Finishing - March-April 2021

March/April 2021

MH0610_MHEL_PressAd_AutomotiveIssue_JUNE11 15/6/11 10:11 Page 1

THE PREMIER UK JOURNAL FOR SURFACE TECHNOLOGY

Give your workers

an extra hand

With conveyors from Midland Handling Equipment

The installation of a conveyor

can save your company money...

• Increase productivity

• Save on labour costs

• Reduce human error

• Increased health and safety

• Increase overall efficiency and profits

MHEL manufacture and install all types of

conveyors and also provide a full support,

maintenance and spares service.

Contact Midland Handling today for a free no

obligation meeting to see how our conveyors

could save your company time and money on

0116 259 3175

Automated Material Handling

Systems Association

Our conveyors include • Powered Monorail • Power & Free • Free Track • Belt/Power Roller • Waste/Spat • Inverted Chain • Platelinks/Mesh Belt • Easi-Lift Safety Gate

Midland Handling Equipment, Stretton Road, Great Glen, Leicester, LE8 9GN

Tel: 0116 259 3175 Fax: 0116 259 2820 Email: enquiry@mhel.co.uk

www.mhel.co.uk

www.finishingmagazine.co.uk

THE

POWER

OF

MEMBERSHIP

THE SEA HAS ALL THE ATTRIBUTES YOU NEED

Save money

Save time

Keep a step ahead with industry updates

Enhance your reputation

Gain political clout and expertise

SURFACE

ENGINEERING

AWARDS

FRIDAY 8 th OCTOBER 2021

PARK REGIS BIRMINGHAM

Visit www.sea.org.uk/2021-awards for

sponsorship opportunities; if you wish

to enter; or should you just wish to

attend and support your industry.

SEA SUPPORTS UK

SEA members are working hard in the

manufacturing supply chain, supporting

programmes to improve the working lives

of those on the frontline in the NHS as

well as the comfort and survival of those

suffering from Coronavirus in hospitals across

the world. This includes parts produced for

the UK Ventilator Challenge and 3D printing

straps for masks, amongst many other things.

Throughout these difficult times our members

have undertook various activities to ensure that

they are able to continue supporting industries

that are reliant on the work they do. As an

organisation we are proud to say that our

members have continued to underpin

manufacturing in the face of adversity.

Visit the members’ directory today to find a supplier or get help with your surface treatment requirements:

https://www.sea.org.uk/member-directory/

For further details of how the

Surface Engineering Association

can support you, please contact

Michaella Mais on 0121 237 1123

or email michaella.mais@sea.org.uk

Surface Engineering Association

Federation House

10 Vyse Street Birmingham

West Midlands B18 6LT

+44 (0)121 237 1123

info@sea.org.uk

www.sea.org.uk

A

www.finishingmagazine.co.uk CONTENTS 3

Editor

John Hatcher

Tel: 01923 437618

E.mail: j.hatcher@turretgroup.com

Display Advertising

Stewart Freshwater

Tel: 01923 437615

E.mail: s.freshwater@turretgroup.com

Classified Advertising

Stewart Freshwater

Tel: 01923 437615

E.mail: s.freshwater@turretgroup.com

Production Manager

Carol Baird

Tel: 01923 437619

E.mail: c.baird@turretgroup.com

Managing Director

Ian Garmeson

Circulation

Tel: 0141 370 3883

circulation@dimensionsmail.co.uk

Published by

Turret Group Ltd

Cardinal Point

Park Road

Rickmansworth,

WD3 1RE

Tel: +44 (0) 1923 432705

Fax: +44 (0) 1923 432770

Web: www.turretgroup.com

Annual Subscription Rates

United Kingdom: £144.00

Overseas: £168.00 (Airmail)

Printed by Stephens & George

March/April 2021 – Volume 45 Number 2 – ISSN no. 0264 2506

In this issue...

As Spring is coming it seems right that there is optimism in the air. Better weather and

hopefully a better outlook for the country, with lockdown beginning to ease. I hope that

this means the economy will get the bounce that it needs. This may also bring the

ramifications of Brexit to the fore, so we are in for an interesting few months, one way

or another.

I’m also pleased to say that you can also read Finishing Magazine on-line now at

www.finishingmagazine.co.uk.

We realise that this is long overdue, but hopefully you will find the page turner as easy

to read as the physical magazine.

I hope you are all getting your vaccinations and looking forward

to a positive 2021!

News

Newsdesk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Features

Continued use . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Unlocking incentives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

A new power in powder coating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Supplying the full package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

All members of the SEA

automatically receive Finishing Magazine

American expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Modular concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Quick conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Time to clean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

It pays to conform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

© Copyright Turret Group Ltd 2021

All Rights Reserved

All rights reserved. No part of this publication

may be produced in any material form (including

photocopying it or storing it in any medium by

electronic means and whether or not transiently

or incidentally to some other use of this

publication) without the written permission of

the copyright owner except in accordance with

the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and

Patents Act 1988. Applications for the copyright

owner's written permission to reproduce any

part of this publication should be addressed to

the info@turretgroup.com

Regulars

Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Classified listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Finishing (formerly Finishing Industries) was established in 1947 and incorporates Metal

Finishing journal, Electroplating & Metal Finishing, The Plant Journal, Surface Coatings, and

Industrial Finishing & Surface Coatings. Finishing is a member of the Metal Finishing

Association, a sustaining member of the Institute of Metal Finishing and the UK representative

of the Groupement International des Revues de Traitements de Surfaces.

Finishing – March/April 2021

4 NEWS www.finishingmagazine.co.uk

Two new at Vertik-Al

Route to the top

A Wednesfield employee who started her career as an administrator at

a local galvanizing plant 24 years ago has been appointed its general

manager.

Anita Bate, who joined the team at Edward Howell Galvanizers Ltd

back in 1996 to provide administrative support, has been named the

first ever female general manager of both the plant and wider Wedge

Group Galvanizing Ltd business. Her appointment follows the

retirement of her predecessor, Kevin Addiss, who retired in 2020 after

44 years with the company.

Anita said: “I first joined the team at Edward Howell as short-term

maternity cover helping out with the many administrative tasks

involved in running the business. But, when the lady ended up not

coming back, it was mine to keep — and I’ve never left! Over the last

24 years I’ve worked my way up through the ranks, gaining as much

knowledge and insight as I can about the business and wider

galvanizing industry.

“While I’ve enjoyed every single role, my appointment as general

manager is the one I’m most proud of. As a family business, the

Wedge Group is extremely flexible and open in its approach, always

providing opportunities for individuals to progress and grow. In fact,

I’ve always said that Wedge is a place where you can truly create a

career, not just have a job - if you have ambition and are willing to put

yourself forward, you can literally achieve anything.”

Chris Woolridge, managing director at Wedge Group Galvanizing,

added: “Anita is an extremely experienced and committed member of

staff who has been instrumental over the past two decades in helping

us to continually do business better and I look forward to her valued

input and direction in the years to come.”

New role for the BCF CEO

Tom Bowtell, CEO of the British Coatings Federation, has taken over as

chair of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Surface Coatings Interest Group.

The group now has over 300 members, with a very active

committee organising events and outreach to help bring together the

industrial and academic communities with an interest in surface

coatings. The first meeting in 2021 was held remotely earlier in

January, and has led to two events planned for the Spring – Raising

the Standard of Standards for the Coatings Community in March, and

a ChemCareers webinar in April on Careers in Coatings.

On his new role, Tom Bowtell commented, “I am pleased to have

taken over the role of Chair at the RSC Surface Coatings Interest

Group. Inspiring the future generation of chemists and highlighting

the benefits of working in the coatings industry are imperative to the

sustainability of our industry, which will be one of the drivers during

my period in the Chair.”

Powder coating specialist, Vertik-

Al has appointed two new

specialists to its business

improvement and maintenance

teams as part of its continuous

investment and improvement

strategy.

“We’re excited to bolster our

team with a wide range of

expertise,” says, John Park-

Davies, managing director of

Vertik-Al. “Regular

improvement plays a vital

strategic role in developing the

entire business and supporting

our customer base.”

With Angus Mackie moving

into the Allumette group

managing director role, Park-

Davies stepped up to Vertik-Al

MD in 2020, taking the

business into a new era of

leadership. Building on its 55

years lineage, Vertik-Al has built

a reputation for delivering

consistent high-quality finishes,

fast, through a programme of

strategic investment and

technological advancement.

With quality and efficiency

central to the Vertik-Al

proposition, Darryl Thompson

joins the planned and

preventative maintenance team

as electrical engineering

manager and is responsible for

the electrical needs across the

Birmingham site. Darryl brings

over 30 years of mechanical

and electrical engineering

expertise and experience to the

role.

Kevin Driscoll will head the

company’s business

improvement team, focussed on

building stronger partner

alliances. With 25 years’

experience in the aluminium

fenestration industry, customers

will benefit from Kevin’s

knowledge, industry insight and

client-centric approach.

“We’re experiencing

tremendous momentum as

more and more businesses and

specifiers turn to powder

coating as their finish of choice

which is why we have focussed

on strengthening our team with

talented individuals who will

support us in achieving

excellence,” says Park-Davies.

Price increase

Beckers Group says it will increase prices for its main coil and

industrial coatings product groups by up to 8% globally due to

significant raw materials cost rises. Increases will be implemented in

the first quarter of 2021, or as permitted by contract.

Strong growth in coatings demand in emerging economies has led

to shortages worldwide, which over recent years have fuelled a rise in

traditional raw material costs. Beckers Group absorbed many of the

escalating costs through cost control measures and strong support

from the Procurement and R&D teams. The recently escalating rise in

costs, however, is forcing Beckers Group to adapt their pricing to the

market changes to maintain the same service level.

Christophe Sabas, CEO of Beckers Group, emphasized the severity

of the inflation on raw materials during the last quarter and the

forecast for the rest of the year: “Not only is Beckers facing a historic

price increase in its key raw materials, but we are also dealing with

tension in the supply chain on some products. Our teams are

implementing all the actions needed to mitigate this risk; nevertheless,

we have to offset the soaring rise in raw material costs by increasing

our prices. This will allow Beckers to continue to deliver the same level

of service, secure the supply chain, and maintain our product quality.”


