UV-IR Cured Powder Coating Plant
Elios is an ecological system for industrial coating that allows powder paint application for all 3D items. Until now, the unique structure of the latter (metal plus heat-sensitive material) imposed an indispensable coating with liquid paint. A patented powder painting equipment provides an opportunity to polymerize paint at very low temperature during an extremely short time without any expenses, related to elimination of waste that can’t be avoided when using traditional liquid paint.
The complete technological cycle consist of:
- spray pretreatment tunnel with passivation nebulizer as final phase of washing
- drying oven (infrared technology)
- automatic powder application booth (if necessary, with manual guns for retouch)
- polymerization oven (combined infrared – ultraviolet rays technology)
- unloading area
First of all, the part is prepared by washing it in an adequate manner and, after that, it is dried with IR rays. The next step is to place powder with special electrostatic devices thus ensuring a gradual cover of the whole surfaces. The powdered part is transferred from the coating zone to the IR/UV-rays oven. The polymerization process involves two stages: fusion and suture of polymers. The first stage is ensured with IR rays that heat the surface of the part to the adequate temperature, at which the powder begins to fuse and spread gradually. The second stage of processing uses UV rays that ensure necessary sealing and resistance features.
Benefits
- surface treatment of pre-assembled industrial artefact. Due to the opportunity to polymerize paint at very low temperature, the item could be coated after its complete mounting thus imposing a double advantage – elimination of damages of painted surfaces of the items that could be suffered during the production; opportunity to deliver the client the items immediately thanks to saving of time within the cooling phase.
- reduction of processing time and operating costs. UV-rays paint polymerization takes 3 min at less than 100°C temperature (depends on size and weight of the part). Using traditional paint and hot air-circulation oven, the mentioned process could take about 20 min at 200°C temperature. The short time of coating considerably reduces cost per hour and saves energy for starting the equipment. Moreover, due to the low temperature, the rapid drying and cooling of fusion and polymerization ensures a quick warehousing and packaging of production, and so maintaining clear space of accumulation in storage.
- reduction of raw material consumption. Polymer suture, induced through UV rays, makes paint more resistant even in case its thickness amounts to only 40/45 microns. Such a low thickness helps avoid marks of paint leak and ensures a gradual spreading where critical points are (corners, inner parts, etc.).
- elimination of garbage disposal costs. If compared with the liquid paint, industrial process using powder coating reduces almost totally the environmental impact.
Expert advices
The mentioned advantages become even more relevant if liquid coating process is compared with the UV coating one and if parts to be coated have angular 3D form with inner parts made of heat-sensitive material.
The ideal examples of application are:
- electric motors
- hydraulic pumps
- pneumatic cylinders
- gearmotors
- mechanical jacks
- pressure vessels
- metal items with heat-sensitive components
Clients, interested in examining in depth applied technology and in evaluating actual quality of the process, could visit our headquarters and see the three painting systems installed in our factory. The UV coating plants are dimensioned in different configurations for different sizes of pieces.
Plants could be used both for tests and for third parties who need to paint their batches.