2000 and regular renovation and revamping over the years, our plant has significantly increased its capacity, becoming a key production hub, particularly for the Iveco Daily. Today, more than 400 vehicles can be manufactured daily at our plant,” states Nerenti.
Within the Iveco empire, which has 19 production sites worldwide, Suzzara – with its 539,000 square metres and a workforce of approximately 150 employees and 2,300 workers – is indeed the main European plant for the production of the Daily vans. “The vehicles manufactured here are mainly distributed in Italy, France, and Germany, as well as in the United Kingdom, North Africa, and Eastern European countries,” illustrates Nerenti. The Group’s international production landscape is completed by the Sete
Lagoas plant (Brazil), dedicated to the South American market, and the Chinese plant of our joint venture NAVECO, which serves the Asian market.
The Iveco plant in Suzzara boasts a production capacity of over 400 vehicles per day, with an average of one vehicle completed every three minutes. “Our workflow is highly flexible, customisable, and order-based: we receive the order and immediately start customised production,” explains Nerenti. “Only a few models, those with the highest turnover, are manufactured in advance and stored. We can configure over 450 types of bodies on different types of chassis.”
The Daily’s production cycle begins with the receipt of formed sheet metal and the required dimensional checks. Then, 132 welding robots perform approximately 7,000 welds per vehicle, assembling about 680 parts to create the van’s body.
After sheet metal working, the bodies are sent to the pre-treatment tunnel before undergoing cataphoretic coating and paint application, which, depending on the vehicle’s technical characteristics, can be done automatically through 17 coating robots or partly manually on the two lines. Once the coating phase is complete, the vehicle enters the assembly department with 140 workstations and approximately 7,600 operating cycles. “We handle around 7,500 part types in our assembly department: each component must be installed with the utmost precision to ensure high reliability and performance,” emphasises the Pretreatment, E-Coat & WWTP Manager of Iveco’s Painting Unit. Despite the high level of automation, most assembly operations are still manual. Only a few tasks, such as glueing the front and side windows, are performed by dedicated robots. “Despite the significant contribution of robotics, our staff remain an essential part of our production process because their experience and attention to detail ensure that we meet the high quality standards we have set ourselves.”
The coating phase is of strategic importance within Iveco’s production cycle, not only to give the vehicles the desired appearance but, above all, to ensure effective protection against external agents. “The coating layer protects the cataphoresis one, which, despite offering excellent corrosion resistance, is sensitive to ultraviolet rays,” explains Claudio Nerenti. The process begins in a 250-metre-long pre-treatment tunnel where the bodies are first subjected to degreasing and phosphating and then immersed in the cataphoresis tank. This is followed by a series of cleaning and tilting operations to remove excess water and oven baking to ensure complete polymerisation of the protective coating. After cooling, the bodies are sealed and sent to the coating booths to undergo the right cycle depending on customer requirements. “We can apply one-layer systems with cataphoresis + top coat or multi-layer systems with cataphoresis + primer + top coat or metallic finishes. To meet the increased demand for the latter finishing option, we installed a dedicated
line with a capacity of up to 20 metallic-coloured bodies per day, mainly for minibuses, vans, and extended-cab vans,” Nerenti emphasises.
“To meet all these requirements and manage our range of over 230 standard colours in addition to customised tints, we carry out numerous colour changes every day. Therefore, to guarantee high finishing quality and comply with the strict standards of the automotive industry, all paint application equipment must be perfectly clean.” Iveco’s machines are equipped with an automatic cleaning system that uses a special solvent to treat all components in contact with paint, from pumps to guns, generating approximately 2,000 litres of spent solvent per day.
“Before we installed the new distillation system, managing this solvent entailed high costs and a significant environmental impact. Every day, Iveco purchased around 2,000 litres of fresh solvent and disposed of an equivalent amount of spent solvent, with frequent journeys between the Suzzara site and the external distillation plant,” continues Nerenti. On average, around 10,000 kg of solvent were moved every four days,
generating traffic, CO2 emissions, and high logistics costs. To address this critical issue, about two years ago, Iveco initiated a study with Water Energy to develop a solution for in-house solvent recovery and regeneration, thus dramatically reducing the volumes to be disposed of and cutting the costs and environmental impacts associated with external management.
The solvent distillation system implemented at Iveco’s premises is the result of close collaboration with Water Energy. “This is not a traditional distiller: it has been conceived as an actual plant component integrated directly into the coating circuit,” says Tommaso Ponara, the owner of Water Energy. “After a series of tests conducted on pilot plants, together with Iveco, we selected a distiller with a 600-litre boiling tank designed to operate in batch mode. The system can treat up to 2,500 kg of contaminated solvent per day, recovering approximately 1,500 kg of
regenerated solvent. This has resulted in a reduction of more than 50% in both new solvent consumption and waste volumes to be disposed of, with significant economic and environmental benefits.”
From a technical point of view, the distillation system is equipped with three tanks: one for storing the contaminated solvent to be treated, an intermediate one for the distilled solvent before the mixing phase, and the final one for storing the regenerated solvent to be fed into the production lines. “The product is automatically collected from the first storage tank and transferred to the boiling chamber and the multi-stage distillation cycle (110 °C, 115 °C, and 120 °C) under vacuum conditions, reaching a pressure of -0.8 atmospheres. The vacuum operation allows the solvent to be distilled at approximately 90 °C instead of at its boiling point of 160 °C at atmospheric pressure. The resulting vapours are then condensed through a coil, where a cooling unit maintains the outlet temperature at 15 °C, allowing the distilled solvent to be collected in a storage tank. After distillation, this is mixed with a small amount of fresh
solvent to restore the chemical parameters necessary for cleaning the equipment. The mixed solvent is then conveyed to a third storage tank, ready to be recirculated into the production cycle thanks to a booster pump that serves the coating plant,” explains Ponara. At the end of the process, only a small percentage of product still containing residues is stored in a tank for disposal.
“Thanks to Water Energy’s plant design, the distillation process is now an integral part of our production cycle. The configuration of the distillation system enables us to treat the solvent not as waste but as a recovered product used in our manufacturing operations,” notes Nerenti.
Adopting the new distillation system was a significant step forward for Iveco in terms of sustainability and production efficiency. “By integrating the distiller into the cleaning circuit of our paint application technologies,
we have reduced the costs associated with purchasing new solvent and disposing of special waste by more than 50%, improved operational efficiency by optimising the use of available resources, and significantly lowered our environmental impact thanks to our reduced need to transport solvents. Previously, our vehicles made around three weekly trips, now only one every nine days, resulting in reduced CO₂ emissions,” states Claudio Nerenti.
This investment has not only improved the site’s competitiveness but also created a model of virtuous management in full compliance with the most stringent environmental regulations and the objectives of Iveco’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, which has always placed a strong emphasis on reducing environmental impact and optimising costs.
“The collaboration between Iveco and Water Energy has been key to this success,” says Water Energy’s owner, Tommaso Ponara. “We are extremely pleased to have contributed our experience to developing a customised solution that meets the customer’s technical requirements while improving the environmental sustainability of its production process.”
Nerenti is also very happy with the project’s results: “Thanks to the synergy between our teams and the highly specialised approach of our partners, we have been able to integrate this complex system without compromising line productivity. The result is a perfect combination of efficiency, innovation, and respect for the environment. And our collaboration with Water Energy continues. We are now installing a Skimmerflot 15,000 sludge removal system designed to treat our coating booths’ water. Thanks to a mechanical process separating sludge from water, the Skimmerflot systems cause the sludge to rise to the surface to be removed by a floating particle skimming unit. The plant will also be equipped with a Drena 1,200 compactor, a system that further accelerates the separation of water from sludge. This investment will also result in a 50% reduction in our disposal costs, thanks to the drastic reduction in the amount of water present in the sludge.”
Bringing your surface to perfection.
Verind offers painting solutions from manual to automatic application, high-quality and easy to integrate.
L.T.E. has inaugurated a new fully electric coating plant in compliance with the Net Zero guidelines, designed and installed by Visa Impianti. This marks a significant evolution in its journey towards increasingly efficient and sustainable production, in line with the principles of the Toyota Production System. The system is the result of a synergy among Italian suppliers of excellence: CMA Robotics provided the self-learning robot, Futura the power&free conveyor, OMSG the sandblasting system, Gema the MagicCylinder booth, and Sherwin-Williams the coating products.
Zero Muda.
A Japanese phrase that can be translated as ‘zero waste’ but actually encompasses a much deeper philosophy. It is one of the founding principles of the Toyota Production System (TPS), an organisational and production model that aims to systematically eliminate everything that does not create value for the customer. It is about minimising unnecessary consumption, avoiding waste, and optimising every production step. Above all, it entails taking care of resources – materials, energy, and people – with intelligence and respect to build a more efficient, streamlined, and sustainable industrial ecosystem. At a time when the climate crisis is forcing a paradigm shift, the concepts of efficiency and sustainability must go hand in hand. Today, sustainability does not just mean reducing emissions or choosing renewable energy: it requires rethinking every single design and operational decision regarding environmental and social impact.
“As solution manufacturers and providers, we are called upon to identify every opportunity for improvement within our own processes and those of our customers. We do this by monitoring data, preventing waste, managing energy efficiently, and actively seeking low-carbon alternatives. This is the approach that guides our innovation: creating smart processes that enable more conscious use of resources and reduce dependence on fossil fuels by favouring green and high-performance solutions. This path is also built on solid partnerships and a shared industrial vision,” says Elisa Cavallina, Process Engineering Maintenance & TPS Manager at L.T.E. A long-standing manufacturing company belonging to the Toyota Material Handling Europe Group, L.T.E. has been applying the principles of the Toyota Production System at its plant in Ostellato (Ferrara, Italy) for many years. Attention to quality, efficiency, and sustainability is an integral part of its production process. Precisely with the aim of reducing its environmental impact, optimising the management of resources, and limiting the use of methane gas, L.T.E. has chosen to rely once again on Visa Impianti1 (Tregasio di Triuggio, Monza e Brianza, Italy) for the design and construction of a fully electric powder coating plant. Installed in its new Fork Carriage Business Unit to treat fork carriages and load-bearing grids, this perfectly aligns with the Zero Muda and TPS principles.
A lean, innovation-oriented approach at the service of the material handling industry: the story of L.T.E. Founded in Milan in 1976 as a manufacturer of special lifting units for forklift trucks, L.T.E. Lift Truck Equipment S.p.a. immediately
1 Visa Impianti had already supplied L.T.E. with a powder coating plant for masts and a liquid coating line for cylinders. The technical descriptions of both systems are available at the following link: https://www.ipcm.it/en/open/ipcm/2023/81/100-106.aspx
distinguished itself for its high level of specialisation in designing and manufacturing masts and, above all, its ability to produce customised versions with the same quality standards as mass production. That enabled it to quickly gain recognition as an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) from several leading international forklift truck manufacturers.
Subsequently relocated to the SIPRO industrial area in San Giovanni di Ostellato, where it now operates within a production area of 100,000 m² with a workforce of 665 employees, L.T.E. experienced a strategic turning point in 2005 with its entry into the Toyota Material Handling Group (TMHG), a world leader in the sector. A year later, the adoption of the TPS marked a change of pace in the company’s production management, introducing the principles of continuous improvement, waste reduction, and process standardisation, which led to a significant structural evolution. In the last few years, L.T.E. has organised its activities into three dedicated business units – masts, lifting cylinders, and fork carriages – to further improve processes, quality, and traceability. Cavallina explains: “In recent years, we have focused heavily on automation and line optimisation, not only to increase productivity but also to improve ergonomics and reduce our quality defect rate.” That is why the company is currently exploring advanced solutions such as AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) and MRs (Mobile Robots) and, at the same time, collaborating with technology partners to digitalise its internal processes through advanced synoptic interfaces and MES systems, integrated to reduce manual input in inspection and maintenance activities and make production control increasingly predictive and datadriven.
As regards the coating process, the latest innovation implemented was installing a Giotto plant, a fully electric automatic coating line that has improved L.T.E.’s finishing operations and coating quality while enabling an essential step towards sustainability and efficiency in production.
The production cycle carried out in the Fork Carriage Business Unit at the Ostellato site stands out for its highly integrated and qualityoriented approach. L.T.E., which manufactures products exclusively for other Toyota Material Handling Europe (TMHE) Group companies with production plants in Sweden, France, and Italy, begins its workflow by receiving raw materials from its suppliers. These are then subjected to various machining processes and sent to one of the 3 welding lines that the new Business Unit has at its disposal.
“The metalworking phase includes several steps: spot welding is carried out initially, followed by welding, which is performed with robots on approximately 92% of products and done manually on special and lowvolume products. Afterwards, finishing and straightening operations
are performed to ensure the geometric conformity of components. The load-bearing grids are only spot welded and welded after machining and before coating, a crucial step for the aesthetics and functional protection of parts. Some of our products are used in particularly aggressive environments, such as cold rooms or areas with high exposure to salt, so the metal must be entirely and permanently covered,” indicates Fork Carriages Plant Process Engineer Luca Bagatella. After coating, the parts are sent to the Mast Business Unit’s assembly line, where they are matched with masts and then tested and checked before being shipped to L.T.E.’s customers.
The new coating plant, operational since January 2025, has been designed to powder coat the fork carriages and load-bearing grids produced at the Ostellato plant, as well as ensuring business continuity for masts, which are coated by the Mast Business Unit. It is a fully automatic line, and its loading area is equipped with an automatic elevator that picks up the components from trolleys positioned by the operators.
The parts are then moved along the line by a power & free conveyor designed by Futura (Robecco Pavese, Pavia, Italy) and taken to a Tunnelblast 1016/8 automatic in-line turbine shot blasting machine from OMSG (Villa Cortese, Milan, Italy), which prepares their surfaces to coating by finishing them to an SA 2½ degree. Following surface preparation, the components pass through a manual blow-off station to remove any residual grit and then follow one of two possible paths, one including the application of a primer – an option reserved for a small number of parts – and one that takes them directly to the finishing application booth. “In the case of two-coat application cycles, the components are taken to the manual primer application booth and then pass through a gelling oven with IR panels,” illustrates Paolo Massari, the owner of Visa Impianti. However, most components reach directly to the top coat application booth, which is fully automated and equipped with a robot from CMA Robotics (Pavia di Udine, Udine, Italy) that performs a pre-finishing phase and 2 reciprocators with 8 automatic guns from Gema
(Trezzano sul Naviglio, Milan), i.e. 4 on each side, using conventional Venturi technology for powder feeding.