A

FAST

·

·

FILM

APPLICATION

REPEATABLE

·

ACCURATE

AC

CURA

R

ATE

AT

·

DURABLE

Prepare consistent and

reproducible coating samples

with the Elcometer 4340

Motorised Film Applicator.

elcometer.com

Finishing - Elcometer 4340 Half Page.indd 1 10/03/2021 11:17:13

Celebrating more than 70 years

providing excellence in pumps

and filtration

High Quality German DC

Switch Mode Rectifiers

} DC Rectifiers

} Pulse Rectifiers

} High current rectifiers

up to 10,000A

Pumps up to 250m³/h

} Horizontal

} Magnetic Sealless

} Vertical Sealless

Filtration Systems

up to 60m³/h

} Cartridges

} Bags

} Papers

} Microfibres

For all

applications

} Electroplating

} Anodising

} Hard Chrome

} Reel-to-Reel Plating } E-Coat

For all your product finishing requirements

Hendor-pe UK Ltd, Carrington Business Park, Manchester Road, Carrington, Manchester M31 4DD

Tel: 0161 776 4331 | E: sales@hendor-pe.co.uk | W: www.Hendor-pe.co.uk


Market growth

According to a report by Grand View Research, the global

antimicrobial coatings market is expected to grow at a compound

annual growth rate of 12.8 per cent from 2020 to 2027 – and

antimicrobial additives provider BioCote has reported an

unprecedented increase in revenue over the last year – with many of

its customers requiring antimicrobial paints and coatings. David Hall,

managing director of BioCote, comments:

“Demand for products containing integrated antimicrobial additives,

which significantly reduce the growth of a wide range of microbes, is

increasing. In recent times, and particularly over the past year, people

have become much more aware that everyday objects and surfaces

can harbour microbes. To help prevent cross-contamination, we are all

spending more time washing our hands and sanitising the surfaces we

touch and the products we use – but antimicrobial additives, which

can be manufactured into a wide range of products, including paints

and coatings, are becoming more popular too. Supporting stringent

cleaning regimes and good hand hygiene practices, antimicrobial

technology makes surfaces easier to keep clean.

“The Grand View Research antimicrobial coatings report suggests

growing concern regarding cleanliness in various industries has led to

increased demand. And it is a significant market for us. Our sales have

been rising over several years, and, as you might expect, there has

been a dramatic surge in enquiries since March 2020.

“To help meet the current customer demands for antimicrobial

additives, we increased our headcount by 30 per cent in 2020,

delivering further skills and enhancing service levels across sales,

partner support, marketing, technical, warehouse and logistics. We

have also doubled our production capacity on liquid additives for

coatings and have been developing new and exciting antimicrobial

additives to deliver new product technologies with added features and

benefits.

“Antimicrobial additives can be manufactured directly into all types

of paints and coatings – whether solvent-, oil- or water-based, liquid,

powder, ink, lacquer or varnish, and whether used internally or

externally. Our technology acts in minutes and can reduce the number

of microbes on a protected surface by up to 86 per cent in just 15

minutes and by up to 99.99 per cent in a 24-hour period.

“Introducing an additive will not affect the colour of a paint or

coating, the finish, or the application process. Durability will be

increased compared to an unprotected product, and staining,

unpleasant odours and material degradation will also be minimised.

The technology will work continuously for the expected lifetime of the

paint or coating; if manufactured in properly it does not wear out or

wash off.”

Virtual open days

LANXESS is hosting Virtual Days EMEA: From April 19 to 23, 2021,

existing and potential customers of the specialty chemicals company can

learn about new product developments, technologies and general

industry trends at the online event.

LANXESS experts from nine business units will lead a total of 27

online sessions on the topics of "Construction and Coatings," "New

Mobility," "Plastics and Sustainable Flame Retardants and Sustainability,"

and "Consumer Protection Products and Specialty Treatments."

Overarching industry topics such as the "Circular Economy" and the new

EU chemicals strategy for sustainability will also be discussed. In addition,

all participants can interactively experience the company's product worlds

on a virtual campus.. In a 3D world, all participating business units

present themselves to visitors and provide detailed information about

products and solutions. Retrievable videos and brochures round off the

extensive offering.

If you would like to participate you can register for the LANXESS

Virtual Days EMEA free of charge online at http://virtualdays.lanxess.com/

The BCF says that Brexit has had a negative impact on its members,

as Finishing found out

A recent survey of British Coatings Federation (BCF) members

demonstrates how Brexit has impacted negatively on the coatings

sector in the form of new customs red-tape and higher costs since

1st January. The survey reported higher shipping costs, increased

costs of imported raw materials, and new administration costs to

complete customs paperwork, with 30% of companies estimating

increases in total operating costs of 3-10%.

As a result, significant risks to the competitiveness of BCF

members’ UK production and exports, despite the industry investing

in preparing for Brexit (86%) and being experienced exporters

beyond the EU (75% of companies).

The new Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will have a significant

negative impact on the UK exports of paints, coatings and printing

inks.

Key findings:

• Two thirds of companies fear losing EU export customers due to

the additional cost and complexity of doing business

• Seven out of ten say their opportunities to trade with the EU will

decrease

• Only 10% see opportunities from new trade deals with the rest of

the world

• On a more positive note, a quarter of companies thought the

FTA might mean more chances to increase trade within the UK.

BCF members also fear the new trading relationship will have a

significant impact on the UK manufacturing of paints, coatings and

printing inks. 82% of respondents have UK manufacturing, 35%

were UK SMEs and 60% foreign owned business.

Key findings:

• 50% believe the new FTA will reduce the competitiveness of their

UK factories compared to EU competitors.

• 25% were concerned there was a risk their company would

reduce UK production and move it to the EU

• Three quarters of those same companies (18.5% of total

respondents) believed there was a risk their company could stop

operations in the UK altogether

• Seven out of ten believe the UK diverging from EU REACH in

future will reduce their competitiveness

• Almost 60% are worried about future effects of UK REACH on

raw material prices and potential lack of availability of chemical

substances

Commenting on the survey results, Tom Bowtell, CEO of the

British Coatings Federation, said:

“We need the UK Government to act in two ways. Firstly, it needs

to do more to support all businesses coming to terms with the new

customs and borders procedures. More resources are needed to iron

out problems with IT systems and other processes, as well as to

communicate what is needed to both UK and EU companies,

through training and marketing campaigns. Secondly, it needs to

amend the UK REACH legislation to further mitigate against some of

the extra costs and impacts on raw material availability that will

inevitably arise based on its current plans. Failure to do so will lead to

our members – and other businesses in similar sectors – reaching

the higher end of their additional cost estimates and, ultimately, see

many reducing or relocating manufacturing in the UK as we become

a less competitive country to do business in.”


EXCELLENCE

FOR WOOD COATING.

Liquid & powder coating of wood

• Perfect surfaces

• Individual configuration

• High efficiency & reliability

Contact

Wagner Spraytech (UK) Ltd

a Member of WAGNER GROUP

Telephone: 01327 368410

enquiries@wagner-group.com

wagner-group.com

Contact



Telephone: 01327 368410



Qualicoat continues to meet online in 2021

More price increases

Hempel will increase sales prices of products and solutions as raw

material prices continue to escalate.

The cost of key raw materials used in the manufacturing of coatings

is now significantly higher compared to the beginning of 2020, and

the trend is continuing.

For example, from January 2020 to January 2021, the cost of epoxy

increased by 60 per cent in Europe, 40 per cent in North America and

20 per cent in North Asia (source: Technon Orbichem Epoxide Resins;

Liquid Spot). In the same period, the price of zinc increased more than

16 per cent globally, while copper prices rose more than 30 per cent

(source: London Metal Exchange).

“We’re witnessing an ongoing rise in prices for key raw materials

due to increased global demand for feedstock as well as logistic

challenges. This has a heavy impact on global supply and contributes

to higher prices,” says Michael Hansen, executive vice president &

chief commercial officer at Hempel.

He continues: “We have made every effort to control and absorb the

increases over the last 12 months. It is no longer possible for us to fully

absorb the effects as raw material prices continue to rise. We have no

other option than to increase the prices of products and solutions. Our

focus remains on delivering value to and serving our customers across

the world.”

Awards date changed

Due to the ongoing situation

with the global pandemic, the

date of Surface Engineering Gala

Dinner & Awards has been

moved.

The evening will now be held

on Friday 8th October 2021 at

the Park Regis, Birmingham.

This event will recognise,

reward, and celebrate the very

best that the surface engineering

and finishing sector has offered

over the last three years.

Because of the change of date,

there’s still plenty of time to get

your entries in for the awards,

categories of which are as

follows:

• Marketing

• Quality

• Environmental

• Innovation

• Outstanding company

achievement

• Outstanding international

contribution

• Meritorious service to the Heat

Treatment industry

• Ray Alford Individual

Achievement award

Tickets are now available for

the event, and the cost covers

pre-dinner drink reception, 3-

course meal, entertainment

during the Awards ceremony,

and after dinner music and

entertainment. To buy your

tickets, please contact Michaella

Mais, business development and

membership manager on 0121

237 1161, or via email

michaella.mais@sea.org.uk

Once again the Association meets online for its first members

meeting of 2021 and it is hoped by all that the next meeting in the

year could be back to some sort of normal! There was a very good

turnout of members at the meeting and a broad agenda to cover.

The Association has updated the QUALICOAT Specification and is

now dated rather than numbered, the latest issue is freely available

on the QUALICOAT website and is dated January 2021.

Membership inspections, undertaken by independent test house

IFO, have continued unabated through the pandemic as they have

been conducted virtually from their head office in Belgium.

Unannounced and undertaken twice a year, the inspections reviews

the quality procedures in place through the members coating

process. IFO confirmed that almost all inspections had been

completed for 2020 with no major non-conformity issues against the

QUALICOAT Standard. QUALICOAT members are the only

powder coaters in the UK, and indeed across the globe, who are

independently checked this way and maintain a licence of

conformity issued by QUALICOAT.

On the membership front, there are a further three powder

coating applicators in the UK & Ireland that have requested to join

the Association and work towards becoming a QUALICOAT

licensed applicator. In order to become a member of the

Association, applicators will need to be physically inspected and this

can only be done once lockdown has eased. The Association is

hoping, Covid 19 permitting, to begin inspections and to induct

these coaters into membership by the end of 2021.

One of the major topics discussed at the meeting was the

pending introduction of ‘QUALICOAT 3.0’. This specification is

intended to take powder coating into a new territory of quality, for

even further resilience and sustainability. QUALICOAT test many

thousands of samples through their independently appointed test

laboratories and a small number of samples continued to fail

accelerated tests even though pretreatment and coating have been

completed to the highest standard. It was only when the alloy of

the aluminium was accurately determined when a correlation was

found between coating failure and aluminium composition in

combination with the extrusion process, that this issue could be

researched further.

For a number of years QUALICOAT members from around the

globe have now been working on the suitability of aluminium alloys,

their composition and in particular the presence of trace elements.

It turns out that from this research that there is a direct correlation

between certain alloy compositions, including production techniques,

and an increased incidence of future corrosion failure.

QUALICOAT 3.0 will continue to qualify the tests the powder

coating and the pretreatment, but will now test and approve a third

element, the alloy stock itself. This tighter aluminium alloy

specification will need to be maintained and approved for a coating

to be able to carry a QUALICOAT 3.0 specification. It is expected

that this powder coating standard will be specified on projects

located in some of the harshest environments across the globe,

including the coastline of the British Isles, and will offer extended

life expectancy in these regions. It is planned that the new standard

will be launched later in 2021.

The next meeting of the Association is planned to take place at

the end of June and the Association welcomes anyone within the

powder coating supply chain in the UK and Ireland to join.


Innovation in Thru-Process

Automotive Paint Monitoring

Safe ATEX Certified Temperature Profiling

Intrinsically Safe

• 20 measurement

channels

• Paint & Powder coating

• Includes Phoenix Factor

cure index calculation

New Optic Video Profiling System

During Production

• Detect paint runs, drips

and defects

• Spot transport problems

• Identify oven damage

Phoenix Temperature Measurement

T:01353223100 E:sales@phoenixtm.com www.phoenixtm.com

10 CHROMIUM

Continued use

The SEA is working with chemical

suppliers, the Health & Safety Executive

and downstream users to ensure the

continued use of chromium trioxide in Great

Britain in a responsible and sustainable

manner. We should not be offshoring to other

countries where health & safety and

environmental standards are considerably

lower and always remember that we all have

a duty of care to the world as a whole. Why

not join us and ensure that Great Britain

retains and expands its world class

manufacturing capabilities. Full details at

https://www.sea.org.uk/membership/10-goodreasons-to-join/

Hard Chromium Plating

The EU approved the application for

authorisation for the continued use of

chromium trioxide for functional chromium

plating before the end of the transition period

and, therefore, you can continue to operate.

The authorisation is for functional

chromium plating where any of the following

characteristics are required - wear resistance,

hardness, layer thickness, corrosion resistance,

coefficient of friction, or effect on surface

morphology.

You must notify the HSE before 2nd March

2021 that you will be operating under this

authorisation. You should send an email to

ukreach.authorisation@hse.gov.uk

using the subject 'GB-based DU of an

existing EU authorisation (Art 127h)’

Your supplier should provide you with all

the necessary information eventually, so just

get the email notification done and state that

you are still awaiting full information from

your supplier if you don’t already have it.

Decorative Chromium Plating

The application for authorisation for

functional chromium plating with decorative

character was not approved by the EU. So,

since this authorisation was not granted

before the end of the transition period, if the

GB-based applicant wishes to seek

authorisation for this use under UK REACH,

they will need to submit the ECHA opinion

and other relevant information to DEFRA

within 180 days of the end of the transition

period so that the DEFRA Secretary of State

can make a decision. This is a sort of fast-track

process for so called “in flight” applications.

Any GB-based downstream users of these

GB-based applicants can continue with their

use providing the GB-based applicants submit

the information to DEFRA within the required

timescale.

A possibly difficulty could arise for GBbased

companies that carry out decorative

chromium plating, but are supplied from EUbased

members of the consortium. If these

companies wish to retain their current

supplier, they will need to submit their own

applications for authorisation to HSE and will

not be able to benefit from any fast-track

process. However, as a transitional measure,

both the Latest Application Date and the

Sunset Date have been extended to 30 June

2022. This extension applies only to GBbased

downstream users that had been reliant

on an upstream application made by an EUbased

applicant and who have been left in a

position of potential non-compliance due to

that cover being removed due to EU exit.

Any questions? Get in touch

dave.elliott@sea.org.uk

Finishing - March/April 2021

PYROLYSIS &

BURN OFF OVENS

UK’S LEADING MANUFACTURER

Our Pyrolysis ovens provide you with a quick and highly effective

process for the removal of plastic, paints and resins

Longworth’s pyrolysis & burn off ovens are second to none in design and build quality, built to last and have the latest

in technological features. Our ovens provide a quick and highly effective process for the removal of plastics, paints

and resins from jigs, filters, shelving, food trays, motors, automotive parts and a multitude of other components.

Accreditations

BS EN ISO 9001:2008

Call Longworth today for a no obligation meeting on how we can help you and your business

call

01254 680501

email

enquiries@bmlongworth.com

visit

www.bmlongworth.com

12 TAX

Unlocking incentives

Aleading surface adhesion company has

transformed its approach to innovation

after unlocking nearly £10,000 in

government incentives for work that

unexpectedly qualified as R&D, tax relief

specialists Catax has revealed.

Tantec UK specialises in highly advanced

plasma surface treatments that are used across

the aviation, medical, automotive and

electronics industries to bond materials

together.

However, differences in the material

composition, type of ink, adhesive and coating

being applied mean that every solution is

unique and has to be tailored to each client’s

specific needs.

One project proved particularly challenging.

In 2018 the firm, based in Redditch, near

Birmingham, was asked to find a way of

bonding automotive plastics to various

components, including tapes, spray adhesive

and leather. The company had to rely on a

bespoke solution and was delighted when

Catax’s experts unexpectedly identified activity

that qualified under the HMRC R&D tax

credit scheme resulting in a £9,412 tax benefit

paid back to the firm as a lump sum.

Using an off-the-shelf solution may have

worked, but specific materials, high volume

throughput and a variety of technical

requirements needed to be explored first.

That involved sitting down with the customer

to discuss these aspects before performing

trials on the parts that were crucial to solving

the problem.

There are normally two aspects to testing,

starting with looking at the surface energy of

a material before and after different amounts

of treatment are applied using a range of

techniques. Common plastic Polypropylene,

for example, is hard to adhere to due to its

low surface energy. In an attempt to find the

correct solution, Tantec had to experiment

with different treatment levels to ensure that

the desired result could be achieved without

exceeding deadlines that dovetailed with the

timetables governing other elements in

production.

The size of components and the processing

time informed by studies of surface energy

are crucial in deciding whether standard

machines can be used. A fast processing time,

coupled with smaller components and

generous production times might permit a

standard machine to be used. However, larger


TAX 13

parts requiring faster cycle times or specific sum.

tooling requirements would typically call for a Many firms don’t realise the work they do

custom solution. In those circumstances, qualifies as R&D, which is defined as any work

Tantec designs and builds bespoke pieces of that seeks to resolve a scientific or

equipment that better suit the customer’s technological uncertainty, whether that’s a new

requirements.

process, product or service, or an

A bespoke unit was ultimately needed for improvement to an existing one. Crucially,

this customer, which included specific

R&D work does not need to have been

elements such as automated doors to reduce successful to qualify and claims can be made

floor space, upgraded hardware to improve up to two years beyond the end of the tax

cycle time and a connected system for remote year in which the work took place.

viewing and diagnosis in case problems arose. Chris Howey, who is managing director of

This was especially important to this customer, Tantec UK as well as a chemistry graduate,

as it was a company that produced parts commented:

required by various automotive manufacturers “While we do sell standard systems, or

and the firm would not want to be responsible repeat bespoke systems, nearly all first time

for having to hold up the final assembly line. enquiries require some degree of

Tantec UK is now eyeing future growth of investigation. Whether it’s a different adhesive,

the business, aided by the extra support it material to bond or process to follow, no two

now knows will be provided in the form of problems are the same.

R&D tax credits. They will prove especially “We now realise this means some of our

valuable as Tantec expands into new areas to more advanced work qualifies as R&D under

reduce its reliance on third-party suppliers. the tax credit scheme and it was a fantastic

Plasma technology is found almost

surprise to also learn that staff costs qualify

everywhere in modern manufacturing.

too, as this is a significant overhead.

Examples include the application of medical “Our first claim may not be huge but it has

print to syringes, bonding together aircraft led to a renewed focus on future innovations,

components, sealing electrical systems and inspired largely by the knowledge that we can

ensuring print adheres to food packaging. rely on this government support to help get

R&D tax credits were introduced by the us there. We will be seeking out more

government in 2000 to incentivise innovation, complex projects knowing that the scheme

and result in either a reduction in a limited makes them much more worthwhile for us as

company’s actongate corporation - address tax alts.qxp_Layout bill or a cash 1 lump 09/11/2016 a business, 08:51 and Page we 1 have plans to employ

someone full time to really drive our R&D

forward.”

Kully Nijjar, associate director of specialist

R&D tax consultancy Catax, said:

“The overall size of this claim wasn’t as

valuable to Tantec UK as the lessons it learned

in how R&D tax credits can be applied. It’s no

understatement to say that, now Chris and his

team know they can benefit, it has

transformed the company’s prospects and its

approach to the most difficult projects.

“We couldn’t be happier that this claim is

going to result in a massive expansion in the

scope of their trailblazing work. This promises

to have a huge impact on the cash flow and

success of the business for years to come.”

In the next issue:

Powder Coating

Ovens and Curing

Equipment

Dust and Fume

Extraction

Acton Gate Systems Limited - Tel: 01902 249299

Hilton Hall Business Centre, Hilton Lane, Essington, Staffordshire, WV11 2BQ

web: www.actongate.co.uk - email: enquiries@actongate.co.uk


14 POWDER COATINGS

Getting the treatment

The quality of any powder coating relies

on its ability to adhere to the substrate. If

there is no ‘key’ to adhere to, or the

substrate could oxidise, then no matter the

quality of the powder coating that is applied, it

simply will not adhere over time.