“Together with Visa Impianti, which handled the integration phases, we provided a powder application system for pre-finishing operations using our GR 680 articulated robot. This solution stands out for its innovative VRT (Virtual Reality Tracking) programming system, which makes it possible to combine manual powder pre-finishing on complex objects with perfect repeatability guaranteed by the use of a robot,” says Marco Zanor, the owner of CMA Robotics.
“The MagicCylinder® booth from Gema is installed inside a temperaturecontrolled clean room and features a cyclone system and an Opticenter powder centre optimising powder recovery and management. The system also automatically controls the dispensing and safe disposal of spent filters in big bags, avoiding any direct contact between the
operators and the powder products,” notes Francesco Maria Cavedagna, the Process & Manufacturing Engineering Coordinator of the Masts Business Unit at L.T.E. “At the moment, we only use a black thermosetting polyester powder supplied by Sherwin-Williams (Bologna, Italy), but the booth is set up for colour change operations in anticipation of future production developments and colour customisation requirements.”
The cycle ends with the curing phase in a bell oven, followed by forced cooling with a dedicated chiller. Mirroring the loading station, the unloading station has a second automatic elevator that allows the components to be repositioned on the trolleys, ready to be sent to the company’s 21 assembly stations.
“The line is also equipped with a part recognition system that automatically selects the right coating cycle, distinguishing between oneand two-coat processes with an integrated on/off switch mechanism for
the primer application booth. Finally, a volumetric reading radar is also being implemented, which will analyse the parts’ profiles for the robot to adapt its coating path in real time,” adds Rudy Zaramella, Operations Director at L.T.E.
The need for a fully electric coating plant
“L.T.E. had identified the coating phase, an energy-intensive process traditionally dependent on fossil fuels such as gas, as one of the most critical areas to be improved to reduce the environmental impact of its industrial activities,” says Zaramella. Last year, aware of the growing need to address these challenges, the company turned to Visa Impianti to build a coating plant powered entirely by electricity, without using fossil fuels. This choice was not only a response to the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but also marked a concrete step towards building a more sustainable production model, in line with Toyota Material Handling’s overall strategy.
L.T.E. has been implementing a series of measures to reduce its environmental impact for several years now, with the ambitious goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and eliminating the use of gas in its plants by 2050. “Installing this system was not only a technical milestone but also a testament to our commitment
to sustainability. Opting for a fully electric line goes far beyond simply reducing consumption. It is a strategic choice part of a long-term vision aimed at our Group’s decarbonisation and energy transition, a crucial step towards an increasingly green and self-sufficient industrial future,” continues Zaramella.
Another aspect that makes this line even greener is the use of solar panels, which partially power its devices.
“At the start of the project, we provided Visa Impianti with precise data to be adhered to: daily production over two shifts, 880 minutes of actual work per day, a target of 210 painted products per day, and a maximum takt time of 2 minutes and 45 seconds,” states Elisa Cavallina. The real challenge, however, was logistical: “We had to fit the entire plant into the existing hall while ensuring a streamlined, compact layout with no waste – Zero Muda, even in terms of space.” Despite structural constraints, the new plant has been designed to meet the initial production requirements while also covering up to 30% of the mast production, thus becoming a strategic backup solution for the other line built by Visa Impianti in 2008. This project was an important milestone for both companies: it was the first fully electric plant to be installed and started up, resulting from
meticulous design activities and state-of-the-art technological solutions. “As regards the coating process validation protocol, we have conducted a series of quality checks in recent months to ensure compliance with our customer specifications. In particular, we have constantly monitored the thickness of the paint film, ensuring it remained within the specified range, and carried out checks on its gloss level. The tests also included the ‘Grant’ test, which verifies the coating’s curing results, and the salt spray test, essential for assessing corrosion resistance. Both tests were carried out on all the possible application cycles, i.e. the standard process with the application of the top coat alone and the more complex process that also involves the application of the primer (for which we are awaiting the final results). At the same time, we consolidated specific recipes for each product type and range through joint work with the operators who validated every process stage. This approach inevitably took longer to reach full production capacity, but it now guarantees that every part delivered is 100% compliant with the expected quality standards,” states Alessia Rossetti, Quality Process Engineer at L.T.E.
The advantages brought by the new coating plant designed and installed by Visa Impianti have undoubtedly included a significant reduction in energy consumption, which has led to increased efficiency and a considerably lower environmental impact. Recent analyses have shown that, at full capacity (excluding the IR oven used only for specific components), the plant’s energy requirement is 280 kWh, an extremely low figure compared to conventional plants. It has a 50-60% lower electricity consumption than the mast powder coating line, powered by traditional technologies. The improvement in efficiency is also reflected in the use of resources: while the mast coating line requires an average of 6 operators, the new fork carriage coating system only requires 2 people assisted by a supervisor.
The success of this project was also made possible by L.T.E.’s solid partnership with Visa Impianti, which has been consolidated over time since the first plant was installed in 2008.
“We are extremely pleased with the objectives achieved with this new line. Visa Impianti has always proven a reliable and responsive partner, able to offer prompt support even with unexpected needs,” says Zaramella.
The collaboration between the two companies was not limited to the installation phase: in full accordance with the TPS principles, this is followed by a continuous fine-tuning phase aimed at identifying areas for refinement in line with the principle of Kaizen, or continuous improvement. “As a Toyota company, we place great emphasis on training our people and also value the training provided directly by our suppliers to line operators, which is essential for achieving an increasingly industrialised and optimised process.”
This project also marked a significant milestone for Visa Impianti: “Working with a company like L.T.E. is an honour, and contributing to the creation of the first fully electric coating plant is a source of great pride for us,” concludes Paolo Massari from Visa Impianti.
Since 1981 CIE Group’s mission is to realize plants for Since 1981 CIE Group’s mission is to realize plants for Aluminum Finishing Lines. With more than Aluminum Finishing Lines. With more than 200 realizations the CIE Group is 200 realizations the CIE Group is today one o t e toda one of the main worldwide leaders. main worldwide leaders.
Edited by Kenosistec Casarile (Milan) - Italy
As the automotive industry is increasingly focused on sustainability, lightweight materials and multifunctionality, surface coatings can no longer be limited to aesthetics alone.
The evolution of PVD technology is redefining the role of surface treatments, turning them into true enablers of technical and production performance, with low environmental impact.
Beyond aesthetics: PVD as a functional solution
PVD today is evolving toward a multifunctional role.
New coatings not only replicate the chrome effect, but also offer superior UV and corrosion resistance, key properties for external components
subject to aging. They also provide high surface hardness, which translates into greater scratch resistance, something that is also in high demand in interior components. Some treatments also offer hydrophobic properties and make cleaning easier, helping to reduce maintenance costs over time. In addition, in electronics, and especially in electric vehicle powertrains, the possibility of coatings with conductive or insulating properties opens up innovative scenarios.
The needs of automotive manufacturers’ R&D teams are therefore shifting toward “smart” coatings, capable of simultaneously meeting aesthetic, functional, environmental and production demands. In this landscape, PVD represents one of the most promising solutions.
PVD’s invisible role in “hidden” components
In addition to visible components such as handles, frames and grills,
PVD now also finds application in less conspicuous but equally crucial elements. Connectors, structural supports, gaskets, and elements inside battery packs require extremely durable surface treatments capable of working in hostile environments or under severe temperature changes. In these applications, traditional electroplating is often not suitable, especially when technical plastics or lightweight composites are used.
PVD technology, on the other hand, allows high-performance functional protection without weighing down the component. In this context CHROME+, the coating process developed by Kenosistec, fits, capable of combining performance, sustainability and versatility in a single process.
CHROME+ is currently the only chrome plating process on plastic that does not require any galvanic treatment. It is based on a two-layer process consisting of a base coat with high-solid, solvent-free UV paint ( patent formulation) and a subsequent PVD deposition using Hi.P.Po.’s proprietary technology, a patented high-efficiency sputtering source.
The entire process takes place at low temperatures, allowing even heat-sensitive technical plastics to be processed without risk of deformation. The tests to which CHROME+ has been subjected speak for themselves: it passes the most demanding tests of hydrolysis, condensation and extreme weather cycles, which are the quality standard in the automotive industry.
electrostatic systems for liquid painting
electrostatic systems and spraying booths for powder coating
pneumatic systems for high-, medium-, and low-pressure painting
robot and reciprocators IR and UV drying systems
CHROME+ is based on a two-layer process consisting of a base coat with high-solid UV paint and a subsequent PVD deposition using Hi.P.Po.'s proprietary technology.
Thus, it is not just an aesthetic solution, but a fully functional and sustainable technology that complies with REACH & RoSH requirements and offers concrete benefits throughout the production chain. It also reduces the amount of processes required to obtain the finished part, which ensures not only huge savings in economic terms, but also a significant increase in productivity.
Design in the auto industry is increasingly driven toward innovation. Prototypes and concept cars often feature never-before-seen surfaces, iridescent colors, sophisticated opacities, and haptic textures. PVD is proving to be the key to turning these visionary ideas into large-scale manufacturable solutions. The possibility of achieving iridescent finishes, deep satin finishes or “cool touch” effects makes this type of coating a powerful tool in the hands of designers. In addition, compatibility with a wide range of plastic materials allows for experimentation with new
shapes and construction solutions, while maintaining high standards of aesthetics and durability.
All-around benefits for automotive
CHROME+ offers concrete benefits on several levels. From a production standpoint, it enables a reduction in deposition process time and costs of about 30 percent compared to conventional tri-layer systems. From the energy point of view, Hi.P.Po. technology consumes about one-third as much as planar cathodes, and it also provides significant savings in terms of target material due to its optimized use. In addition, by reducing the volume of the deposition chamber, the overall efficiency of the production cycle is improved.
Aesthetically and functionally, CHROME+ provides a uniform, bright, long-lasting finish with improved color retention and a pleasant feel. It is compatible with a wide variety of materials, including ABS, PET, PEEK, PMMA, polycarbonate, polyamides, and others.
Aiming to improve water quality and conductivity in its powder coating and cataphoresis lines’ pre-treatment tanks, Polver, a coating contractor specialising in various sectors including high-end automotive components, turned to Idrotecnica for the installation of a two-stage reverse osmosis demineralisation plant.
The efficiency and success of coating processes do not depend solely on the application technologies or products used. Invisible factors often contribute to determining the smooth running of a cycle. Among these, water conductivity plays a fundamental role. This parameter measures the presence of salts and minerals dissolved in water, which directly affects the coating’s quality and adhesion to metal surfaces. Water that is too contaminated can compromise film uniformity, generate surface defects, and reduce corrosion resistance. “Providing lowconductivity water means ensuring stable, controlled processes that meet the highest market standards,” says Moreno Mariotti, the technical manager of Polver (Fano, Pesaro e Urbino, Italy).
To meet its new production challenges, including an increase in the amount of demineralised water required and the need to further reduce its conductivity levels, the company needed a specialised partner, which it found in Idrotecnica (Genoa, Italy). With over forty years of experience in manufacturing and installing demineralisation, purification, and treatment equipment and systems for various industrial sectors, Idrotecnica supplied Polver with a two-stage, bi-osmotic demineraliser that guarantees water conductivity values below 10 μS/cm, perfect for feeding the most demanding coating processes.
Polver Srl was founded in 1990 by long-standing Fonderia Metauro, specialising in cast iron bases for industrial machinery. The need to treat the surfaces of these foundry products led the Giambartolomei and Verni families, who owned the company, to set up an in-house powder coating department. The installation of the first line also marked the beginning of a contract coating business, which soon became the heart of the firm and the driving force behind its technological growth and market diversification.
“1995 was a milestone year because we started up a coating system for cataphoresis, one of the most reliable and effective corrosion protection treatments on the market. In the following years, Polver further expanded
its capabilities with a semi-automatic powder coating plant designed for colour testing, sampling, and processing of special products, and then with two quick-colour change coating booths equipped with dense phase guns supplied by Nordson-Siver and Gema Europe.” The latest important milestone was reached in 2025 with the installation of the reverse osmosis demineraliser designed by Idrotecnica.
“Today, Polver serves strategic sectors such as automotive, furniture accessories, agricultural machinery, and industrial equipment, maintaining a constant focus on quality and customisation. Every component processed undergoes strict checks in-house and by external bodies to ensure full compliance with regulations and customer specifications,” adds Mariotti. In 2019, Polver obtained ISO 9001 certification as further proof of its commitment.
At Polver, both the powder coating and the cataphoresis plants use water taken directly from a groundwater well instead of mains water. Such water has a high salt and contaminant content, which must be treated to ensure high quality results. “In the powder system, the water provided by the demineraliser is used to feed the last two tanks of the cleaning tunnel, one devoted to nanotechnology passivation with products supplied by Chemetall (Giussano, Monza e Brianza, Italy) and the second reserved for the final rinse,” explains the technical manager. These are the final stages of a complex cycle, which begins with two acid phosphating stages and continues with two rinses with mains water. “In addition to significantly higher water quality, we also needed to ensure greater water exchange in the tanks to prevent the accumulation of contaminants.”
The cataphoresis line also features a pre-treatment tank system, which performs alkaline degreasing, pickling, iron salt phosphating, nanotechnology conversion with zirconium and silane-based products, and several intermediate rinses. In this case, too, the new reverse osmosis plant – which guarantees a significantly higher quality than in the past –feeds the last two tanks, in addition to the cataphoresis one, the one most needing demineralised water with very low conductivity.
“Previously, we relied on a demineralisation plant that produced water with rather high conductivity values, especially for cataphoresis, where water purity directly affects coating adhesion and durability. That is why we had two objectives: producing larger volumes of demineralised water with significantly lower conductivity and doing so in a compact and easy-tomanage solution, as the space available was very limited.” The system designed by Idrotecnica fully met these requests.
After careful analysis, Idrotecnica’s technical team designed a completely customised solution capable of meeting the requirements of Polver’s two coating lines, which differed in terms of technical characteristics, specifications, and processed volumes. In the supplied demineraliser, the process begins with withdrawing water from the well and pre-filtering and treating it to remove most contaminants. The water then passes through the first reverse osmosis stage and is conveyed to two 1,000-litre storage tanks. From here, a dynamic hydraulic system distributes it between the powder line’s cleaning tunnel and the second reverse osmosis stage, which feeds the cataphoresis plant.