The debate goes on about which

pretreatment is best to use for powder coated

aluminium outdoor construction and

infrastructure use. Due to ongoing concerns

raised by REACH regarding the use of

chromium trioxide, many architectural coaters

have now moved to chrome free alternatives.

Chrome free systems have been around for

many years and, whilst more difficult to apply

consistently, they are reported to perform as

well as their chrome counterparts.

Increasingly, specifiers and facade engineers

are turning to anodising as a pretreatment for

powder coating on aluminium, this is

sometimes referred to as PREOX or Flash

Anodising. This process requires a completely

new plant to be installed at considerable

expense hence there are few powder coaters

in the UK that can offer this service.

The anodising pretreatment process consists

of providing a thin anodised film of just five

microns created on the surface of the

aluminium and then left unsealed. The

process of powder coating then needs to be

undertaken quickly in order to avoid potential

contamination of the surface of the anodising

or further oxidisation as the anodising is

unsealed. This being the case, it is only

powder coat plants with an anodising facility

that can offer this form of pretreatment.

In the UK there are two main standards for

architectural powder coated aluminium, either

BS EN 12206-1 (2004) or QUALICOAT now

in its 16th Edition (2020) of the standard.

Each of these standards allow chrome,

chrome-free and anodised pretreatment

systems to be used. BS 6496:1984 -

‘Specification for powder organic coatings for

application and stoving to aluminium alloy

extrusions…’ was withdraw in February 2017

and should not be used.

Whilst the BS EN Standard is a European

national standard, the QUALICOAT Standard

has worldwide recognition. The QUALICOAT

Standard is also kept up to date continuously

with new editions being issued every two

years with regular amendments added

between editions.

Technically, the QUALICOAT standard is

more robust as it specifies minimum etch

requirements within the pretreatment process

and a finished powder coated surface test for

filiform corrosion resistance, which BS EN

12206-1 does not require. Crucial to removing

contaminants from the extrusion process is an

acid or alkaline etch of 1g/sm, without this

potential corrosion could form on the

aluminium substrate once coating has been

completed. Furthermore, QUALICOAT offer a

‘Seaside’ class of powder coating where the

minimum etch is increased to 2g/sm.

QUALICOAT, with their global

headquarters in Zurich, recognise the increase

in specification of anodising as a pretreatment

system and have a working group dedicated

to developing the technology further.

Research is constantly undertaken by

QUALICOAT members in collaboration with

independent testing laboratories which results

a robust anodising pretreatment methodology

based on extensive testing which is then

independently monitored and specified in the

QUALICOAT Standard.

Whilst both BS EN 12206 and

QUALICOAT are similar, in fact, QUALICOAT

was heavily involved in the writing of BS EN

12206-1 in 2004, the BS EN 12206 requires

any alternative conversion coating processes

to be tested to ISO 8565 (2011) for a

duration up to five years ‘Industrial and

Coastal Outdoor Weathering’. However,

QUALICOAT uses both accelerated laboratory

testing together with Florida and Genoa

outdoor weather testing for higher correlation.

The matrix of tests laid down in the

QUALICOAT standard requires location tests

for up to two years duration repeated every

three years for all alternative conversion

coating processes.

So which one to use? Like many processes

it is down to the quality of the application,

each pretreatment process, chrome based,

chrome free and anodising are all approved

and offer guarantees. Whilst some companies

can claim to powder coat to BS EN 12206-1

(2004) it is only QUALICOAT that monitor

QUALICOAT licensed applicator plants twice

yearly for the correct application and ongoing

testing of pretreatment and coatings.

Specifiers are recognising the importance of

this independent assessment of compliance

and as a result the number of QUALICOAT

specifications being received by applicators is

on the rise, which in turn is increasing

membership in QUALICOAT UK & Ireland

association.


PosiTector ® Inspection

Unrivaled probe interchangeability

for all of your inspection needs.

Coating Thickness Probes

n Ferrous n Non-Ferrous n Combination n Ultrasonic

Surface Profile Probes

n Depth Micrometer n Replica Tape Reader

Environmental Conditions Probes

n Integral n Cabled Magnetic Probe n Anemometer Probe

n 1/2” NPT n Infrared

Hardness Probes

n Shore n Barcol

Salt Contamination Probe

n Bresle Method

Ultrasonic Wall Thickness Probes

n Corrosion n Multiple Echo Thru-Paint n Precision

n Low Frequency n Xtreme

NEW

Design and Features

Design and Features

NEW

Customized Inspection Kits...

Build your own kit from a selection of gauge

bodies and probes to suit your needs.

Coating

Thickness

Surface

Profile

Environmental

Conditions

Hardness

Salt

Contamination

Ultrasonic

Wall Thickness

Backwards Compatibility! The redesigned PosiTector gauge body accepts ALL coating thickness

(6000/200), environmental (DPM), surface profile (SPG/RTR), salt contamination (SST), hardness

(SHD/BHI), and ultrasonic wall thickness (UTG) probes manufactured since 2012.

DFT DFT Instruments UK UK LTD LTD

16A 16A Long Long Drive, Meadway, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 HP4 2PN 2PN

t: t: 01442 879494 f: f: 01442 879595

www.dftinstruments.co.uk e: e: sales@dftinstruments.co.uk

Proud supplier of of DeFelsko Inspection Instruments

16 POWDER COATINGS

A new power in

powder coating

Following significant investment in new

processes and technology at its Glasgow

plant, Vivalda Group has launched Prism

Powder Coating – Scotland’s most accredited

PPC applicator and one of only a handful of

Qualicoat quality-approved providers in the

UK.

The launch of the standalone powder

coating business comes in the wake of

Vivalda’s acquisition of MSP Scotland in 2019.

Previously run as an in-house PPC facility,

newly-named Prism has continued to win new

customers due to its reputation for high

quality products and customer service. In the

light of investment in new computing and

improved pre-treatment capacity, the rebrand

is already bringing in new business to Prism

Powder Coating.

Kenny Carmichael, branch manager at

Prism Powder Coating, said: “While our

powder coating operation has been around

for more than 25 years, it’s only now that it’s

had the investment and attention it really

deserves. Over the last few years, we’ve seen

more architects and contractors coming to us

for bespoke, specialist PPC solutions and

realised now – despite Covid - was the right

time to set up Prism Powder Coating in its

own right. We have a healthy order book for

2021 and are even on the lookout for more

skilled people to add to our team of 12.

“With the backing of Vivalda, we’ve been

able to invest in the business to create a

world-class operation here at our

Cumbernauld plant. Being part of a larger,

team-minded organization has also created

some exiting new business opportunities for

us.”

Prism Powder Coating provides a huge

range of colours and finishes, in addition to its

chrome-free, eight stage pre-treatment

process, which has achieved full Qualicoat

accreditation and approved applicator status

from Akzo Nobel.

Available in a range of gloss levels and

finishes, the company can supply more than

1,000 colour options to architects, specifiers

and contractors within the construction sector.

As only one of 20 powder coaters in the UK

to hold both Qualicoat accreditation and Akzo

Nobel approved applicators status, Prism

Powder Coating provides specifiers of

cladding, gutterings and other architectural

features with an unrivaled service.

Working closely with Akzo Nobel’s

Interpon brand plus many other powder

suppliers such as Axalta, Valspar and Tiger,

the Scottish-based business provides a truly

tailor-made service to the UK construction

industry, with a firm emphasis on high-spec

cladding and facades.

With a fully integrated, UK-based facility,

Prism Powder Coating can fulfil both planned

and urgent project requirements thanks to its

location and capability. Running a modern,

high-volume process as well as a controlled

spray booth facility gives Prism the flexibility

to offer specifiers the best of both worlds –

responsiveness and world-class quality. All

powder coating is undertaken using chromefree,

environmentally-friendly processes.


EASY OPERATION.

DOUBLE PRODUCTIVITY.

SuperCenter EVO

Powder preparation & supply center

• Ideal for frequent & fast color changes

• High degree of automation for optimum efficiency

• Double-designed fresh powder station for increased productivity

wagner-group.com

Contact



Telephone: 01327 368410


18 PROFILE

Supplying the full package

Unitech Machinery is a supplier of all

types of paint finishing plant and

equipment. From its Staffordshire

factory and offices, the company designs and

manufactures specialist equipment which it

can then install throughout the UK and

abroad.

The company is continuously investing in its

manufacturing facilities. This ensures they are

kept up to date at all times. When you

combine this with its highly experienced

workforce, it means the company can provide

its customers with a number of quality

systems. The range of products consists of

single spray booths and industrial ovens, to

complete turnkey plants.

Unitech Machinery offers both standard

and bespoke spray booth solutions. The

company’s experienced designers, engineers

and installation teams can build a spraybooth

to meet its clients exact requirements.

The booths are all manufactured in the UK.

The company says its equipment is always

high quality, robust and designed to last in

the busiest of environments. Unitech

Machinery says it takes great pride in

providing equipment that delivers high

performance and reliability.

All styles of spraybooth are incorporated in

the range from full downdraught, semi

downdraught and cross-draught. With

excavated or raised floor designs or floor

mounted rear or side wall designs. Many

booths incorporate LED lighting, flash off

systems and variable speed drives as

standard.

The full range comprises;

• Dry filter extraction units.

• Dry filter spray booths and rooms (open

fronted and enclosed).

• Water wash spray booths (open fronted)

with rear water curtain. Pumped and

pumpless.

• Enclosed underfloor extraction systems.

• Large industrial dry filter spray booths for

aircraft, railway carriages and other large

equipment.

• Down draft spray booths for aircraft,

railway carriages and construction equipment.

• Wastewater treatment facilities.

Dry Filter Spraybooth

The dry filter spraybooth is designed to

create efficient, effective (and most

importantly) safe working environments for

both the operators that use them and other

personnel in the vicinity. Their primary

purpose is to maintain safe airflows, extracting

potentially harmful fumes and particulate

matter away from the operators. It then passes

through a filter system prior to discharge into

the atmosphere.

Inferior designs and poor extraction systems

lead to poor quality and hazardous working

conditions for people in and around the

booth. The booths provide full compliance

with all relevant performance and Health and

Safety legislation.

Water Wash Spraybooth

The water wash spraybooth range provides

an efficient air scrubbing system, using both

pumped and pumpless methods of operation.

The water scrubbing action effectively

removes particulate matter from the airstream,

whilst banks of eliminators remove excess

moisture prior to discharge into the

atmosphere.

The booths are highly effective and are a

great choice in high throughput environments

where constant performance is essential. The

booths provide full compliance with all

relevant performance and Health and Safety

legislation.

The products can be small one-off booths

for manual application, to precision automated

systems featuring robotic material application.

This could also include multi-component

material mixing / delivery and sophisticated

handling equipment. All equipment is backed

up with state of the art control systems.

The company offers support equipment

such as air replacement plant, sludge

coagulation systems, paint kitchens and mix

rooms, de-ionisation and application

equipment.

Unitech Machinery will advise, consult and

design the concept needed to paint your parts

in the most effective and economical way.

This goes for all types of surface finishing,

surface preparation and paint drying projects.

The company will complete a design concept

with one of its experienced design teams and

this will help to ensure it can meet its clients

exact specifications. Whatever the process,

Unitech Machinery will provide your solution.

To get in touch, ring 01543 685565,


SERFILCO INTERNATIONAL

Global Products, Local Service & Advice You Can Rely On

SerDuctor Airless Agitation for Improved Process

Control & Emissions Compliance

SerDuctor Airless Agitation

systems provide controllable,

turbulent movement where you

need it most whilst driving down

chemical emissions to help meet

legislative targets

• Reduce airborne emissions by ≥90%.

• Save tank heating costs up to 25%.

• Save metal as a result of more uniform brightness

and thickness distribution.

• Improves Throw deposit thickness in blind,

through holes and recesses.

• Permits use of increased current density,

especially compared to air or cathode rod

agitation, for faster plating rate.

• Reduces carbonates in alkaline processes.

• Reduces or eliminates gas-pitting.

• Provides constant agitation because SERDUCTOR

systems don’t clog.

For more information on our complete range of equipment & our competitive service

rates, or to talk to an engineer about your application contact Serfilco International:

+44 (0) 161 775 1910 global@serfilco.com www.serfilco.co.uk

20 PLATING

Selective choice

Remanufacturing is on the rise. Already

commonly used in the automobile,

heavy equipment and off-highway

vehicles (OHV) sectors, this manufacturing

trend is expected to continue growing across

even more industries and applications. This

includes marine, aerospace, general industry

and more, as businesses seek to reduce

capital costs and extend the life of equipment

and machinery.

Growth of remanufacturing can be further

attributed to the constant desire to drive down

the total cost of ownership of expensive

equipment. Examples include landing gear in

aerospace, diesel engines in OHV, pumps,

valves and turbines in many industries, and

much more. There’s a greater need now,

more than ever, to minimize repairs and

replacements, while enhancing agility

throughout engineering processes – and

remanufacturing fits this need perfectly.

The ever-present need for remanufacturing

In all industries, all equipment, from the

smallest component to the biggest (and most

expensive) machines are constantly subjected

to unpredictable field conditions harsh

operating environments, and sometimes even

abuse, all of which combine to increase the

risk of wear and tear, corrosion and damage.

If not properly maintained, many of these

components – or entire pieces of machinery –

may need to be scrapped, increasing capital

equipment costs and downtime. These worn,

corroded, or damaged components contribute

to the 73 million metric tons of ferrous metal,

and millions more tons of non-ferrous metals

and stainless steel in the US scrap rate. This

result is far from inevitable though – if site

managers and manufacturers can find a way

to head off component failure and remove the

need for scrapping equipment.

This is where remanufacturing comes into

play, returning OEM parts back to original

specification – or better – for a longer, more

reliable lifespan.

Extending operational lifespan

without lengthy downtimes

It’s clear that remanufacturing is an

increasingly prominent way to extend the

operational lifespan of equipment. However,

it’s just as crucial to ensure that downtime is

minimized when doing so, especially as the

costs of such downtime can quickly rack up.

In industries like marine and shipping, power

generation and mining, any way to quickly,

cost-effectively and sustainably enhance

components, improve wear resistance and

repair damage is key. Here, selective

electroplating offers a vital benefit.

Selective plating (also known as brush

plating) is a method of repairing and restoring

critical dimensions and surface properties of

worn components back to OEM standards,

using an array of tried-and-trusted solutions,

such as copper, nickel, nickel-tungsten and

cobalt. Even more crucially, it can be

completed on site, to reduce the downtime

and cost associated with disassembly,

transport and reassembly.

This is due to the ability of selective


PLATING 21

electroplating to treat specific areas of a

component, with accurate, selective brush

plating of materials onto localized surfaces and

diameters, enabling in-situ repair and

enhancement that is typically faster than

alternative surface coating methods.

As opposed to tank plating – the other

major method in electroplating –– brush

plating does not require extensive masking or

special fixtures. It can also plate deposits

between 30 to 60 times faster, with no risk of

part distortion thanks to the process taking

place at room temperature. All of which

combines to make this particular

remanufacturing process a faster, more costeffective

and lower-risk option.

The science in selective

electroplating

Given the continuous use and sometimes

harsh direct impact experienced when

equipment and machinery is in operation,

selective plating needs to bond at the atomic

level. This is something not provided by

traditional surface coating methods, such as

thermal spray, which only forms a mechanical

bond.

To create this atomic bond, selective plating

uses electrochemical principles: an electrolyte

solution, containing ions of the deposit

material, is introduced between the negatively

charged plating surface and the positively

charged tool. This is powered by a portable

power pack, enabling precision control over

amperage, voltage and duration.

When the tool – or anode – touches the

surface, a circuit is created, with a cover

material around the tool providing a reservoir

to ensure even distribution. The current within

the circuit causes the ions between the

interfaces to bond – building up the plating

layer and delivering a highly adherent and

dense metal deposit.

Selective plating also allows for more

accurate control of deposit thicknesses – often

allowing parts to be plated to size with no

post-machining. With the portable nature of

brush plating, repairs are able to be

undertaken either in the shop or on the job

site – meaning accuracy is matched by a

fundamental flexibility in the process.

Plating in practice: Hydraulic

rod and ram defect repairs

So, selective electroplating has been

discussed in theory, but what happens actually

out in the field? One example is SIFCO ASC’s

work with a well-known heavy equipment and

OHV manufacturer.

Due to size, cost and lead time, replacement

parts or components for heavy equipment are

not typically available on short notice.

However, many components with wear and/or

surface defects can be repaired, rather than

replaced.

A common scenario is damage to hydraulic

rods and rams, ranging from light scratches to

deep impacts and corrosion damage. This can

be permanently repaired by selectively plating

using the SIFCO Process®. Defects are

typically repaired with one or more layers of

copper, then covered with a wear resistant

deposit with good release or wetting

characteristics.

These types of repairs are easily completed

on rods and rams made up of carbon or

stainless steel that have been plated with

chrome or nickel. Copper is applied to the

damaged area and then dressed back to just

below the surface. Finally, a thin layer of

cobalt-nickel is applied to a slightly larger area

and then polished to match the surface

texture.

Reducing environmental impact

Sustainability is at the heart of

remanufacturing – and any way that we can

cut down the demand for Earth’s resources is

a welcome one. Brush plating fits the bill here

– especially given its far lower impact

compared to other surface coating methods.

Using less solution and chemicals, and

generating very little waste, as well as

reductions in the carbon costs of emissions,

transport and shipping, it’s a more sustainable

option at an ecological level. Even for workers’

health and wellbeing, the reduction in fumes

and hazardous waste requiring disposal

delivers a safer, healthier working

environment.

Maximizing uptime – and minimizing costs

In a fast-moving quarter of the world’s

industrial landscape, remanufacturing and

selective plating present a distinct way to do

things better: returning vehicles, machines,

and equipment to operational effectiveness for

a longer life of efficient and reliable service,

with minimal downtime in the process.

Increased wear resistance, surface hardness

and low electrical contact resistance, or

corrosion protection, are just some of the

benefits of the process.


22 PRE-TREATMENT

American expansion

Walther Trowal has significantly

expanded the facilities of its subsidiary

in Grand Rapids, Michigan, that was

founded in 2005. It now offers its customers

in North- and South-America “just-in-time“

delivery times for the mass finishing media

and compounds. In the substantially

upgraded “Process Development Lab“

experienced and knowledgeable application

engineers assist the customers to optimize the

surface finishing solutions for their work

pieces.

With the move into a substantially larger

facility the Walther Trowal LLC in Grand

Rapids, Michigan, has now eliminated the

disadvantages of two separate physical

locations. With a total area of more than

4,000 m² all the company’s business functions

are now under one roof: Sales, service and

administration and a threefold larger

warehouse area for machines, compounds

and media.

Walther Trowal has also expanded the

“Process Development Lab“ that is now

equipped with a variety of different finishing

machines. It allows the American customers to

quickly run processing trials with their work

pieces in Walther Trowal machinery and,

jointly with the company’s application

engineers, improve their finishing processes.

The lab is not only equipped with mass

finishing and shot blast machinery but also

coating systems for mass produced small

parts.

In the “Tech & Training Centre“ Walther

Trowal offers application and training

seminars, which are primarily attended by

distributors but also by customers from the

automobile, machinery building and

aerospace industry.

With the new facility Ken Raby, vice

president and general manager of the Walther

Trowal LLC, can now serve his North- and

South-American customers even better: “We

have significantly expanded our warehouse

capacity. This enables us to ship standard

media and compounds to our customers from

Grand Rapids “just-in-time”. In addition, we

are stocking numerous mass finishing

machines, which can now be shipped

instantaneously.”

Several application and sales engineers at

the Grand Rapids office support the already

existing nine distributors in the United States

and Canada, including the subsidiary

company in Queretaro, Mexico. At this

location the Walther Trowal LLC founded the

Walther Trowal S.A. de C.V. in January 2020.

With initially three employees this office has

also a test lab and a sizable stock of Trowal

products.

Christoph Cruse, general sales manager at

Walther Trowal in Haan/Germany, explains

why the company is further expanding its

presence in the Americas: “We see a

continuously growing flow of customer

enquiries and purchase orders from North- as

well as South-America. Both markets are

undergoing a steady growth. With short

response times, a large warehouse capacity

and intensive on-site technical support, our

American customers have perceived us for

quite a while as a local player in the field of

surface finishing”.