“The heart of our solution is bi-osmotic demineralisation: the first stage, installed along the pre-treatment tunnel of the powder coating line, supplies demineralised water to its nanotechnology passivation and final rinse tanks; the second stage is fed by the water already treated in the previous step and serves to further reduce the conductivity of the water intended for the cataphoresis plant. That ensures optimal conductivity values: 11 µS in the first stage and just 3 µS in the second,” says Idrotecnica’s owner, Federico Marcenaro. In addition, a UV debacterisation unit has been installed on the cataphoresis system to reduce the water’s bacterial load.
Idrotecnica has configured and customised a system from its Idro RO range, capable of automatically producing demineralised water with parameters that are fully compliant with specifications and guaranteed over time, without operator intervention. The process is based on reverse osmosis technology, which, in the case of the configuration installed at Polver, is implemented in one or two consecutive treatment stages. Each stage reduces the salt content by up to 99.7%.
“Idro RO is our premium line, developed thanks to over forty years of experience in the sector,” illustrates Federico Marcenaro. “Starting from a modular and flexible platform with standard equipment, we have created a tailor-made system that perfectly meets Polver’s needs.”
Designed for intuitive and straightforward use, these plants are equipped with a latest-generation user interface and a backlit LCD for real-time monitoring of the operating status, water conductivity, and operating hours. In the event of anomalies, they can promptly signal any problems with messages available in six languages.
soft-touch finish, combining aesthetics and advanced performance
Quality and simplicity: the tangible benefits of this collaboration
The plant began operating in early 2025 and brought immediate benefits. The reduction in water conductivity has significantly improved the quality of the processes performed, resulting in more consistent and longerlasting finishes on both the cataphoresis and powder coating lines.
However, the advantages are not limited to production: this system also stands out for its extreme ease of management and fully automatic operation, which does not require constant supervision by an operator.
“The characteristic we appreciate most,” points out Moreno Mariotti, “is its ease of operation. The system is self-regulating, filling the two storage tanks according to consumption: all we have to do is check the water levels. If the level in one tank drops, the system automatically balances the volumes to ensure continuous operation of both lines. Finally, thanks to the plant’s compact design, we have also optimised the space inside our coating department.”
The design philosophy behind the Idro Ro series is the result of over forty years of experience and is one of Idrotecnica’s distinctive features.
“We design with users in mind,” states Federico Marcenaro. “Often, they are not experts in water treatment but operators who handle numerous coating-related activities. Therefore, we develop systems that are easy to operate, reliable, and equipped with truly user-friendly interfaces.”
By adopting this solution, Polver has been able to upgrade its production operations, increasing the quantity and quality of its treated water while also taking a significant step forward in terms of environmental performance. Indeed, the new system has also substantially reduced the use of heavy chemicals, helping to make the entire process more sustainable and safer for operators.
Surface Finishing is our DNA
machine – the choice for repeatable residual compressive stresses before Shot Peening*: -11 MPa at a depth of 24 µm
Edited by Brofind Spa Milan, Italy italy@brofind.it
Regenerative thermal oxidation is a valid solution for treating emissions containing VOCs released into the atmosphere during painting processes, in order to comply with atmospheric emission limits; it can be successfully applied in the car painting sector, thus limiting the environmental impact of the production process and also presenting interesting possibilities for energy recovery.
Brofind has successfully applied a regenerative thermal oxidation system at one of Europe’s most important car manufacturers, at a car body painting line capable of producing around 60 vehicles/hour. The plant has been designed so that it can be expanded at a later date, in order to guarantee the treatment of emissions even following an increase in production, and is equipped with a heat recovery unit capable of pre-heating the air used in the baking ovens of the production process.
During the analysis phase, it emerged that the emissions generated by the plant’s painting lines had the following characteristics:
Temperature 130 – 150 °C (downstream dedusting processes)
Pollutant composition in the emission
Air flow rates
Production cycle
Acetates, ketones, esters, aldehydes, aromatic compounds
50,000 Nm3/h (first phase) –100,000 Nm3/h (after expansion)
On several daily shifts
Variability Limited
The painting process involves the application of several layers of paint products in the spray booth, which can be either water-based or solventbased; the products applied give the resistance characteristics and aesthetic properties that must last for the life of the vehicle. Base, finish and clear protection layers can be applied, which must undergo a drying process in special baking ovens that can lead to the release of hot air emissions into the atmosphere characterized by the presence of VOCs
that are harmful to health beyond the limits set by current regulations and olfactory disturbance.
The goal of the purification system is twofold: on one hand, to reduce VOC emissions into the atmosphere as much as possible, keeping them well below the limits imposed by current regulations and eliminating odour nuisance through a solution that is both environmentally and economically sustainable, while also being capable of recovering the energy required in the production process; on the other hand, to enable the expansion of the purification plant following the increase in production capacity, which resulted in the addition of two more painting lines.
Considering the need to design a flexible solution that could be expanded in size, a 3-chamber regenerative thermal oxidation plant was installed. It was later extended to 5 chambers following an increase in production capacity.
Inside the thermal oxidizer, each regenerative chamber contains a ceramic bed that has the function of storing heat, which is heated or cooled depending on the direction of the flow of the emission to be treated.
The pollutant-laden emission to be purified reaches the first chamber (i.e., after the expansion, the first two) and, passing through the ceramic bed heated during the previous phase, is brought to a temperature as close as
possible to the reaction temperature (which is approximately 850 °C).
The reaction temperature is maintained by auto-combustion of the contaminants in the emission, which, being VOCs, have a good calorific value, but can also be controlled by the introduction of auxiliary fuel in the heating transients.
The emission to be treated remains at combustion temperature for a residence time sufficient to completely oxidize the pollutants it contains. After leaving the combustion chamber, the purified emission flows vertically from top to bottom through the second chamber (i.e. the third and fourth, after expansion). The average duration of these process intervals is variable and automatically regulated by a logic specially developed by Brofind according to its own industry-specific know-how. The third (fifth, after expansion) chamber, on the other hand, allows for further treatment of the incompletely treated emission, which could be conveyed directly to the stack during flow reversal.
The application of thermal regenerative anodising technology on automotive painting lines involved the identification and application of specific technical solutions aimed at achieving the following objectives:
minimum consumption of auxiliary fuel due to regenerative preheating to treat;
extremely low generation of secondary contaminants;
design susceptible to subsequent plant expansion, thanks to a specially designed modular layout;
recovery of excess thermal energy, which was reused for preheating the air used in baking ovens;
compliance with the high-quality construction standards and customer specifications that characterize all of its production facilities;
possibility of performing thermal cleaning of ceramic masses automatically and safely, due to the presence of pollutants potentially fouling the system.
With the regenerative thermal oxidation system, the car manufacturer achieved the following benefits:
pollutant concentration values in atmospheric emissions well below regulatory limits and the disappearance of odour nuisances;
minimisation of energy consumption, thanks to high-efficiency energy recovery;
reduction of energy consumption related to baking ovens, thanks to the preheating of air obtained from the excess colour made available by the oxidizer;
no interference with the thermal and fluid-dynamic conditions of the upstream firing furnaces;
successful expansion of the plant following the increase in production capacity after the first installation.
A new exhibition of photographs by Lucrezia Roda reveals a spectacular view into the world of production, encompassing aesthetics, technology, and vision.
The Automobili Lamborghini Museum presents a new monographic photography exhibition, “The Industrial Perspective” by ltalian artist Lucrezia Roda. Opening on World Art Day on 15 April, the exhibition marks a new chapter in the cultural narrative of the Lamborghini brand and confirms the museum’s ongoing commitment to enhancing the dialogue between art, industry, and community.
This new exhibition follows the success of the 60th anniversary celebrations and the exhibition “Dreamaway - Lamborghini through the eyes of the world” in 2024 with works of art inspired by Lamborghini’s heritage.
A point of reference for innovation, design and automotive culture, the museum attracted a record of 172,000 visitors in 2024: a 26% increase over 2023.
Born in 1992 and with a background in theater photography, Lucrezia Roda has brought her spectacular approach into the industrial world, making it the focus of her visual research. The works in the exhibition are displayed alongside the most iconic cars of the House of Sant’Agata Bolognese that populate the Museum, guiding visitors on an immersive journey through industrial environments that are often inaccessible, with new images of the Lamborghini factory taken from the series “lnside Lamborghini” (2023), along with a selection of photographs taken in other important ltalian companies.
The visual narrative is constructed through these chromatic and semantic associations that link the Lamborghini universe with other industrial spheres, generating unexpected connections between forms, lights, textures, and atmospheres. The dialogue between the images creates a visual tension that highlights, by contrast or by affinity, the singularity of the places depicted, while the title of each work evokes its meaning. The
surfaces of the materials becoming textural, the colors accentuated by the photographer’s gaze, and the rigorous composition of the shots are combined in a visual language that speaks of identity, function and beauty. Each photograph is bound to the other by assonance or dissonance, constructing a story that goes beyond the images themselves and invites the viewer to observe the industrial landscape with new eyes.
“With this project, I wanted to express the wonder you feel when you enter a place where every detail has a function, but also a form, a kind of light, a narrative tension”, commented Lucrezia Roda. “My gaze moves in a balance between order and chaos, between the precision of the production system and the unpredictable expressiveness of the industrial spaces. Photographing Lamborghini has meant entering a dimension in which production becomes vision”.
Her interpretation transforms the factory into an intimate, powerful and unexpected experience, no longer a piece of production but a theater in which materials come to Iife and are modeled and animated. Her works are not limited to documenting the production processes, but interpret
them through a distinctive visual style made of sharp lighting, strong chromatic contrasts, and rigorous compositions. What emerges is an interpretation suspended between reality and imagination, between technology and emotion.
The affinity between Lamborghini and the world of art is one of the brand’s distinctive traits. With “The Industrial Perspective”, the museum renews this vocation, diving deep into the aesthetic and conceptual dimension of the automotive manufacturing process.
Christian Mastro, Marketing Director of Automobili Lamborghini, remarked: ‘’Automobili Lamborghini has always stood for vision, innovation and creativity-values that are reflected not only in our cars, but also in the artistic expressions that narrate our world. Our museum is the ideal space to showcase this connection with the world of art, and through the exhibition ‘The Industrial Perspective’ we aim to offer the many visitors who come to Sant’Agata a unique insight into our production universe, highlighting its distinctiveness through the language of photography”.
Located in the heart of Sant’Agata Bolognese, the Automobili Lamborghini Museum is a constantly evolving space, where the brand’s heritage dialogues with new forms of cultural expression. Alongside the cars that have marked the history of Lamborghini, the museum hosts temporary exhibitions that expand the brand’s story through art, design, and innovation.
“The Industrial Perspective” is open to the public at the Automobili Lamborghini Museum, open daily from 9.30am to 6.00pm from October through April, and from 9.30am to 7.00pm from May through September.
Federica Alberti SG Projects Srl – Voghera (Pavia, Italy) federica.alberti@sgprojects.it
SG Projects, the Italian distributor of the technologies developed by Czech company MEGA-TEC, presents the new AM8HD membrane for cataphoretic coating: an advanced solution that ensures greater resistance to the most severe operating conditions, reduces costs, prevents back-diffusion, and improves mechanical stability.
MEGA-TEC is a company specialising in the production and supply of membranes based on KTL technology and EFC coating cells equipped with RALEX® membranes, developed and manufactured in-house at its headquarters in the Czech Republic. With over 30 years of experience in the e-coat sector, this company produces membranes for both anaphoresis and cataphoresis processes, with warranties extended up to 4 years1
1For further information on membranes for cataphoretic painting: https://www.ipcm.it/en/open/ ipcm/2024/88/178-181.aspx
To better serve the Italian market, MEGA-TEC has chosen SG Projects, based in Voghera (Pavia, Italy), as its official distributor. Recently, the company launched AM8HD, a new type of membrane designed for cataphoretic coating — a process in which the coating is applied by electrodeposition in an immersion tank, where specific physical-chemical phenomena cause it to settle on the substrate.
MEGA-TEC has always designed, manufactured, and marketed its membranes and cells entirely in-house. It oversees the entire process within its factory in the Czech Republic, from the manufacture of the membranes to the production of all types of cells, paying great attention to the end products and supporting its customers with Europeanmade solutions that are unique on the market. The latest result of this company’s constant commitment and R&D activity is a new line of membranes for industrial coating, which entails a significant advance in EC painting technology, marking the beginning of a new era for MEGA-TEC’s complete line of membranes for industrial coating.
The RALEX® ion exchange membrane has always been used in a variety of applications across a wide pH range and at temperatures between 10 and 50 °C. On the other hand, the new AM8HD membrane replaces the existing AM5HD and AM6HD membranes. This transition follows extensive research and development to ensure the AM8HD membrane meets the usage and process requirements of the coating industry.
The new AM8HD membranes feature the following key improvements: Greater pressure resistance: specifically designed for tubular membranes, the AM8HD product offers superior pressure resistance, enabling it to withstand more demanding operating conditions.
Back-diffusion prevention: an innovative feature that significantly reduces salt back-diffusion during shutdown periods, ensuring a more stable and efficient process.
Cost savings: back-diffusion prevention not only improves process stability but also reduces the amount of chemicals needed to prevent pH fluctuations, resulting in significant savings for the customer.
Mechanical stability: the stability of the new membrane has been increased by creating a more robust product for better on-site handling.
Currently, MEGA-TEC is the only manufacturer worldwide that can supply all types of EFC cells: it produces both welded and extruded tubular cells and flat and semicircular cells. With the new membrane type, too, customers can choose from three versions:
Rolls: variable sizes that can be processed by the customer;
Sheets: available in the sizes preferred by the customer;
Tubular membranes: pre-welded membranes ready for replacement in the system.
As always, purchasing complete cells with Ti anodes is the best solution to meet higher quality standards.
As always, change can raise questions and concerns. That is why the SG Projects team, supported by the manufacturer’s technicians, is available to provide detailed information on the AM8HD membranes, including technical specifications, transition support, and integration options into existing systems.
Dürr’s Oxi.X RE system purifies solvent-laden exhaust air at Orafol.
The internationally active Orafol Group is once again relying on exceptionally energy-efficient environmental technology from Dürr. A new regenerative thermal air pollution control system will purify the heavily solvent-laden exhaust air from a new 14,000 m2 production hall dedicated to laminating and coating special films and adhesive tape systems.