Walther Trowal produces all its mass

finishing, shot blasting and coating

equipment, as well as compounds and plastic

media, at its headquarters in Germany.

Ceramic grinding and polishing media are still

produced in Great Britain at a facility in Stokeon-Trent.


The Choice for the Professional Powder Coater

Gema UK

01202 763942

uk.sales@gema.eu.com

24 COATINGS

Modular concept

Surface treatment in industrial furniture

production is an important, and possibly

even the most important part, within the

entire production. A lot of money can be

spent here and just as much can be saved.

Expensive coatings, time-consuming machine

cleaning, compliance with environmental

regulations and constantly changing trends in

materials and coatings require technical

equipment that offers the customer required

flexibility and therefore investment security for

the future.

Overall concept with individual

solutions

The overall system concept for surface

treatment described here serves as an

example of what modern coating systems can

achieve. The Venjakob system was developed

for coating processes like furniture surfaces,

glass surfaces, and special materials. The

individual machines - from the preparation of

the workpieces, through spray coating, to

drying - were optimized with individual

equipment and assembled to create a

complete system.

Traditional wood coatings, water-based or

with organic solvents can be used, as well as

UV coatings. The most common coatings for

glass surfaces, 2-component polyurethane

systems or enamel coatings can be used in

the system.

Central control panel for all

machines

All relevant system parameters are available

via the integrated internal communication

system (Ethernet) and can be preselected and

set via a central control panel. This enables

flexible interaction of all individual

components. Each product has its own recipe.

Each color can be prepared in parallel with

ongoing production and activated within a

very short time.

High availability of the system

Regarding the amortization of the

investment in the system, Venjakob focused

on the greatest possible flexibility of the

machines when planning the production line


COATINGS 25

presented here. The technical equipment was

chosen with a particularly focus on spray

coating. The breakdown of the total

production time into production and cleaning

time is typical for spray coating applications.

This defines how efficiently and profitably the

system works. The advantages of the modular

design are therefore particularly clear with the

spray coating system. The customer has the

possibility to configure the machine in such a

way that a non-stop operation without

interrupting, due to cleaning, is possible.

Important "time wasters", such as cleaning the

belt cleaning systems, can take place in

parallel with production.

Essential: Machine and Process

Data

Important information about the processes,

the productivity of the system, as well as key

data that document the wear and tear are

essential for the consistent production quality,

the logistical planning, and the maintenance of

the system. The advantages of process data

acquisition include:

• Characteristic data provides maintenance

necessary wear and tear data before the

system must be shut down due to a

maintenance issue.

• Production management receives reliable

data on productivity and can therefore meet

the specified goals.

• Material flow and resource planning are

easier within the information network because

a requirement is identified at an early stage.

• As the productivity is known, the entire

supply and discharge logistics can be planned

flexible.

The surface treatment in three

steps

1. Cleaning: The preparation of the

workpieces

The upstream workpiece cleaning removes

contamination from the workpiece surfaces via

consumption-optimized, rotating, contact-free

blow-off nozzles. The swirled-up particles are

collected via an efficient extraction system

which is connected to an on-site dust

collection system. The cleaning is followed by

neutralization of static surface charges on the

workpieces via an ionization system. The

workpieces leave the pre-cleaning in a clean

and charge-neutral state.

2. Spray Coating: Completely

Automated Color Change

The spray machine conveys the workpieces

via a closed belt system under the spray guns

moving perpendicular of the direction of

travel. The machine is equipped with an

automatic color change system. Together with

the central control system, the color change

takes place automatically. An applicationadapted

exhaust system, in conjunction with a

sophisticated fresh air supply, enables optimal

removal of the resulting overspray. The

workpieces are recorded on the infeed side by

a workpiece scanner and the machine control

system creates a consumption-optimized spray

coating program for each spray gun installed.

The remaining coating material, that collects in

the offset area of the workpiece edges, on the

conveyor belt is recovered and cleaned using

a patented belt cleaning system. The cleaning

system is designed that different water-borne

or solvents coatings can run in the system in

free alternation. Alternatively, non-stop

production can be set up, using external

cleaning of the belt cleaning system while

production is running. Due to its modularity,

the machine is equipped with a high level of

production availability, which can be achieved

by installing a second washer. The highest

energy and environmental standards are

observed.

3. Drying System: Freely Configurable

The drying system consists of modules that

were process variables like, air speed,

temperature and optionally humidity, can be

freely configured. The usual drying phases

adapt to the coating systems used. Everything

is possible: from short evaporation phases to

intensive drying phases, supported by infrared

heat radiation with subsequent UV curing. The

final cooling via a controlled conditioned

cooling process, leads to a repeatable and safe

overall drying process.


26 COATINGS

Quick conversion

From metal workpieces to automotive

components and wood: WAGNER's

high-speed rotary atomizers can be used

in numerous industrial sectors and achieve

extremely efficient coating results on both

small and large workpieces.

The TOPFINISH Bell 1S and TOPFINISH

RobotBell 1 products available to date are

equally well suited as all-round units for

water-based and solvent-based coatings. Both

models are now available as variants with

external charge with the suffix "ECH"

("external charge"). They have been specially

developed for demanding applications with

water-based paints, where a particularly high

coating quality is required.

The external charge of the coating material

is decisive here: The high voltage emitted via

the electrode ring ionizes the ambient air in

such a way that the sprayed material is

charged. The grounded workpiece is

electrostatically coated. Compared to internal

charging, external charging has the

considerable advantage that the overall system

does not have to be specially insulated for use

with water-based coatings, ultimately to

ensure a safe coating process. The equipment

costs for water-based coating applications are

therefore significantly reduced.

Compared to the WAGNER market

competitors, these two models can process

even higher-viscosity materials too. Thanks to

the modular concept, they can also be

converted in just a few minutes to a version

with internal charging for use with solventbased

coatings, without having to modify the

complete structure of the overall system.

Various designs

WAGNER has extended its range of highspeed

rotation atomizers to serve the growing

demand for automated liquid paint

applications for the different motion

technologies available today. The TOPFINISH

RobotBell 1 ECH is mounted on a robot arm,

while the TOPFINISH Bell 1S ECH is specially

designed for use with reciprocators and linear

axes systems. The proven RBC 1E control

system is available for both versions.

Flexible application and high

efficiency

Just like the already proven versions with

internal charging, the new versions also

enable large spray pattern variations (70 - 800

mm). Alternative disk sizes and adjustable

steering airs are available, which can be

adapted to suit the respective workpiece

geometry and also the material used.

An internal and external flushing device of

the bell disk, as well as the direct disposal of

excess material via a drain valve, ensure short

color change times - for fast cycle times in

highly automated coating.

Depending on the material, flow rate and

workpiece, an application efficiency of over

80% can be achieved thanks to the very fine

atomization. Compressed air consumption is

around 20% lower with all WAGNER highspeed

rotary atomizers than with comparable

products. An exhaust air concept, which

discharges the exhaust air to the rear,

additionally optimizes the coating result.

Easy maintenance without

special tools

WAGNER uses the same basic components

for all high-speed rotary atomizers, for

example for the turbine or bell disks and the

easily replaceable valve blocks. The spare and

wear parts are also identical. The simple

operation, robust technology and durable

components made of stainless steel reduce

the effort required for assembly and

maintenance and therefore also the operating

costs.


AT

Pull-Off Adhesion Testers

Measure the adhesion of coatings to

metal, wood, concrete and more

Automatic Features

n Impact and scratch resistant color Touch Screen display with keypad

n Wirelessly connect the PosiTest AT-A to your smart device using our free app

n Record the results as pass/fail and the nature of fracture —

cohesive, adhesive and glue failures

WiFi

AT-A

Automatic

Model

Also available

AT-M Manual Model

DFT Instruments UK LTD

16A Long Drive, Meadway, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2PN

t: 01442 879494 f: 01442 879595

www.dftinstruments.co.uk e: sales@dftinstruments.co.uk

Proud supplier of DeFelsko Inspection Instruments

28 COATINGS

Finishes at a fraction of the cost

Stainless steel is a premium material used

in the manufacturing of a variety of

products but its high price has made it

unaffordable to many customers. While

simulated stainless steel laminates have

lowered the cost of achieving the “look of

stainless steel”, industry innovation has made

attaining a stainless steel finish much more

affordable.

In one such innovative approach, a highperformance

industrial finish – comprised of a

protective coating, paired with a special

substrate – is adhered to a variety of lower

cost metals. The durable combination results

in the brilliance of a polished and brushed

stainless steel look. It also meets or exceeds a

battery of domestic appliance tests, such as

that for kitchen and laundry appliances and

resists scratches, stains, chemicals, and

fingerprints.

In the appliance sector, for instance, this

enables larger designer appliances – including

refrigerators, freezers, ovens, dishwashers, and

washing machines as well as smaller items

such as microwave ovens, ranges, and fume

hoods – to continue to have products which

look like stainless steel but at a significantly

lower cost.

A similar approach is also being used by

manufacturers in other markets to simulate a

wide range of brass and copper coated

products ranging from blinds and curtain rods

to decorative food containers and tobacco tins

as well as cosmetic and mason jar lids.

A Cost-Effective Alternative

When challenged by an OEM to come up

with an affordable alternative to costly stainless

steel that also met the appliance industry’s

functional requirements, one innovator found

a way.

“The simulated, stainless steel finish is

basically a durable protective coating system

which includes a printed stainless steel

pattern on a variety of substrates, which can

include tinplate, cold rolled steel or other

metals depending on performance

requirements, which provides the underlying

metallic shine independent of the substrate

base,” explains Dan Chin, CTO of Universal

Chemicals & Coatings (Unichem), a company

that specializes in custom adhesives and

coatings used in the coil coating process.

When implemented in this way, as part of

the company’s uniPON line of interior

decorative and performance coatings, the

simulated stainless steel coating passed a wide

range of appliance industry tests. This

includes tests for water vapor, detergent and

grease resistance, stain resistance to over 20

household chemicals, and ASTM’s B117 Salt

Corrosion test of 750 hours.

By varying the coating color from clear to

opaque in a variety of tints, the coating can

also be made to look like brass, copper,

brushed nickel, or antique bronze, says Chin.