The Orafol Group, a specialist in the manufacture and finishing of adhesives, develops and produces self-adhesive graphical products, reflective materials, and industrial adhesive tape. To meet the increasing global demand for its products and to establish new technologies, the company is expanding its production infrastructure at its Oranienburg site in Germany. The investment, the biggest in the company’s history at 160 million euros, also aims to further reduce emissions and set new standards through state-of-the-art building and systems technology. Contributing to this will be the Oxi.X RE system installed in the new factory Hall 10, which meets the highest technical requirements and environmental standards as a regenerative thermal oxidation system.
Oxi.X RE systems purify the solvent-laden exhaust air from production processes by oxidizing nearly all organic substances at temperatures between 800°C and 900°C. Despite these high temperatures, the system uses minimal primary energy due to its integrated regenerative heat exchanger, which preheats inflowing exhaust air to nearly 800°C using energy from previously purified exhaust air. Once the Oxi.X RE reaches operating temperature, it runs auto-thermally (i.e., without the need for gas or heating oil), even with a very low solvent load. This not only reduces energy costs but also makes the air pollution control system extremely economical and productive.
The new thermal regenerative air control system will purify the heavily solvent-laden exhaust air of a new 14,000 m2 production hall.
Technically, this efficiency is achieved through special ceramic honeycomb bodies in the heat exchanger, which can store and transfer substantial heat thanks to their high thermal conductivity and large surface area. The design enables the process to be highly energy-efficient recovering over 96% of the energy required to operate the system through the integrated heat exchanger, meaning that only around 4% needs to be supplied externally. The newly installed Oxi.X RE also leverages the solvent energy from the exhaust air to heat the thermal oil for the ovens, thereby covering the heat supply for the production plant. This approach positively impacts Orafol’s carbon footprint.
Orafol operates thirteen air pollution control systems, in its roughly 280,000 m2 headquarters, including nine Oxi.X RE systems from Dürr. “Our long-standing cooperation, which also includes service, replacement, and modification, ensures that Dürr’s team understands
our requirements well and provides tailored technology that enables us to achieve exhaust air purification results significantly higher than legally required,” explains Marcel Janßen, Senior Vice President Engineering & Technology at the Orafol Group. “Efficient and even productive energy recovery is a crucial component in the sustainable development of our high-performance production infrastructure.” The new RTO system was delivered as a turnkey project, encompassing development, design, production, installation, and commissioning. It included all associated piping and air duct systems between the air pollution control and coating systems, as well as a boiler for generating process steam from the excess heat.
The new RTO is Dürr’s largest installation for Orafol to date. Previously, two large coating systems were connected to a common air pollution control system – now it’s three. A key innovation is the advanced energy management system, which includes two specialized modules: XtraBalance equalizes temperature differences between the three
RTO media chambers packed with ceramic heat exchange material. XtraControl establishes an overall “average system temperature” and monitors it through multiple sensors in the heat exchange tanks and combustion chamber, using the data to control the system. Together, these modules ensure reliable and trouble-free operation, high system availability, and uniform conversion of released energy into usable thermal energy for production. This further reduces operating costs and enhances resilience, even under highly fluctuating operating conditions. Over the many years of successful collaboration, Dürr has precisely and efficiently adapted and optimized its technology to Orafol’s specific needs and operating conditions. Looking ahead, Dürr has already planned for an additional Oxi.X RE system for purifying the exhaust air from the coating systems as part of Orafol’s production hall expansion.
TRATTAMENTO ACQUE
WATER TREATMENTS
PREVERNICIATURA E NANOTECNOLOGIE
COATING PRETREATMENT AND NANOTECHNOLOGIES
SGRASSANTI INDUSTRIALI DEGREASERS
SVERNICIANTI
PAINT STRIPPERS
The initiative aims to enhance sustainability in the coatings industry by targeting up to a 50% carbon footprint reduction. It combines Arkema’s bio-attributed binders and additives, Omya’s recycledcontent calcium carbonate minerals, and AkzoNobel’s strategies to reduce high-carbon materials like titanium dioxide.
Arkema, AkzoNobel and Omya have collaborated to develop a range of lowcarbon options for more sustainable decorative paints with a 30% or more reduced carbon footprint (1) for mass market adoption while maintaining performance equivalent to existing products.
This project aims to expand experiments and achieve up to 50% carbon reduction of decorative paints.
“As the industry actively works on decarbonizing its value chain, we wanted to collectively accelerate the development of next generation paints, to meet increasing industry and consumer demand, Green Deal regulations and green building certifications. Our efforts have been driven by the common objective to make lower carbon footprint solutions the mainstream” said Julie Haevermans, Chief Marketing Officer, Arkema Coating Solutions. The new formulations leverage innovation from these three global industry leaders to incorporate raw materials with up to 40% circular sources. Specific contributions include:
Arkema bio-based and bio-attributed binders and additives.
Omya CaCO3-minerals for opacity boosting and recycled content contribution.
AkzoNobel’s advanced formulation expertise, leading to optimization and reduction of high-carbon materials such as TiO2
Additionally, the three companies leveraged modern, high throughput lab automation processes, including advanced AI-tools, to accelerate development.
“Thanks to advanced lab automation and AI-driven experimental design, commercially relevant paint formulations with considerably reduced carbon footprint were achieved within a short time – with clear indications that even further reductions are possible going forward,” added Philipp Mueller, Vice President Construction at Omya. “Key to success is the willingness of companies along the value chain to work together in an open and collaborative way!”
“This work demonstrates the potential to develop lower carbon footprint paints whilst maintaining performance in brightness, yellowing resistance, and wet scrub resistance. These advances are another step in paving the way for widespread adoption and external recognition, which will help shape the future of lower carbon footprint paints and coatings,” concluded David Williams, Chief Innovation Officer at AkzoNobel.
The initiative combines Arkema’s bio-attributed binders and additives, Omya’s recycled-content calcium carbonate minerals, and AkzoNobel’s strategies.
ABB is among a select group of companies to achieve an A score, underscoring its commitment to environmental sustainability.
ABB has been recognised for its leadership in corporate transparency and performance on climate change by the global environmental non-profit organisation, Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), for the second consecutive year. The company has earned a spot on the prestigious A List, with over 22,000 companies evaluated.
“Inclusion in CDP’s A List for the second year is an important recognition of our strategic approach to sustainability. ABB has set ambitious net zero targets which were validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in June 2024. These include short-term targets for 2030 as well as long-term targets for 2050 and cover ABB’s own as well as its value chain emissions. Our A- Water score is testament to our strengthened governance and supplier engagement on the topic of water risk,” has stated Anke Hampel, Group Head of Sustainability at ABB.
CDP uses a comprehensive and independent methodology to assess companies, awarding scores ranging from A to D- based on the extent of disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risks, and the demonstration of best practices in environmental leadership. Companies that fail to disclose or provide insufficient information receive a score of F.
ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, committed to enabling a more sustainable and resource-efficient future. By combining its expertise in engineering and digitalisation, ABB helps industries perform at their best, driving efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. The company’s 140+ year history is built on innovation and customer-centric solutions, with around 110,000 employees worldwide.
In the world of contemporary design, colour is no longer enough. Surfaces must be able to tell stories, spark emotions, and transform into experiences to be enjoyed with both the eyes and the touch. Designers are looking for materials that stimulate the senses, combine aesthetics and perception, and are capable of conveying a strong identity. At the same time, they can no longer compromise on high functional standards and a genuine commitment to sustainability in response to the increasingly stringent regulations and the growing awareness of consumers. The result is a new frontier for the paint industry, one that blends visual beauty, sensory appeal, technical performance, and environmental responsibility.
ST Powder Coatings (Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza, Italy), a longestablished Italian manufacturer of powder coatings, works in this direction with consistency and determination. The company has made these four values the focus of its participation in the exhibition The Scale of Commitment, curated by Materially and hosted within the Superdesign Show during Fuorisalone 2025. The editorial staff of ipcm® visited the exhibition space to see the installation up close and learn more about the message that ST Powder Coatings chose to convey during the most important week in Milan for the world of design.
The Scale of Commitment: when design calls, industry responds
The Scale of Commitment event aimed to mark a paradigm shift: today, talking about sustainability without providing proof means losing credibility. The exhibition brought together materials and companies that do not simply claim to be green, but transparently measure, certify, and communicate their commitment. In this context, ST Powder Coatings stands out for its ability to translate technical concepts into an immediate, engaging language accessible and appreciated by creative professionals.
“For us, commitment means being able to back up our claims with concrete evidence,” stated Enrico Dall’Igna, Marketing and Communications Manager at the Italian company. “At a time when greenwashing is under scrutiny from institutions and the market, we want to offer our customers objective data and reliable information. Sustainability must be measurable, verifiable, and certified.”
Green Oasis: certified sustainability and tangible effects
ST Powder Coatings’ commitment is clearly demonstrated by the Green Oasis collection, which took centre stage at The Scale of Commitment. This line of powder coatings, available in the P, R, and PLUS versions, is made from sustainably formulated resins: P coatings are produced from recycled PET, R ones with resins synthesised from biogas, and PLUS ones, which boast the highest content of renewable and recycled raw materials
available on the market, are made from a mix of these two materials. R and PLUS coatings are produced in compliance with the strict ISCC PLUS certification requirements, based on the ‘mass balance’ approach for guaranteed transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain1.
Added to this is a crucial functional feature: these chemical formulations are compatible with Cool Powder technology, which allows polymerisation at low temperatures – as low as 140 °C – thus reducing energy consumption during application. The result is a product that not only respects the environment in terms of its composition but also during use, ensuring low impact and high performance.
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, ST Powder Coatings built an immersive installation based on one iconic colour, NCS S 2040-R90B blue, which echoes its company logo. But colour was just the beginning. The exhibition was structured as a cantilevered geometric composition in which seven powder coatings offered seven different ways of experiencing surfaces. From super-matte and soft-touch to glossy and textured surfaces, from the damask to the gator effect, each panel conveyed unique sensations to the touch and sight.
“We wanted to show how a colour can completely change its appearance through texture,” said Dall’Igna. “This installation is a dive into our
1 The technical characteristics of the Green Oasis collection can be explored in more detail in the following article: https://www.ipcm.it/en/open/ipcm/2024/89/98-99.aspx
identity. Each surface has a story, a function, a possibility of dialogue with environments masterfully designed by architects and designers. At the same time, we have highlighted the perceptual difference between flat surfaces and three-dimensional elements, such as spheres, displaying the possible behaviours of light and textures in real spaces.”
Over the years, architecture and design have become a central focus for this company. “This is a strategic market that is constantly expanding,” explained its founder, Marco Zadra. “We have always been committed to moving beyond functionality alone. We offer surfaces that evoke sensations, convey emotions, and adapt to the specific requirements of designers and end customers. Achieving technical perfection is not enough: today, manufacturers of materials must inspire.”
This is one of the reasons why ST Powder Coatings has chosen to exhibit again at Fuorisalone, particularly within the Materially event. “It is the perfect place to showcase our vision to an international, curious, and knowledgeable audience,” added Zadra. “We can talk directly to architects and designers, without filters, bringing our industrial and technical culture to places it often cannot reach.”
Participating in an event like this enables technical companies to reach an audience that is usually difficult to access. “We are upstream in the supply chain,” noted Zadra, “but here we can also make ourselves known to those who generally only see the final results. We can show the potential of our work, explain how a finish is created and how a texture is designed. And we often see the enthusiasm in people’s eyes when they realise how many opportunities we can offer with our range of coating products.”
Such openness to the design world is not limited to a single market but also generates cross-sector innovation. “Everything we develop for architecture can be applied in other industrial fields,” confirmed the founder of ST Powder Coatings. “The ability to combine aesthetics and performance becomes a competitive advantage wherever there is attention to detail and quality. Innovation will increasingly be driven by interdisciplinary influences, also thanks to new technologies.”
The future of industrial coating also lies in customisation, which is now having a major impact on the surface sector. “Requirements are becoming increasingly specific,” emphasised Zadra. “Every brand wants to convey its identity through its materials. We respond with the flexibility of our formulations, combining aesthetics, tactile effects, and functionality in a tailor-made way.”
Although it may seem a highly technical field, made up of chemical formulas and industrial processes, coating is increasingly close to people’s lives. ST Powder Coatings is proof of this: every surface, texture, and finish truly affects how we live and perceive spaces. It is not just about colour but also about tactile sensations, genuine sustainability, and functionality that improves everyday life. And when these elements come together in a coherent design, the result is not just a surface to look at: it is a material that shapes the space to be lived in.
From top:
The behaviour of light and textures in actual spaces and on three-dimensional elements such as spheres.
The effect of NCS S 2040-R90B blue on a smooth surface.
Adopting ALIT Technologies’ Drizzling system marked a turning point for COLMA in managing aluminium surface treatment. Thanks to this solution, the company has optimised processes, reduced operational costs, and guaranteed superior product quality for its customers.
In the world of industrial manufacturing, process optimisation and quality control are crucial for competitiveness and outstanding results. COLMA, a respected name in the design and manufacturing of window systems and curtain walling, has always relied on innovation to enhance its processes and deliver top-tier products to clients. In this context, their partnership with ALIT Technologies has marked a significant leap forward, especially in the aluminium surface treatment process, enhancing product performance to even higher levels.
Founded in the 1990s in Torre del Greco (Italy), COLMA has become a leading company in the window and curtain wall sector, with manufacturing facilities spanning over 30,000 m² of covered space. Specialising in multiple processes such as sheet metal cutting and bending, curving, painting and aluminium decoration, COLMA provides certified and guaranteed solutions. Its mission is to support window manufacturers, design studios, and showrooms with high-quality products and highly customised services. However, alongside the commitment to quality, COLMA prioritises environmental sustainability: it uses photovoltaic systems to power the plants and has achieved an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), confirming the optimisation of production processes and a significant reduction of waste.
As a continually evolving company, COLMA pursued an advanced solution to optimise its chemical conversion treatment on aluminium before the painting process. Its traditional spray-based process, which involved immersion tanks, presented limitations: it was neither selective nor tailored enough for different types of metal sheets and paints, making precise control difficult.
COLMA required then a system that allowed enhanced customisation of surface treatments, minimised waste, and provided greater accuracy and automation throughout the entire process. In response to these needs, ALIT Technologies introduced the Drizzling system, an advanced technology for metal surface treatments offering significant advantages compared to traditional methods.
“A year ago, we decided to partner with ALIT Technologies to enhance the performance of post-painting sheet metal bending. The improvements were tangible and impressive. Recently, we were looking for a direct dosing system for conversion products, and the Italian company proposed a remotely integrated solution, exactly matching our requirements. We are extremely satisfied with the technical support and the results achieved. Now we can consistently guarantee topquality deposits under any substrate conditions”, has stated Giuseppe Colantonio, the CEO of COLMA.
The Drizzling system enables the remote-controlled and customised dosing of the conversion product, tailored specifically to client requirements and the type of metal sheet used. The system also offers remote and local alarm monitoring, ensuring continuous control and enhanced operational safety.
The operating principle behind the Drizzling system is straightforward: the passivation solution is continuously and precisely mixed with demineralised water, ensuring the freshness and purity of the solution. This freshly prepared mixture is then atomised directly onto metal surfaces, eliminating the need for a recirculating passivation tank.
The adoption of this technology has generated concrete and measurable benefits for COLMA.
Elimination of the passivation tank: thanks to the minimal volume of atomised solution required, there is no longer a need for a chemical recirculation and recovery system.
Always-clean solution: using a reduced volume of liquid ensures the passivation solution remains consistently fresh, preventing the accumulation of contaminants.
Optimised space: the demineralised water supply tank can be conveniently located outside the production line, making integration easy even in existing facilities.
Enhanced precision and control: the Drizzling system provides
uniform and precise passivation, significantly improving chemical conversion quality and reducing painting defects.
In terms of production optimisation, the new system has allowed COLMA to minimise waste and reduce the consumptions of chemical products and demineralised water, improve the reproducibility and consistency of chemical deposits, optimise resource management and, finally, integrate a continuous remote monitoring process – increasing accuracy and reducing corrective interventions.
“This collaboration demonstrates how technological innovation, coupled with a strategic focus on continuous improvement, can significantly impact the industrial sector. ALIT Technologies and COLMA continue their partnership, committed to refining processes further and developing increasingly tailored solutions for manufacturing needs, with a pragmatic and results-oriented approach”, has declared Loris Rossi, the CEO of ALIT Technologies S.p.A.
Fraunhofer’s work marks a significant step toward sustainable, high-performance alternatives in areas where fluoropolymers have long been considered irreplaceable, such as the paints and coatings market.
The Fraunhofer Institutes have launched a new research initiative aimed at replacing fluoropolymers in demanding technical applications in response to growing regulatory pressure on fluorinated substances. The project, titled HATE-Fluor, began in February and is a collaboration between the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM.
The initiative comes at a time when manufacturers across industries are seeking alternatives to poly- and perfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ‘forever chemicals.’ These compounds, widely used for their chemical resistance and thermal stability, are facing increasing scrutiny from the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Fluoroelastomers, a significant subset of PFAS used in sealing applications, are among the materials under threat.
The HATE-Fluor project aims to develop a new generation of high-performance elastomers that are entirely fluorine-free. These materials will be enhanced with tailored antioxidants, novel formulations, and advanced coatings to provide the durability and resistance currently achieved through fluoropolymers.
The project targets a broad range of industries,
including mechanical and medical engineering, cleanroom and semiconductor technology, chemical process engineering and electronics, many of which depend on fluoroelastomer components to withstand harsh conditions. Moreover, Fraunhofer LBF is developing thermally and chemically robust elastomer compounds, focusing on improving thermal and thermo-oxidative stability with cutting-edge antioxidant technologies, as well as creating application-specific formulations to ensure high resistance and strong adhesion. Meanwhile, Fraunhofer IFAM is advancing coating technologies to protect these new elastomers. Key developments include polyimide-based coatings reinforced with layered silicates, designed to block harmful gases and moisture. These coatings are expected to significantly reduce ageing and degradation, especially in
sensitive electronics and high-performance environments. Modifications to the layered silicates aim to reduce the permeation of water vapour and oxygen by up to 99%.
The combined expertise of LBF and IFAM in PFAS alternatives and surface technologies underpins the project’s modular approach. By integrating advanced elastomer compounds with plasma and coatings, the HATE-Fluor initiative promises a scalable and adaptable solution to the looming regulatory and environmental challenges posed by fluorinated materials. For further information: www.hate-fluor.de/en.html
industrial coating plants impianti di verniciatura industriale
spray booths for car body shop cabine di spruzzatura per carrozzeria
sandblasting booths cabine di sabbiatura
all the load-bearing structures of our coating plants are realised in aluminium tutte le strutture portanti dei nostri impianti di verniciatura sono in alluminio
industrial coating booths cabine di verniciatura
YOU CAN SEE MORE THAN 1000 PHOTOS AND VIDEOS
UCIF – Italian Surface Treatment Equipment Manufacturers’ Association, Milan, Italy
Men have historically dominated the mechanical engineering sector, and Italy is no exception. Despite the progress made in recent years, the gender gap continues to be a significant challenge, limiting growth opportunities for women and holding back the innovative potential of businesses.
According to an analysis by Fiom-Cgil (two of Italy's major trade union confederations), in 2023, women accounted for only 16.3% of managers in this industry. This percentage fell to 12.8% among female workers. In addition, women accounted for 21.4% of the total workforce but received only 18.9% of the gross annual wage bill, resulting in a gender pay gap of 14.1%, up from 13.5% in 2022. Such disparity does not reflect the skills or aspirations of many female professionals in the sector.
There are many reasons for this. On the one hand, cultural stereotypes that associate engineering, manufacturing, and technical leadership with men persist. On the other hand, women themselves, often unconsciously, struggle to put themselves forward, to stand out, and to claim their place in environments still dominated by a traditional view of leadership. But change is possible. And necessary.
The first step is to raise awareness. Talking openly about this issue, even in corporate and association contexts, is essential to break the silence and promote cultural change. Then, it is necessary to invest in mentoring and
ucif@anima.it
training programmes that help women recognise and value their potential, including soft skills such as negotiation, decision-making, and leadership. Companies can make a difference by promoting active inclusion policies, encouraging women’s participation in career paths, and fostering worklife balance through more flexible organisational models. At the same time, women should emerge from the shadows where they sometimes take refuge – not because they lack ambition, but because of a sense of inadequacy that too often holds them back, without reason, from showing their talent.
The mechanical engineering industry needs different perspectives, diverse skills, and new energy. Women can and must be protagonists in this evolution. Because equality is not just an ethical goal: it is a competitive advantage for the entire system.
Sources
Fiom - https://www.fiom-cgil.it/net/comunicazione/ufficio-stampa/11826-gender-gap-occupazione-e-salario-non-ci-siamo?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Open - https://www.open.online/2025/03/07/gender-pay-gap-metalmeccanici-analisi-fiom/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Il diario del lavoro - https://www.ildiariodellavoro.it/metalmeccanici-aumenta-il-gender-gap-nel-settore-de-palma-fiom-contratto-e-il-primo-strumento-con-cui-combattere-le-diseguaglianze/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
IDEM – Mind the gap - https://idemindthegap.it/il-punto-sulla-gender-equality-in-italia-pubblicato-il-gender-gap-report-2023/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
ANSA - https://www.ansa.it/amp/donne/notizie/2025/02/19/in-italia-il-36-dei-manager-edonna-ma-la-parita-sul-lavoro-e-ancora-lontana_8bd63b89-1869-415a-9e28-ddb14b1f56ae. html?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
Giulia Gentile ipcm®
At Fuorisalone 2025, Lechler Spa presented ‘The Way of Living Emotions’, the new chapter in its Color Design project, which aims to link developments in chemistry with the evolution of the language of colour.
Lechler (Como, Italy), a company specialising in the development of coating products with millions of customers worldwide, presented ‘The Way of Living Emotions’ in Via Tortona in Milan during Design Week 2025, held from 7 to 13 April. This project goes far beyond the search for visual harmony: it is a sensory journey that transforms colour into a tool for emotional well-being. As usual, the author of the new guide is industrial designer Francesca Valan, who has been Lechler’s consultant for many years now, helping it define an advanced and deeply human colour philosophy.
Lechler’s presence at Fuorisalone confirmed its desire to engage with the world of design and architecture by bringing a new vision of colour that is not oriented towards fashion – the enemy of sustainability – but towards the essence of the experience of the spaces we live in every day.
In a landscape dominated by the constant search for the ‘trend of the year’, Lechler takes a clear and opposite stance: trends in the traditional sense of the word no longer exist. As Valan pointed out, the very concept of fashion applied to colour now seems inadequate in relation to the actual lifespan of the objects surrounding us. “Today, more than ever, we need products that last over time. Sustainability is a fundamental value: we no longer intend to constantly change what surrounds us just to chase the latest trend. That is why this company consciously distances itself from that ephemeral idea of design, now fortunately seen as outdated, also thanks to the cultural changes accelerated by the Covid period,” explained Valan.
Lechler believes that colour should be considered a timeless language, capable of generating lasting emotional and sensory value. This ethical and sustainable approach reflects the growing awareness that colour design cannot be ephemeral but must create spaces that improve quality of life. It is all about choosing iconic and stable colours that can live in objects and environments with consistency, depth, and respect for the identity and emotions of those who inhabit them.
‘The Way of Living Emotions’: designing environments that spark emotions
Experience and emotion are the heart of Lechler’s Color Design 2025 project. ‘The Way of Living Emotions’ stems from a simple yet powerful idea: spaces profoundly influence our mood. Tints are no longer just an aesthetic choice but have become the primary tool for generating wellbeing, introspection, relationships, and vitality.
Therefore, this collection goes beyond offering harmonious colour palettes, suggesting instead a ‘metamaterial’ approach in which colour interacts with light, sound, and matter to provide a multisensory experience. The aim is not to decorate but to transform spaces into places that spark authentic emotions and take people on a journey of personal transformation.
In the exhibition curated by Lechler at Fuorisalone, five colour palettes were presented in five different environments, each designed to evoke a specific sensation.
five
In other words, the exhibition space was divided into five rooms, each inspired by one of the colour collections featured in the project. During Fuorisalone, two special events were also held, which saw Francesca Valan and Lechler’s Marketing Communication Manager Alessandra Damaschino guide the exhibition’s visitors through its colourful and sensory journey. It was an invitation to reflect on what we want to feel in the places we inhabit, moving through spaces that range from intimate and contemplative to lively and expansive. Because, if it is true that ‘the container influences the content’, then the environment in which we live can also shape our emotions, our behaviour, and our well-being.
Most of the settings were designed with almost monochromatic harmonies precisely to support the complexity of human experience: “Spaces must be simplified,” explained the industrial designer, “because people experience them with all their senses: touch, smell, hearing, and sight. If we exaggerate with the mix of colours, we risk making the experience overstimulating, thus leaving no room for emotions.”
The visit to the first room, dedicated to the Thoughtful Serenity collection, began with a question: “Why does blue evoke serenity?” The sky and the sea are blue, calm, and therefore ideal for reflection and introspection. “Our mind is free to wander in environments characterised by these shades because the sky and the sea, associated with blue and azure, are ‘immaterial’, ‘limitless’.”
Deep blues and transparent azures, balanced with sandy and neutral shades, are the protagonists of this collection, which creates spaces of suspension and tranquillity, guiding us into a meditative dimension and amplifying the silence.
The second room gave the impression of entering undergrowth: different greens blended with each other as it happens in nature, without order but with a silent logic. With the Natural Balance collection, Valan devised a palette of sage greens and musky tones with cool, bright whites that created almost imperceptible accents.
“There is no symmetry but balance,” she explained. “These quiet greens allow the space to breathe and the mind to slow down,” she added, explaining that she aimed at creating an environment where one could rediscover a subtle dialogue with the natural world to slow down and rest.
Warmth took shape in the room dominated by the Comfort collection’s colours. The atmosphere was cosy and homely thanks to soft reds, powdery pinks, and entrancing tones that evoke closeness, connection, and empathy. “Red stimulates conviviality because it is warm. Our ancestors gathered in caves around the fire to keep warm and be together. It is a colour that unites,” said the expert. “Pink, also present in this environment, is the ‘tactile’ colour par excellence – reminiscent of skin, soft, and welcoming – and has made a comeback, as happens cyclically with all tints.”
This space was designed to activate emotional connections, to feel seen and welcomed.
The fourth room conveyed sensations of light and excitement. Hence the collection’s name, Enthusiasm, which features sunny yellows in various intensity degrees and hues together with violet blues that enhance their brightness, as the shadows of Impressionist painters.
“Yellow exudes energy because it evokes sunlight. It is impossible to ignore it, and this is precisely what gives strength to spaces,” Valan explained. This collection is an explosion of vitality designed for dynamic and creative environments, where positivity is an integral part of the very structure of the space.
Everything changed with the Fresh Desire collection. The designer wrapped up the journey with a setting that broke all previous compositional rules: monochromatic harmonies were swept away in favour of bolder combinations. Vibrant orange and red tones paired with fuchsia and saturated accents evoked the idea of a new beginning, of change. “Here, rules are made to be broken. Orange is an unstable colour: it is difficult to tell where red ends and yellow begins. Even its name came late, in the 1400s, with oranges. Before that, it was called red, even for hair and fish, which are actually orange. It is a fragile, temporary tint, like sunset or sunrise. But precisely because of that, it is the colour of transformation.”
This last room was therefore a space of desire, evolution, and freedom to change and be surprised.
With ‘The Way of Living Emotions’, Lechler has redefined the role of colour in contemporary design from an aesthetic accessory to a key player in the creation of our well-being and in the dialogue between people and places. This project thus looks to the future with awareness and humanity, making colour an emotional ally as well as a functional one.
- Surface engineering and coatings (e.g. painting, plating, pvd, thermal spray, anodization)
- Coating preparation methods and plants
- Characterization and testing of coatings
- Future trends and emerging technologies 19/20 GIUGNO 2025
ipcm® Academy, the training division of ipcm® - International Paint&Coating Magazine, has launched a new website with a modern and practical layout designed to ensure a smooth and user-friendly browsing experience. The revamped portal allows users and industry professionals to easily access all training content and enrol quickly and efficiently, making learning even more immediate and accessible.