As an example, he explains how to achieve

a brass finish. “A brushed tinplate has a fairly

bright finish, so applying a thin transparent

gold or brass colored coating over the

tinplate,” he says. “Enables you to pick up the

brightness of the tinplate and get the right

color that simulates a natural brass-plated or

brushed brass product.”

Whether simulating stainless steel, brass, or

another high-end metal, however, the process

usually saves the OEM and consumer a

significant sum, while offering a high quality

looking product.

“The simulated stainless steel and other

simulated coatings are often less expensive

than the comparable laminate,” says Chin.

“That’s because laminates are usually in the

four to eight mil range in thickness, while the

coatings are well under a mil. So, the material

cost would be less. Since it is applied

efficiently in a high-speed coil coating process,

it is also less expensive to apply the coating

than a laminate, whether on a coil-line or inhouse.”

Because the simulated metal coatings with

their accompanying substrates are formable,

and can be made ductile enough to even

withstand deep draw forming, they can

conform to virtually any appliance or product

configuration.

When utilized with appliances, the

simulated stainless steel coatings maintain the

ability to magnetically hold artwork, so in both

appearance and function retain much of the

charm of the premium metal, but at a

significantly lower cost.


OVENS CONVEYORS SPRAYBOOTHS

PRE-TREATMENT SYSTEMS

When Performance

and Quality Count

AUTOMOTIVE, AEROSPACE AND

INDUSTRIAL FINISHING SOLUTIONS

Innovative design

Proven performance

Renowned build quality

Curing, drying, heat treatment solutions

Gas, electric and steam heated options

Batch type and conveyor handling systems

Dry filter and water wash paint spraybooths

Powder paint and ‘ATEX’ approved extraction

systems

Nationwide installation and aftersales service

Tailored solutions from

start to finish

n Dry filter and Waterwash

Spraybooths

n Box and Tunnel Ovens

n Enclosed Spraybooths with

air replacement plant

n Ventilation systems

n Wet paint and Powder systems

n Pre-treatment plant

n Custom built racking, trolleys,

turntables and specialist

equipment

the next dimension in

paint finishing systems

Process Ovens and Paint Finishing Systems

Mindon Engineering Unitech House,

Prospect Road, Burntwood, Staffordshire WS7 0AL

a Unitech Industries company

01543 687077

spraybooths@unitech.uk.com

www.unitechmachinery.co.uk

Burntwood Spraybooths & Systems Limited

Unitech House, Prospect Road, Burntwood, Staffordshire WS7 0AL

a Unitech Industries company

spraybooths@unitech.uk.com

www.unitechmachinery.co.uk

call our solutions team on

01543 685565

a Great British

company

since 1961

30 INSTALLATIONS

New partnership

HMG Paints has announced a new distribution partnership with West

Midlands based Breakwells Paints Ltd. Offering some of HMG’s most

popular products from industrial coatings to narrowboat and specialist

UPVC coatings, Breakwells are already moving on to their next phase

of expansion by introducing HMG’s low VOC, child friendly decorative

paint in the first quarter of 2021.

Entering its 20th year, Breakwells Paints Limited are now under the

ownership of general manager Russell Eynon. Russell, a qualified

accountant, who has been with the business for 18 months, has set

challenging growth plans to re-establish the Breakwells Paints business.

Already established in the Narrowboat sector, Breakwells have hit the

ground running with HMG’s specialist coatings complimented by an

in-house tinting machine. The distributor based in Walsall are actively

setting up supply partnerships locally into myriad businesses, with

individual paint needs.

Military options

A world-renowned manufacturer of military aircraft required cleaning

equipment for overhauling components during routine maintenance.

After spending considerable time selecting suitable vendors, the

military aircraft manufacturer chose Layton Technologies Limited.

Because military aircraft require scheduled maintenance at locations

all over the world, including in some extremely harsh climates, routine

precision cleaning must be carried out using flammable solvents

together with ultrasonic agitation and heat-soaking of various

components.

The preferred batch cleaning system had to be robust, easy to

maintain and have an extended warranty. As the military aircraft

operate in countries with hot climates, the solvent had to be chilled at

temperatures below the flash point using cooling coils. A safety cut-out

had to be in continual use should the fluid or ambient temperature rise

above 40˚C.

Layton Technologies designed and manufactured a 3-stage in-line

system that successfully met all the customer’s criteria:

• The system includes chilled plates and an external chiller unit to

ensure that the temperature requirements are always observed.

• The tanks are heavily insulated to keep temperatures at the

required level with minimal power consumption.

• Each tank features in-line particle filtration and ultrasonic agitation

to provide excellent and repeatable cleaning of the components.

• Two of the tanks are heated to 85 deg C and, in combination with

the flammable fluid tank, can remove limescale and carbon from the

parts.

• All tanks include fluid level detectors with automated fill and drain

capabilities.

Spanish connection

Guyson International with its Spanish distributor, Materias Primas

Abrasivas, S.L. (MPA), has recently supplied and installed a Guyson

Euroblast 8 Airwash cabinet, into Metro Madrid's main maintenance

workshop for removing dust particles and other contaminants from the

braking systems of underground trains.

The health and safety and wellbeing of Madrid Metro’s maintenance

staff was the primary concern when selecting the Guyson airwash

system. The Euroblast 8 blow-off cabinet provides a sealed work

chamber for safely air-washing braking systems utilising a handoperated

airwash gun. Removing dust, dirt and debris from

underground train braking systems is a daily maintenance task for the

Metro team so maintaining a clean and safe work environment without

leaking dust, dirt, debris and noise into the work environment is

essential.

The cabinet is fitted with two airwash guns, high pressure and low

pressure, which can be easily selected by the operator depending on

the type and/or volume of contaminant, high pressure for aggressive

removal of caked-on dust or low pressure for lighter material.

In order to retain high-visibility during the brake cleaning process a

Guyson C400 cartridge Dust Collector is connected to the rear of the

cabinet effectively removing the loosened dust and airborne particles.

Kleen-ing up

With the UK continuing its battle against COVID-19, businesses

everywhere are facing the unenviable task of ensuring virus-free

workplaces for staff and customers alike. For this reason, HI-KLEEN

from Hi-line Industries has been proving exceptionally popular since its

introduction in the summer of 2020.

A single, quick application of HI-KLEEN ensures full sanitisation of all

contact surfaces, providing at least five hours of protection from further

contamination once applied. The product is completely safe for any

member of staff to apply without need for PPE.

Hi-KLEEN’s special formulation ensures it kills and inhibits both

bacteria and viruses (including enveloped viruses such as COVID-19)

on hard or soft surfaces. This odour-free, clear product is ideal for a

vast range of facilities, including factories, food plants, warehouses,

offices, showrooms, sports clubs, conference centres, hospitals, health

centres, care homes, educational buildings, theatres, cinemas,

restaurants, pubs, and even vehicles.


32 CASE STUDY

Sculptures take

centre stage

A

renowned firm of artistic metalworkers

has called on the services of Manchester

Galvanizing Ltd to assist in the creation

of a series of mining memorial sculptures.

Cumbria-based CB Arts were

commissioned by artist and memorial

designer Stephen Broadbent to create the

larger than life-size statues as part of the

Walking Together project at Markham Vale in

Derbyshire.

The memorial commemorates 106 miners

who lost their lives in three tragedies at the

Markham Colliery in 1937, 1938 and 1973.

More than 70 statues have so far been

commemorated. The design depicts miners

‘Walking Together’ to and from the pit –

figures walking towards the mine are

galvanized and those that are walking away

are galvanized and patinated to appear darker

in finish - reflecting a day’s work down the

mine.

Cathy Burrows, who oversees new projects

at CB Arts, said being involved in the project

was a “huge honour”.

“We are really proud to be part of the

wider team delivering the Walking Together

project – each figure represents a life lost so

when the fabrication process is underway it

really makes the craftsmen think about the

person behind the sculpture – it’s really quite

moving,” she added.

Each 2m tall steel statue features a handcrafted,

bronze commemorative tag featuring

the miner’s name, age, job role, and in which

disaster they lost their life.

To date 77 of the 106 men who died have

been commemorated and family, business

and community fundraising continues for the

remaining figures.

Cathy explained that just as CB Arts were

the fabricator of choice for artist Stephen, the

metalworkers had worked with Manchester

Galvanizing for several years.

“We have a longstanding relationship with

Manchester Galvanizing. We do send some

quite unusual pieces to them. Often we send

photographs of the design first and they will

then work out the very best way to galvanize

the piece whether that be a bridge, sculpture

or other large scale structure.”

Mark Waters, sales manager at Manchester

Galvanizing, said the project had been one of

the most unusual the plant had been involved

in.

He added: “We do get some really

interesting pieces coming through the plant

but the Walking Together project has been

truly fascinating. To play a part in such a

moving tribute to the miners who lost their

lives has been very special and to know that

their memories will live on in the life size

sculptures is very rewarding for us.”


COMPLETE RANGE OF

INDUSTRIAL COATINGS

• Waterborne • Powder • Solventborne

• High Solid • E-coat

SERVING A RANGE OF MARKETS

• General Finishing • Heavy Equipment • Design

• Architectural • Transportation • Energy

• Military

www.sherwin-williams.eu

www.synthapulvin.co.uk

CONTACT

The Sherwin-Williams Company, Goodlass Road, Speke,

Liverpool, L24 9HJ, United Kingdom

T: +44 (0)151 486 0486| liverpool.sales@sherwin.com

a brand of The Sherwin-Williams Company

34 CASE STUDY

Time to clean

MecWash has supported the healthcare

industry during the coronavirus

pandemic by supplying Meditech with

a new AVD ultrasonic washer.

North Essex-based medical equipment

specialists Meditech supplied medical oxygen

equipment to the Nightingale hospitals during

the peak of the pandemic, and turned to

MecWash for their cleaning requirements,

following a dramatic increase in demand

caused by Covid-19.

The medical equipment specialists markedly

increased production of medical gas

regulators, flow meters and resuscitators

throughout 2020, and the requirement to

upscale their cleaning capabilities resulted in

the purchase and commissioning of a new

MecWash AVD machine.