A new standard for training in the surface treatment industry
Digital transformation is redefining the professional training landscape by changing how professionals acquire skills and keep up to date. In the field of surface treatments, where precision and knowledge of advanced technologies are crucial, access to effective and easily accessible training tools is paramount. To meet this need, ipcm® Academy has revamped its online platform with an innovative website. This is not just a cosmetic makeover. The result is a truly advanced learning tool designed to offer an interactive and intuitive experience, where content is constantly updated and structured according to the needs of professionals in the sector, as well as easily accessible to ensure continuous and targeted learning.
Key new features
ipcm® Academy’s website incorporates several improvements that optimise the browsing experience and access to information:
Modern and user-friendly design: a revamped graphic interface with a clean and attractive layout makes content easier to navigate.
Intuitive and accessible navigation: an optimised structure allows quickly finding courses, information, and registration details.
Detailed course sections: each course is described in depth, with details on the modules, the lessons’ calendar, and the skills to be acquired.
Interactive calendar: a valuable tool for quickly viewing course dates and planning training according to personal needs.
New News section: regular updates on events, technological innovations, and regulatory changes in the industrial finishing sector.
Flexible enrolment options: it is possible to enrol in either the entire course or individual thematic days, for personalised training that can be adapted to every requirement.
An intuitive interface and a comprehensive training programme
The new ipcm® Academy portal is not just a restyled website but an advanced learning platform. Thanks to a user-friendly and functional interface, users can easily access courses, dates, and registration information, thus simplifying the training experience and improving access to essential content for professionals in the industry. Smooth navigation enables users to easily explore courses, the lessons’ calendar, and the attendance and enrolment options, ensuring a seamless experience.
Each course is presented through clear details on the content and learning objectives, allowing every user to choose the path that best suits their professional needs. In addition, the interactive calendar facilitates efficient planning by providing an immediate overview of the dates available for each course.
To meet the growing need for constant updates,
ipcm® Academy has launched a new News section dedicated to the latest developments in the field of industrial finishing. This website area features information about industry events, technological innovations, and regulatory updates, ensuring professionals are always up to date and in line with market developments.
One of the main innovations of the new website is the new registration method. Users can register for an entire course or for individual days, tailoring their training plan to their needs and availability. This option allows professionals with busy schedules to access targeted learning without compromising on teaching quality.
The launch of ipcm® Academy’s new website is an important step forward for training in the industrial finishing sector. With a focus on user experience and up-to-date content, this platform aims to be a point of reference for all professionals who want to improve their skills and keep pace with developments in the industry.
For more information and to enrol in our courses, visit the official ipcm ® Academy website: www.ipcmacademy.com
The upcoming summit, focused on ‘Waterborne Speciality Coatings – The Future of Sustainable Finishes & Business Expansion Opportunities in India,’ is scheduled for June 20–21, 2025, at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Delhi, India.
Paintvision proudly announces the Paintvision Global Business Summit and Awards 2025, to be held at Radisson Blu, Delhi, bringing together global leaders, innovators, and decision-makers from across the paint and coatings industry. With the theme “Waterborne Speciality Coatings – The Future of Sustainable Finishes,” the summit will serve as a premier platform to spotlight advancements in sustainable technologies and foster global industry collaboration.
This high-profile event is set to position India as a central node in the global coating’s ecosystem. As the Indian market continues its rapid expansion, the summit will provide a strategic forum for international stakeholders to engage with India’s growing influence in
manufacturing, innovation, and sustainable development within the coatings value chain.
The 2025 edition will focus on the next generation of waterborne coatings, showcasing how eco-friendly technologies are driving transformation across key sectors. The event will highlight four main focus areas:
Waterbase Enamel: durable, eco-conscious solutions for decorative coatings
Waterbase Wood Coating: safer, smoother finishes for interior and furniture applications
Waterbase Marine Coating: advanced protection systems with lower environmental impact
Waterbase Automotive Finishes: highperformance, low-VOC alternatives for vehicle manufacturing and refinishing.
The summit will feature live product demonstrations, technical sessions, expert panel discussions, and keynote addresses by global leaders and researchers. Delegates will gain insights into the latest advancements in coatings technology, regulatory trends, and future market directions.
A key highlight of the event will be the Paintvision Awards 2025, a prestigious recognition of excellence across innovation, sustainability, leadership, and market impact. These awards will celebrate outstanding contributions from both Indian and global entities, reaffirming the summit’s role as a bridge between domestic and international excellence.
India’s paint and coatings industry is poised for exponential growth, backed by strong industrial momentum, increasing demand for sustainable solutions, and a progressive regulatory framework. As the country becomes a key player in the global value chain, the Paintvision Global Business Summit and Awards 2025 offers an essential platform to facilitate crossborder partnerships, knowledge exchange, and investment opportunities. By bringing the global industry to India’s doorstep, the summit supports a future where innovation is shared, markets are connected, and sustainability is a common goal.
For further information: www.paintvisionindia.com , www.industrialfrontindia.com
The next edition of the Surface & Coating Expo will be held from 17 to 19 July 2025 at the Chennai Trade Centre, Chennai, India.
Organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), this flagship event has been taking place since 2014. Over the years, it has grown to become India’s largest and most exclusive exhibition dedicated to surface engineering, preparation, coatings, finishing, corrosion protection, environmental engineering, and related technologies. The event is shaped and guided by a robust industry-led steering committee.
Southern India has emerged as a vital industrial hub, serving as a gateway to the country’s thriving manufacturing landscape. The region is home to key clusters in sectors such as automotive, auto components, petroleum, chemicals, steel, sugar, cement, energy, electronics, and heavy engineering. In all of these industries, surface coating plays a crucial role - not only in enhancing the aesthetic and functional qualities of products but also in extending their service life. Effective coatings significantly reduce corrosion, which otherwise leads to substantial material and labour losses.
Recognising the critical importance of surface preparation and coating across diverse industrial applications, CII launched this event to create a focused platform for industry advancement. After four successful editions, the Surface & Coating Expo has received strong support and participation from stakeholders worldwide. Over the years, it has attracted exhibitors and visitors from China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UAE, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam.
Building on this legacy, the fifth edition of Surface & Coating Expo 2025 (SCE2025) reaffirms its position as India’s leading and exclusive platform for surface treatment technologies. Taking place once again from 17 to 19 July 2025 at the Chennai Trade Centre, this three-day exhibition
and conference will bring together a global audience of manufacturers, distributors, solution providers, traders, end users, and policymakers.
SCE2025 will offer an exceptional opportunity to connect with key decision-makers, explore innovations, and develop new business opportunities. Several concurrent events are also planned, further enriching the experience for participants:
TCEE, Technology Conference and Exhibition on Electroplating.
AutoMatFab Expo, which is focused on the materials, fabrication and manufacturing technologies and solutions for the procedures involved in automotive fabrication and sheet metal work.
Adhesives and Sealants - Summit & Expo: the 3rd edition of this event will provide a platform to showcase the latest trends, innovations, sustainability initiatives, and technological advancements in the industry. It will also connect bonding technology providers - including manufacturers and formulators of adhesives and sealants, raw material suppliers, processing equipment and dispensing system providers, software developers, consulting services, and testing equipment manufacturers - with end users and stakeholders from across India and around the globe.
CORTEM - International Summit on Corrosion Technology & Management: aligned with the National Mission on War Against Corrosion, CII will host the 2nd edition of the International Summit on Corrosion Technology & Management, CORTEM 2025, on 17–18 July, running concurrently with SCE2025. This summit will bring together industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers to explore cutting-edge corrosionprevention strategies, materials, and best practices.
For further information: www.surfacecoatingexpo.in
ALUEXPO 2025, the 9th International Aluminium Technologies, Machinery and Products Trade Fair, will be organized by HM Ankiros Fuarcılık A.Ş. from 18 to 20 September at the Istanbul Expo Centre. Due to high industry demand, the exhibition space has been significantly expanded to include Halls 1, 2, 4, and 8.
Since 2009, ALUEXPO has maintained its status as the premier international meeting point for the aluminium industry. In 2025, the fair will once again be one of the most significant events in the sector, hosting over 400 exhibitors from more than 30 countries and welcoming over 18,000 professional visitors across in 50,000 m² total area with a net stand area of nearly 18,000 m².
ALUEXPO is the gateway to the growing markets of Türkiye and the Eurasian region. Over the course of three vibrant days, from 18 to 20 September, exhibitors and visitors will have the opportunity to network, discover innovations, and strengthen their presence in these lucrative markets.
As the only aluminium industry trade fair in Türkiye and the most important event in the Eurasia region, ALUEXPO 2025 will showcase the full spectrum of the aluminium value chain. Leading Turkish aluminium producers, including TALSAD members, will present advanced solutions for a wide range of engineering applications. The fair will feature everything from primary aluminium to semi-finished and finished products, aluminium building systems, cladding and roofing materials, and much more. ALUEXPO 2025 is the must-attend event for professionals in construction, automotive, packaging, food and beverage, aerospace and defence, transportation, shipping, chemicals, and other sectors where aluminium plays a critical role.
Global and local suppliers to the aluminium industry will also display cutting-edge technologies, including refractories, machinery, equipment, raw materials, and consumables
essential to aluminium production, catering to the entire value chain of the Eurasian aluminium sector.
To boost international attendance, ALUEXPO 2025 is supported by the Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Trade. This program, coordinated by the Ministry and organized by the Istanbul Mineral and Metals Exporters’ Association (IMMIB), will bring buyers from 40 countries. Qualified Buyer Delegation Programs will also be organized by HM Ankiros Fuarcılık A.Ş., with participation of buyers/delegations from multiple foreign countries.
Running concurrently with ALUEXPO 2025, the 12th International Aluminium Symposium (ALUS’12) will be held in collaboration with
TALSAD, TÜBİTAK MAM, and the Chamber of Metallurgical and Materials Engineers. This event will bring together experts from industry and academia to discuss the latest technological developments, share insights, and offer solutions to industry challenges. Held at the same venue and time as ALUEXPO, the symposium provides a unique opportunity for visitors to gain in-depth knowledge of the scientific, technological, and commercial developments in aluminium. The event aims to bridge academia and industry, offering a comprehensive look at the aluminium sector and helping to shape Türkiye’s strategic vision in this field.
For further information: www.aluexpo.com
The world’s leading trade fair for industrial coating technology builds on previous successes with very good registration numbers
Exactly one year before the doors open for PaintExpo from 14 to 17 April 2026, more than 260 companies have secured around 10,000 square metres of exhibition space. This means that over 70 per cent of the exhibition space from the previous event has already been rented out and the trade fair organisers are very satisfied. The most important platform for global product launches, trends, future technologies and innovations in all aspects of industrial coating technology is thus continuing to tread the successful path of previous years as the world’s leading trade fair without losing momentum.
From elsewhere in Europe, Blastman Robotics coatmaster, Estalia Performance, Gema Switzerland, JMC, Sistem Teknik Makina, Tecknos Group, TIGER Coatings and Oxyplast Belgium have announced their participation. This means that the proportion of foreign exhibitors is currently around 50 per cent, with Italy and Switzerland being the most strongly represented countries. In addition to European neighbours France, Poland, Spain, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands, exhibitors from Turkey, India, Egypt, China and Cyprus will also be represented. Sames, Krautzberger, Dürr, Eisenmann, SATA, Venjakob and Walther Trowal are among the major industry leaders from Germany who will be presenting their wet painting systems and equipment at PaintExpo. Representing the powder coating sector, J. Wagner, Rippert, Nordson and Jürgen Emptmeyer have confirmed their participation. Louis Schierholz and SEH Engineering will be among those presenting innovations from the
fields of automation and conveyor technology. Paint manufacturers MIPA, Akzonobel, Emil Frei and BERLAC will also be showcasing their latest products in Karlsruhe.
Carmen Bender has just started as Project Director: “The response from the industry has been great. This gives us the incentive to further advance the internationalisation of the world’s leading trade fair PaintExpo and to focus on the latest developments and topics.” Having worked at Leipziger Messe for a long time, she benefits from her cross-industry experience in the trade fair and congress business and, together with other new team members, brings fresh impetus. Regarding the very high number of registrations, she adds: “Companies that want a very specific exhibition space should decide quickly. For all others, the registration deadline is the end of November 2025.”
Another visible innovation that will characterise PaintExpo from now on is its new design. It focuses more than ever on vibrant colours; after all, the word “Paint” is not only in the name of the event, but colours are also at its heart. This update will make an important contribution to boosting PaintExpo’s profile and is an important step towards further developing the platform with its trends and technologies in the future.
For further information: www.paintexpo.de/en
ESPOSIZIONE
CONFERENZA
TECHFOCUS CONSTRUCTION
Esplora le più recenti tendenze e tecnologie nel mondo della pittura e dei rivestimenti, mentre stringi preziose connessioni con i leader del settore.
Paint & Coatings: il luogo dove l’ispirazione, l’apprendimento e le opportunità di networking si incontrano per trasformare il tuo business!
3M™’s discontinuation of its Novec™ PFAS-based products has prompted industries to seek alternative solvents for vapour degreasing and precision cleaning. EnviroTech Europe’s ProSolv® range offers chemically identical, high-performance replacements, ensuring an easy, compliant transition with minimal disruption.
In December 2022, 3M™ announced its decision to discontinue the Novec™ range of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) within its product portfolio. This decision impacts several key product lines, including:
3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids
3M™ Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquids
The planned phase-out has left a wide array of sectors—such as electronics, aerospace, medical, and precision engineering—urgently searching for reliable alternatives that offer comparable performance characteristics. Companies globally that depend on these solvents for vapour degreasing are now in need of dependable, compliant replacements. EnviroTech Europe has responded by introducing its ProSolv® Direct Replacements range of vapour degreasing solvent cleaners. These products have been meticulously formulated to serve as chemically identical substitutes for the discontinued Novec™ fluids. ProSolv® solvents maintain the high-performance standards of their predecessors, including strong cleaning capabilities, non-flammability, and low global warming potential (GWP), enabling a smooth transition with minimal changes to existing processes.
Seamless integration: compatible with existing vapour degreasing and precision cleaning systems. Superior cleaning performance which effectively removes oils, greases, and particulate contaminants
Environmentally responsible: low GWP, non-ozone depleting, REACH-compliant, safe and sustainable, non-flammable and designed for long-term availability.
EnviroTech Europe also supplies ProSolv®5408e, a PFAS-Free high performance vapour degreasing solvent - offering nextgeneration, multi-purpose solvent cleaning with zero ODP (Ozone Depletion Potential) and near zero GWP (Global Warming Potential). ProSolv®5408e is tested to a number of industry standards including ASTM D3828, ASTM E918, Stock Loss ARP1755B and ASTM F945-1.
For further information: www.envirotech-europe.com
Dollmar SpA, a leader in the distribution of industrial chemical products for over seventy years, has been awarded the prestigious Credit Reputation Award 2025.
Dollmar SpA, a benchmark in the distribution of industrial chemical products for over seventy years, has received the prestigious Credit Reputation Award 2025, a recognition granted to companies that stand out for their reliability and punctuality in managing relationships with the banking system.
With a long-standing history of success in the production of highpurity raw materials from controlled sources, specialty chemicals, and solvents for surface treatment, as well as tailor-made formulations, Dollmar SpA (headquartered in Caleppio di Settala, Milan - Italy) continues to be a well-established player in both the Italian and international industrial landscape.
The award, conferred last April, is based on an objective analysis of data provided by the Central Credit Register (CR)1, and is assigned according to a publicly available evaluation model. It recognizes companies that demonstrate consistency, solidity, and accuracy in managing their financial commitments.
“This award is a tribute to our dedication and commitment to maintaining an excellent financial reputation,” says Adina Diaconu, Group Marketing Communication Manager at Dollmar SpA, “and it confirms our status as one of the one hundred most virtuous companies in Italy.”
“We have achieved this important milestone thanks to our economic solidity and a responsible financial approach. These qualities have allowed us to build and maintain trusting relationships with our banking and financial partners.”
The strategy of the Milan-based company is built on open and transparent communication, combined with the adoption of financial practices aligned with industry standards and expectations.
“In an era where corporate responsibility is crucial,” continues Diaconu, “we want to continue demonstrating that economic growth and sustainability can go hand in hand.”
As further proof of its commitment to ethical and environmental values, Dollmar has maintained for the fourth consecutive year its Ecovadis Silver Medal, an international recognition that assesses corporate performance in ESG areas (Environmental, Social, and Governance)2
1 The Central Credit Register (CR), managed by the Bank of Italy, is a database on household and firms’ debts towards the banking and financial system.
2 https://www.ipcm.it/it/open/ict/2024/26/15.aspx
“The Credit Reputation Award is another recognition that not only celebrates our past, but also serves as motivation for the future. We will continue to work with integrity and responsibility, always looking for new ways to innovate and improve. We thank all our employees, partners, and clients for their ongoing support—this achievement would not have been possible without them. Our ambition is to stay on this path of excellence, maintaining our leadership in financial reputation and contributing positively to the Italian economic landscape,” concludes Diaconu.
For further information: www.dollmar.com
CPM, an Italian company specialising in the production of special bearings, has entrusted ILSA-MC (San Pietro in Casale, Bologna, Italy) with upgrading its final cleaning process through an IK40-e system. This closed-loop vacuum plant with continuous-flow distillation allows the reuse of the cleaning solvent and the recovery of the processing oil, and it is integrated with a protective oil application system. Thanks to this solution, the company has made a decisive leap forward in quality – uniform cleaning, consistent quality, less waste, and greater environmental sustainability.
In today’s manufacturing industry, the component cleaning process is no longer an accessory phase but a strategic step to ensure repeatability, reliable performance, and compliance with increasingly stringent environmental regulations. This is particularly true in highly specialised sectors where component cleanliness directly affects end product quality.
In recent years, there has been growing interest from companies in closed-loop cleaning systems that can reduce resource and energy consumption, recover solvents, and cut harmful emissions. The European regulatory framework also drives this trend: the REACH Regulation (EC No. 1907/2006) imposes strict controls on the use and registration of chemicals, whereas Directives 2010/75/EU (Industrial Emissions Directive) and 1999/13/EC (VOC Directive) regulate the use and emissions of organic solvents, pushing companies to adopt more sustainable cleaning technologies.1
1 Directive 2010/75/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 on industrial emissions: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/ PDF/?uri=CELEX:32010L0075
The transition to Industry 4.0 and 5.0, with the latter focusing on the synergy among people, machines, and sustainability, is promoting the introduction of intelligent, low-environmental impact solutions in production processes. This is the context for the project to upgrade the final cleaning phase carried out by CPM in collaboration with ILSA-MC, with the aim of combining production efficiency and environmental responsibility.
Founded in 1967, CPM Spa is a company based in Nova Milanese (Monza e Brianza, Italy) specialising in the manufacture of mechanical parts and special bearings. With over 200 employees and 100% Italian production, it has evolved over time thanks to continuous investment in personnel and machinery.
“Our core business is power transmission, but we are also present in the medical, textile, robotics, automotive, machine tool, and earthmoving industries. We operate in 6 factories and have a solid international presence, especially in Germany, but also in Asia and North America,” illustrates Lorenzo Santambrogio, the technical manager of CPM.
“The domestic market accounts for just under 50% of our turnover, with 95% of production taking place in-house: turning, grinding, assembly, and final inspection are all carried out at our various plants in Nova Milanese; the heat treatment phase is handled by a company in Arcore (Italy) wholly owned by CPM,” says Santambrogio. “We manufacture around 3.5 million bearings per year, with diameters ranging from 10 mm to 800 mm. Production starts with the receipt of raw materials such as steel tubes and rolled rings,” explains Gianni Morselli, assembly manager at CPM. The production cycle then continuous as follows:
Turning
Heat treatment
Preliminary and high-precision grinding
Assembly
Final cleaning
“An intermediate cleaning operation is also carried out between different machining stages, but it is the final one that ensures we supply ready-to-use components that do not require further treatment. Each bearing must be delivered clean, dry, and protected: the customer only has to install it on its product,” continues Morselli.
ILSA-MC supplied CPM with an IK40-e cleaning plant, a compact closed-loop machine that can use modified alcohols or aliphatic hydrocarbons, ideal for treating metal components. It also features a system for the final application of a protective oil in total immersion, fully integrated into the treatment cycle but isolated from the cleaning solvent piping. It is also equipped with a continuousflow distillation system, several continuousflow filtration steps, and an immersion cleaning chamber with a turbulence generation unit via lateral flushing and ultrasound. The cycle is completed by vapour
degreasing and drying in a vacuum chamber, which ensures a high degree of technical cleanliness and the absence of residues. The plant is managed through a touch screen interface with PLC software allowing for continuous monitoring and customisation of the cleaning cycles. It complies with EC regulations and is designed to ensure maximum energy efficiency and reduced environmental impact.
“The new plant performs a closed-loop, vacuum cycle with continuousflow distillation that keeps the solvent constantly pure, ensuring effective and repeatable cleaning results. The process consists of immersion –with ultrasonic action during full immersion – agitation by turbulence, hydrocarbon vapour degreasing, and complete drying. When required, a protective oil application phase is also integrated: the hydrocarbon and the chosen protective oil are mixed in a third, dedicated tank, and the full immersion step is repeated, followed by the drying phase,” illustrates Morselli. “The process we implemented in the past also included a
protective oil application phase by immersion, but that entailed a high amount of raw material waste because the parts had to be emptied of the lubricant collected in the holes, in addition to uneven application results and the impossibility of recovering the excess product. With our new ILSA-MC machine, the components come out dry and with a protective film on the surface, thanks to the final drying stage. The cycle lasts approximately 18 min., and the parts are bulk processed, a method that ensures uniformity in both cleaning and lubrication."
“Thanks to the plant’s integrated filtering system, we can now guarantee consistent quality over time, something that was not always possible in the past. This investment has enabled us to optimise our process and manage a significant part of the production destined for final assembly in-house. Moreover, the recovery of solvent within the machine and
the optimisation of the protective oil application phase have drastically reduced our waste volumes and environmental impact,” states Morselli.
“Installing this ILSA-MC cleaning system marked a leap forward in quality. We saw immediate improvements: cleaner components, less raw material waste, less maintenance, and fewer liquid replacement operations, as well as economic and environmental benefits. On top of that, the plant is extremely flexible and enables us to handle different batches without changing the process or product. Today, about 15% of our production is cleaned with this system and sent directly to final assembly. The investment has paid for itself,” says Santambrogio. “We chose ILSA-MC because of the excellent value for money offered by its machine, but we also received excellent assistance and technical support, both during the purchase phase and while designing specific cleaning cycles, e.g. with or without the application of protective agents, with special parameter settings, or with a higher-intensity action to achieve greater cleanliness on certain parts.”
CPM’s vision for the future: innovation, quality, and sustainability
With a production process entirely performed in Italy and, at the same time, a strong international presence, CPM looks confidently to the future, ready to face the challenges of a constantly evolving global market.
“We are ready to adapt and respond to new market demands, aiming to consolidate our leadership in the production of special bearings. We will continue to invest in innovation, quality, and sustainability: these values will enable us to successfully tackle even the most complex challenges,” concludes Lorenzo Santambrogio, confirming the company’s commitment to offering increasingly cutting-edge and environmentally friendly solutions. The new cleaning plant, in line with the principles of Industry 4.0 and 5.0, also underlines CPM’s focus on adopting innovative and smart solutions, contributing to the continuous improvement of its production processes.
AM Solutions, a brand of the Rösler Group, is raising the bar in the post-processing of 3D-printed components with two advanced technologies: the C1 and C1 Max systems. These automated and efficient solutions are designed to remove supports and resins, even from highly complex or large-scale parts.
AM Solutions – 3D post processing technology, a brand of the Rösler Group, has recently introduced two innovative solutions for the post-processing of 3D-printed plastic components: the C1 and C1 Max systems.
These technologies are designed to optimize and automate the removal of supports and resin, ensuring high-quality results, maximum efficiency, and a significant reduction in operating costs.
The C1 system stands out as an excellent tool for the automated and cost-effective post-processing of photopolymer components and 3D-printed polymers. It is also effective on precision functional parts, design objects with extremely fine structures, and complex prototypes. At the core of the process is a specially developed chemical compound combined with mechanical and thermal effects, ensuring highly effective and gentle removal of support structures and resin.
Standard processing recipes, already stored in the PLC, can be modified and saved according to specific requirements.
The system is equipped with advanced features such as a fill level control system and an integrated saturation sensor, which ensure optimal use of the chemical compound and a significant reduction in operating costs.
Furthermore, continuous monitoring of key process parameters— such as temperature, cycle times, and the contamination level of the chemical compound—allows data to be recorded with a data logger, ensuring full compliance with industrial quality standards and repeatability of results (Tables 1 and 2).
Recommended compound
RAM-D1; RAM-D1M, RAM-D1R, RAM-D1X, RAM-D1C
Installation conditions
Supply voltage
230V / 1 Ph/N/PE*, CEE7/7 connector
Control voltage 24 V DC
Transport stacker, movable by rollers
Machine empty weight ≈ 185 kg
*Different connection voltage like US on request also available
Fully automatic removal of support structures / resin (e.g. Polyjet, SLA, etc.);
Special software package allows programming the entire process sequence;
Level sensor with fully automatic replenishment of the processing media;
Grating with a drainage area ensures a clean and safe operation;
Continuous monitoring of the temperature and degree of saturation;
Insertable screen allows easy removal of residual support material;
Sturdy processing cabinet and removable stainless steel workpiece basket;
Option: Portable operator panel with WLAN connection;
Simple and user-friendly unloading of the work pieces;
Plug-and-play machine with PLC controller.
The C1 Max system further expands the capabilities of the C1, offering an automated post-processing solution that is easy to use and ideal for large components, up to 750 x 750 x 550 mm. T he process for cleaning combines chemical, thermal and mechanical actions. This ensures that even the most intricate and confined areas are thoroughly and safely cleaned without compromising part integrity, and making unnecessary the use of critical solvents like IPA. In addition, the process allows much easier manual removal of support structures, saving time and money. Different processing recipes can be stored for maximum flexibility. The system is also equipped with a level sensor and an automatic media replenishment system to ensure the highest and most consistent quality. The machine‘s sophisticated design allows easy loading and unloading of the build platform, as well as quick and easy media changes with an integrated solution (Tables 3 and 4).
Dimensions of the processing space (w x d x h) 750 x 750 x 550 mm
Fill volume
575 litres
Subsequent dosing With integrated pump
Recommended compound
RAM-D1; RAM-D1M, RAM-D1R
Installation conditions
Supply voltage
Control voltage
400V / 3 ~/N/PE, CEE connector 32A/5p
24 V DC
Transport stacker, movable by rollers
Machine empty weight
Designed for large-scale parts up to 750 x 750 x 550 mm (l x w x h)
Enhanced cleaning due to a perfect combination of chemical, thermal and mechanical processes
Process allows much easier manual removal of support structures
Lower operating costs and improved surface quality
Enhanced process stability due to fill level monitoring and automatic dosing
No use of critical solvents like IPA
System automatically cleans used build platform making manual intervention unnecessary
Fast and easy medium change due to integrated solution
Ready to use for 3D Systems ProX 800 & SLA 750 with Accura Composite PIV, Accura Xtreme, etc.
Upgradeable for use with Stratasys Neo® 800.
Mondeo Srl, specialising in stainless steel components for fluid handling, has chosen IFP Europe’s KP 400 MAX cleaning system to achieve high quality, efficiency, and production continuity. This fully automated system has eliminated all the company’s contamination-related issues, streamlining management and reducing operating costs.
©
In the industrial world, peace of mind when using systems, equipment, or consumer products is not just some abstract idea, but the tangible result of smart tech choices that lower the impact of critical issues and make day-to-day management easier.
At Mondeo Srl (Montecchio Maggiore, Vicenza, Italy), a company that specialises in designing and producing stainless steel components for fluid management, such as valves, manifolds, and hydraulic accessories for domestic, sanitary, or industrial systems, Head of the Production Department Marco Fanton has been able to sleep soundly for years: the cleaning plant supplied by IFP Europe (Galliera Veneta, Padua, Italy) has been an effective response to his company’s need for production continuity, reliability, and operational safety.
“Hydraulic efficiency is the strength and guiding principle behind the design philosophy of Mondeo’s valves, manifolds, and other products. When assembled in a system, our components ensure energy savings of up to 20%. However, to maintain excellent performance in high-precision manufacturing environments where every stainless steel component is intended for systems calling for absolute reliability, perfect cleanliness is of the essence. That is why a cleaning plant guaranteeing optimal results even on delicate components such as those we manufacture here was a key lever for the technological progress of our company.”
The history of this company began in 1986, when founder Giancarlo Ghiotto decided to start producing hydraulic valves. After initially focusing on the manufacture of electric motors for single-phase pumps and, later, electric pumps, he capitalised on his fluid handling experience to develop a key component: a flow control valve ensuring precise pressure and flow rates. Driven by a forward-thinking entrepreneurial vision fuelled by curiosity and a passion for research, Ghiotto borrowed a concept that had already been successfully tested in the pump sector: moulded stainless steel valves.
“It was a radical innovation for our field and entailed a completely different production philosophy,” explains Lorenza Ghiotto, the founder’s daughter and now the company’s internal coordination
manager. “The advantages of stainless steel were obvious: greater durability, lower pressure drops, and consequently, reduced energy consumption. The true challenge was to offer a higher quality than brass but at a more affordable price than cast steel. The first to believe in our approach was the German market, which is very quality-conscious and was already open to using stainless steel in the hydraulic sector.”
The hydraulic shut-off and check valves and the filters designed and manufactured by Mondeo are the result of consolidated know-how in stainless steel processing. Such technical heritage, combined with constant design evolution, defines the identity of this Italian company.
“Our components,” says Nicola Ghiotto, son of the founder and currently leading the company, “provide high hydraulic efficiency in all domestic, sanitary, or industrial fluid handling systems. Our stainless steel valves, manifolds, and products are particularly ideal in contexts where corrosion, scaling, or hygiene requirements make brass, bronze, and cast iron unsuitable.”
Mondeo’s valve production stands out for using thin thicknesses and TIG welding for maximum hydraulic performance. These are complemented by rigorous quality control: every component is 100% tested before being released to the market. “We have also extended this construction philosophy to our manifold production: the use of stainless steel, combined with reduced thicknesses and TIG welding on threaded parts, offers high hydraulic efficiency and reduced costs. We currently have over 100 product types in production,” indicates Fanton, “characterised by structural reliability and optimal hydraulic performance, customisation options, leak-proof welding, and welded components that we manufacture in-house with numerically controlled machines. All this allows us to respond quickly and accurately to every request.”
Mondeo aims to become a European benchmark supplier of stainless steel components for fluid handling. “We focus on co-designing, producing, and selecting high-added value solutions through established partnerships with customers and suppliers. We operate with a highly skilled and dynamic team committed to meeting the needs of our customers promptly and accurately.”
From top to bottom:
Mondeo’s headquarters in Montecchio Maggiore (Vicenza).
Mondeo’s production process starts with the procurement of tubes, mainly in AISI 304 stainless steel.
The LASERTUBE ADIGE LT120 machine, designed for cutting and drilling round tubes.
Mondeo has significantly increased its production capacity in recent years, passing the milestone of 3 million valves manufactured, thanks to the integration of last-generation machinery in its departments.
“Our main growth driver is lean production,” explains Marco Fanton.
“In addition to achieving significant volumes, it enables us to respond flexibly and quickly to different customer requirements through our multifunctional equipment fleet.”
Mondeo mainly uses AISI 304 stainless steel, while AISI 316 is used for components intended for more demanding applications. All raw materials are supplied by qualified distributors. Except for moulding some specific parts and hydroforming, all machining processes are
carried out in-house, starting from hollow tubes. The longer semifinished products, which can reach 6 metres in length, undergo laser processing, whereas the shorter ones are sent to CNC lathes. For laser processing, Mondeo uses a LASERTUBE ADIGE LT120 machine designed for cutting and drilling round tubes with diameters between 12 and 120 mm and thicknesses up to 4 mm, processing one manifold every 50 seconds. After laser cutting, the parts are processed in two machines developed to Mondeo’s in-house design specifications for extrusion, a now tried, tested, and optimised technology. The automation of this phase allows for the high-speed manufacturing of components ready for welding with very tight dimensional tolerances. “These plants are highly flexible and can be fitted out very quickly, even
for small series,” Fanton emphasises. All components are then welded in-house with numerically controlled machines and cleaned, except for a few small components that do not get dirty during cutting and can proceed directly to the following stages, and subsequently pickled to remove any oxides generated during welding and restore smooth, clean surfaces. This is followed by electropolishing, which improves corrosion resistance, aesthetics, and surface uniformity. The entire layout of the production process has been studied in detail to optimise workflows. “Next to our current factory,” says Nicola Ghiotto, “we are building a hall to house a new electropolishing plant. This will allow us to expand our machining and welding department in the spaces freed up by the previous line.”
Mondeo installed a new laser system with an integrated extraction unit to reduce the stainless steel contamination issues caused by laser cutting scrap. “The new laser plant has an extraction rod that operates inside the tubes during cutting, thus keeping their internal surfaces clean already at this process stage,” explains Fanton. Another contamination source that can affect subsequent processing and compromise outcomes is the cooling lubricant used during extrusion, necessary for controlled metal deformation. Initially, the company considered using a less aggressive oil but did not achieve the desired results. “That is why we decided to invest in a more efficient cleaning system capable of ensuring thorough and effective removal of oil residues,” Nicola Ghiotto explains.
The solution offered by IFP Europe immediately convinced Riccardo Valdemarca, Industrialisation and Production Manager.
“The water and detergent-based system we were using previously was no longer able to keep up with our production rates and effectively remove the contaminating agents generated in our new processes. To compensate, we had to add additives that increased cleaning power but required frequent cleaning and maintenance of the tanks.” The problem became even more evident with the manufacturing of a new component with a complex geometry that made it difficult to remove surface residues, thus compromising its aesthetic and functional quality. Therefore, Valdemarca visited IFP Europe’s headquarters in Galliera Veneta to test its solution’s cleaning effectiveness on the new component. “The test results were excellent, and we decided to start a collaboration that led us to install a KP 400 MAX modified alcohol plant in 2020.”
“The systems from our KP Kleen Power series,”
explains Giacomo Sabbadin, the CEO of IFP Europe, “implement the most advanced cleaning technology currently available on the market. The process takes place entirely under vacuum down to 1 millibar and is supported by a complete range of standard and optional equipment. The MAX version is designed to guarantee maximum performance in critical applications, such as that required by Mondeo, regarding both production volumes and contaminant types.” The installed system is configured to clean up to 120 manifolds per hour. “It is a standard machine with dimensions of 3800 x 2700 x 3450 mm, but with a customised cleaning chamber to accommodate baskets over one metre in length.”
“Our standard components measure just over half a metre,” notes Valdemarca, “but we requested a longer basket to be ready for future production needs.” The plant performs
a vacuum hydrokinetic cleaning cycle. “The basket remains fixed inside the chamber: we have excluded oscillating or tilting movements to avoid the risk of scratching the stainless steel surfaces.”
“The machine’s high degree of automation, combined with an extremely intuitive interface, allows it to be used by any operator without my constant presence,” Fanton points out with satisfaction. “This has enabled me to reorganise this department’s workforce more efficiently, making production smoother, more synchronised, and well-balanced.”
A further advantage is the possibility to recover 99% of waste materials, resulting in economic and operational benefits. “In addition to reduced operating costs, our work has improved significantly: whereas the previous system required frequent cleaning of the tanks, today we only need to start the machine once a week to drain the oil, thanks to its fully automatic filtration and distillation system.” The assistance provided has also been entirely satisfactory. “We can say that this is a truly ‘worry-free’ solution, guaranteeing production continuity and high quality with minimal commitment in terms of daily management.”
The plant’s reliability is such that any problems detected in the welds and traced back to other production stages are never attributable to the cleaning one. And, as Valdemarca concludes, “A further guarantee of the quality of this system designed and installed by IFP Europe is the fact that it features non-return valves manufactured by Mondeo: we could not have asked for more from a machine that has solved so many problems for us.”
Grazie all’azione combinata in sottovuoto di alcol modificato, soluzione detergente acquosa e ultrasuoni, garantiamo una pulizia impeccabile da contaminanti organici e inorganici. Il risultato? Componenti metallici e dispositivi perfettamente puliti, pronti a offrire il massimo della sicurezza.
Per maggiori informazioni contattaci. Tel.+39 049.5996883 info@ifpsrl.com
Technological and societal changes are forcing industrial companies around the world to make changes – not only to their products and services, but also to their production technology and supply chains. As a result, the sphere of industrial parts and surface cleaning is faced with a set of new tasks and challenges. parts2clean 2025 will be showcasing an expanded range of solutions, accompanied by an extensive supporting program. From deburring, degreasing and classic component cleaning to high-purity applications, the exhibition covers an even more comprehensive range of applications than the previous event. The 21st edition of the leading international trade fair for industrial parts and surface cleaning will be staged at the Stuttgart Exhibition Center, running from 7th to 9th October 2025.
With its globally unique range of solutions for component and surface cleaning, parts2clean covers the gamut of industrial tasks.
As the leading international trade fair for its field, it not only aims to reflect the market, but also to promote professional networking and provide users with the inspiration for efficient, reliable and sustainable solutions to new cleaning tasks.
“This is why, in addition to the core areas of industrial parts and surface cleaning, the next chapter of the highlight topic, High Purity, will be opened at the upcoming parts2clean. What is more, there is going to be a much stronger focus on the topic of deburring than in the past,” reports Christoph Nowak, Project Director at Deutsche Messe.
When the topic of high purity was introduced at the last event, the focus was on the terminology used by the cleaning industry in this area and the relevant aspects to be considered, such as the production chain and the production environment.
“Under the motto of ‘High Purity. Next Chapter’, the spotlight at parts2clean 2025 will increasingly be on applications-focused factors and criteria,” explains Christoph Nowak.
The organizers are thus taking into account the growing number of cleaning tasks in which extremely high requirements for particulate cleanliness, sometimes down to the nanometer range, and particularly strict specifications regarding residual film contamination must be met, in part involving the use of hydrogen-induced outgassing (HIO) substances. Cleaning solutions for such tasks are required in the semiconductor, optical and optoelectronic industries, electronics, sensor technology, photonics, thin-film technology, vacuum, laser and analysis technology, aerospace, defence technology, medical and pharmaceutical technology as well as in various areas of e-mobility.
The deburring production step has been part of the parts2clean exhibition spectrum from the very beginning. Widely growing demands on particulate cleanliness have made it the focus of another highlight
topic at the upcoming event. The new requirements cannot be achieved without optimally deburred components.
“In discussions with exhibiting companies and visitors, it became clear that they would like to see a much stronger representation of the
topic of deburring at parts2clean, due to the enormous dependence on technical cleanliness. parts2clean not only fulfils this wish, but also presents the holistic process of component and surface cleaning in even greater detail,” adds Christoph Nowak.
Thanks to the expanded exhibition portfolio with the highlight topics of high purity and deburring, parts2clean presents the most advanced and comprehensive range of solutions worldwide for current and future tasks. Automation, digitalization, artificial intelligence (AI) and resource efficiency as well as stricter regulatory requirements in several industries also play a role.
“This makes parts2clean the ideal international information and procurement platform for all sectors of industry,” adds Christoph Nowak.
supporting program, including the p2c. Expertforum,
The supporting program of the flagship trade fair, including the bilingual p2c.EXPERTFORUM, features as a mainstay of the event. Established in response to industry demands for an expert forum, the event is organized and held in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Cleaning Division and the German Industrial Parts Cleaning Association (FiT). Englishlanguage p2c.TOURS enable visitors to find out more about specific topics and trade fair highlights. In addition, the new p2c.WEBINAR program covers the knowledge requirements for industrial parts and surface cleaning during the biennial tradeshow off-years. The first event, free of charge for attendees, took place on 4 December 2024.
For further information: www.parts2clean.de/en/
EDITOR IN CHIEF
ALESSIA VENTURI venturi@ipcm.it
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
FRANCESCO STUCCHI stucchi@ipcm.it
EDITORIAL OFFICE redazione@ipcm.it
PAOLA GIRALDO giraldo@ipcm.it
MONICA FUMAGALLI fumagalli@ipcm.it
NICOLE KRAUS kraus@ipcm.it
MATTEO SOTTI sotti@ipcm.it
ILARIA PAOLOMELO paolomelo@ipcm.it
FEDERICO MELIDEO melideo@ipcm.it
GIULIA GENTILE gentile@eosmarketing.it
MEDIA SALES
FRANCESCO STUCCHI stucchi@ipcm.it
ILARIA PAOLOMELO paolomelo@ipcm.it
NICOLE KRAUS kraus@ipcm.it
GRAPHICS
ELISABETTA VENTURI grafico@ipcm.it
TRANSLATIONS
CHIARA FOPPA PEDRETTI chiara.foppapedretti@gmail.com
SEBEGRAF SRL | info@sebegraf.eu
EDITED BY
EDITORIAL BOARD
Prof. Stefano Rossi
Material Engineering and Industrial Technologies, University of Trento - Product Design
Kevin Biller ChemQuest Powder Coating Research
Gianmaria Guidi Consultant for industrial and anticorrosive coating processes
Gianmaria Gasperini Head of the Paint&Coatings Laboratory of Innovhub SSI Divisione Oli e Grassi
Paolo Rami Director of ipcm®Academy, expert in anticorrosion, coating defects analysis, and process optimization
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE / SERVIZIO ABBONAMENTI
Sale only on subscription - Vendita solo su abbonamento E-mail: info@ipcm.it
Subscription Rates 2025
Annual subscription print + digital:
EMEA €110,00 (postage included)
Rest of world €350,00 (fast airmail shipping included)
Single copy: €15,00
EMEA (postage included) - Rest of world (postage excluded)
Back issues: €30,00
EMEA (postage included) - Rest of world (postage excluded)
Subscriptions can be made via payment online at www.myipcm.com. Subscription and the sale of individual issues are exempt from VAT under Italian law: Article 74.1, letter C of DPR 633/72, DM 29/12/1989.
Tariffe Abbonamento 2025
Abbonamento annuale cartaceo + digitale:
EMEA €110,00 (spese postali incluse)
Rest of world €350,00 (spedizione via aerea inclusa)
Fascicolo singolo €15,00
EMEA (spese postali incluse) - resto del mondo (spese postali escluse)
Arretrati €30,00
EMEA (spese postali incluse) - resto del mondo (spese postali escluse)
Gli abbonamenti possono essere sottoscritti con carta di credito sul sito: www.myipcm.com. L’Iva sugli abbonamenti, nonchè sulla vendita di singole copie è assolta ai sensi dell’art.74 comma 1 lett. C DPR 633/72, DM 29/12/1989.