Duncan Riches, stores manager at

Meditech, said: “It has been an extremely

busy year production-wise for our complete

range of products. At the busiest time we saw

an increase in business of around two years’

worth of orders in the space of 10 days, and

our existing ultrasonic washer wouldn’t cope

with the demand. Our new MecWash

machine takes a huge quantity of parts

compared to our last one.”

The exacting requirements of cleanliness for

parts in the healthcare industry meant

Meditech turned to MecWash for a machine

to aid removal of machining swarf and oils

from the production process.

Riches said: “If the parts aren’t cleaned

properly then there may be remnants of swarf

from the production process. Given the items

we produce are for resuscitators and oxygen

regulators the last thing we need is

contamination of the oxygen supply. The

cleaning quality of the MecWash machine

gives us full confidence that everything we

produce is cleaned to the highest of

standards.”

MecWash has a long history of supplying

companies within healthcare and the

production of healthcare devices, both in the

UK and overseas.

John Pattison, MecWash managing director,

said: “We’re delighted to have played a part in

supporting the healthcare industry during an

incredibly challenging year. Immaculate

cleaning of parts is crucial in medical

applications, and MecWash has an excellent

reputation for facilitating this, having

previously supplied machines to clean items

ranging from knee replacement and other

orthopaedic implants, to parts for dental

systems.”


Coating Thickness Gauge for Non-Metal Substrates

NEW Design and Features

Non-destructively measures paint thickness

over wood, concrete, plastic and more using

proven ultrasound technology. Advanced

models measure up to 3 individual layers

with graphics.

n Ready to measure—no adjustment required for most applications

n Responsive transducers provide fast, accurate readings

n Max Thick Mode displays the deepest ultrasonic echo

eliminating the need to adjust the Lo Range—ideal for

ignoring unwanted surface echos.

n Conforms to ISO 2808 and ASTM D6132

Ideal for measuring

polyurea and other

thick protective

coatings on

concrete

DFT Instruments (UK) Limited

Long Drive, 16A Meadway, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2PN

t: 01442 879494 f: 01442 879595

www.dftinstruments.co.uk e: sales@dftinstruments.co.uk

Proud supplier of DeFelsko Inspection Instruments

36 CONFORMITY

It pays to conform

Wojciech Brozyna - MD of Aluprof UK

Since the beginning of 2021 the UK now

sits outside of the European Economic

Area (EEA) complete with a late

brokered ‘deal’ which helps businesses trade

without tariffs between the EEA and the UK.

Despite the increased levels of paperwork

required for such imports and exports, it is

‘almost business as usual’. Over the last few

years conformity with legislation and

standards present in Europe has been a

prerequisite for producing and selling any

goods within the EEA, either produced in the

EAA or from overseas. Known as ‘CE’

marking, it is applicable equally to the

manufacture and sale of a paper clip to a

curtain wall facade.

So what is a ‘CE’ mark? A CE mark

indicates conformity with a harmonised

product standard, and assures the user that

the product is classified to the relevant

essential characteristics, within Annex ZA, for

the member state whose market it is placed

on. Construction products are different to

say medical devices for CE marking as

regulations differ.

So now that we have left the EEA, what

now?

The UK has set up its own conformity

marking known as the ‘UKCA’ mark. Broadly

the same as the current CE marking the new

UKCA mark will allow the UK to begin to

adjust its conformity standards to suit UK

businesses and the UK’s legislative

requirements in the longer term. As far as

timing is concerned, CE marking is still fully

accepted in the UK this year, but all

companies manufacturing and selling in the

UK must have UKCA marking on their

products by the end of 2021. Importantly for

Aluprof UK, we will comply with the new

UKCA marking and are already scheduling

our products for conformity with UK

‘approved bodies’ this year.

Now a note of caution, we often use Great

Britain, the United Kingdom and the British

Isles interchangeably, but this is not correct.

‘Great Britain’ consists of England, Scotland

and Wales, the ‘United Kingdom’ consists of

‘Great Britain’ and 'Northern Ireland’. The

‘British Isles’, consists of the 'United Kingdom’

and ‘Ireland', plus numerous smaller island

groups, which include the Hebrides, the

Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, the Isles

of Scilly, and the Isle of Man.

In Northern Ireland, matters get a little

more complicated as manufacturers there

have their own UK(NI) mark to comply with

which must be used alongside the CE

marking. Whilst Great Britain will accept the

UK(NI)+CE marked products known as

‘unfettered access’, products manufactured in

Northern Ireland only need to carry the CE

mark if they are to be sold solely in the EAA.

Part of the reason for the difference in

Northern Ireland is that whilst Northern

Ireland sits within the EAA, from the 1st

January 2021, it is now outside the EU

Customs Union. It must be reiterated that for

products manufactured and sold in Northern

Ireland, they must always carry both the CE

mark and the UK(NI).

It is also important to remember that a


CONFORMITY 37

separate Declaration of

Performance/Conformity (DoP) must be

provided for each UKCA, UK(NI) and CE

mark. Whilst at the moment these will broadly

be the same, it is likely that with changes to

legislation here and in the EAA over time,

these will begin to differ. It has also been

confirmed that both CE and UKCA marks can

be used together on products as long as they

are separate and are clearly visible. As the UK

‘approved bodies’ move to offer UKCA

marking, CE marking ‘approved bodies’ for

products to be sold in the EAA, can only be

provided by an EU based ‘approved body’.

Whilst new conformity marks are being

introduced, UKCA and UK(NI), nothing else

changes at this time regarding the products

that require labelling. The marking

convention and conformity continues for

construction products as it has done for CE

marking for the last few years.

So what does this mean for supply of goods

from the EAA to our customers in the British

Isles and in particular, products imported by

Aluprof?

As a European manufacturer, we will

continue with CE marking which will confirm

with the requirements for Ireland and

Northern Ireland, for Great Britain (England,

Scotland and Wales) all our products can

continue to be used with CE marking in 2021

are being lodged with a UK ‘approved body’

to ensure they can carry UKCA compliance

markings.

There is also one caveat to the conformity

marking, that is the marking is only applied at

the time of manufacture, so there could be

products manufactured in 2021 in compliance

with CE marking that may enter the Great

Britain market in early 2022. At this point we

begin to get into some of the grey areas of

compliance and the government is still

working out some of the detail. What is

known is that for our customers who

manufacture our systems into products that go

on site, you will need to demonstrate

compliance with the new UKCA marking from

the 1st January 2022.

As ever with our loyal customers in the

British Isles, we are on-hand at Aluprof to give

any of our customers guidance on the

compliance and marking convention.

Surface Technologies

CWST have developed a Post Additive

Manufacturing process to:

l Improve surface finish and surface

characterisation

l Improve component cleanliness

l Remove support structures

l Remove sintered surface

l Surface compression and densification

l Management of residual stresses

l Improve fatigue life

www.cwst.co.uk | eurosales@cwst.com | 01635 279621


38 PAINTING

New painting method

In almost every industry sector, the number

and diversity of workpieces being coated

are growing. To be able to paint these

diverse components with greater efficiency

than before, Dürr has developed a new

technique that applies paints over large areas

or in simple patterns with high edge definition

– and absolutely no overspray. The innovative

EcoPaintJet applicator won this year’s

innovation award “Deutscher Innovationspreis”

in Germany, and is now available for the

general industry in an easily integrated set.

Paint company Adler has already developed

paints tailored to the new application

technology.

In woodworking, shipbuilding, electronics

manufacturing, and many other industry

sectors, product and component surfaces are

coated to protect them or add colour. Up to

now this involved a lot of effort if the coating

had to be applied with high edge definition,

since the surfaces either need to be manually

masked or film-wrapped. There is also a lot of

waste, both in terms of adhesive tape and

paint lost to overspray. With the new

overspray-free application set from Dürr, both

of these are a thing of the past. EcoPaintJet,

the innovative applicator contained in the set,

is already successfully in use in automotive

series production. Since 2019, the new Dürr

technology has made it possible to paint car

roofs in contrasting colours with no masking.

More options for painting

The EcoPaintJet applicator delivers precise

coating with no overspray. This increases

coating efficiency and offers companies more

options when it comes to product design and

the transportation of goods. Instead of

adhesive film, decorative surfaces can be

protected for transport through the targeted

application of a spray film. This can be simply

pulled off again at the destination. The

technology also enables new options for the

function and design of products. For example,

the precise coating method means that

window frames can have a weatherproof

coating applied to the outside and get a

decorative or differently coloured application

on the inside. Decorative effects can be easily

realized on furniture fronts. “The oversprayfree

application set enables application with

high edge definition, fast colour changes, and

a custom surface design,” says Holger

Beiersdorfer, vice president industrial products

at Dürr, in summarizing the benefits.

No atomizer air means no

overspray

The most important component in the

overspray-free application set is the paint

supply, combined with the cleaning and prepainting

process. The EcoPaintJet controls this

using three valves. The beating heart of the

applicator itself is a nozzle plate that produces

several dozen parallel paint jets depending on

the design. These can be activated or

deactivated at any given moment to start or

interrupt the coating process. Unlike painting

processes involving spray guns or high-speed

rotary atomizers, this process does not require

any atomizer air. The overspray that must be


PAINTING 39

filtered from the booth air in a complex

process when using conventional methods

therefore does not occur.

Another big difference compared with

classic atomizers is that the width of the

painting path can be adjusted by means of the

applicator’s angle of application. This enables a

painting path from 30 to 50 mm in width.

Narrower path widths can also be produced

by adapting the nozzle plate. The desired

coating thickness is controlled via the

applicator speed and solid content of the

paint.

All the benefits in one

application

Application techniques that save paint are

particularly important when dealing with large

surfaces. Even with airless guns or high-speed

rotary atomizers, up to a fourth of the

material used is lost. Recovering this paint is

both time-consuming and energy-intensive,

and only works with certain paint types. The

so-called pouring technique, where the excess

paint is collected in tanks, avoids overspray

but does not permit fast colour changes.

Other surface design options such as applying

films or decorative strips often mean a high

level of manual effort.

The new Dürr technology eliminates all the

disadvantages of the individual methods and

makes painting faster, more cost-efficient, and

more environmentally friendly in all industry

sectors. “This makes our technology attractive

even in scenarios where an automated

painting method was not previously

conceivable,” says Holger Beiersdorfer, hinting

at other application possibilities.

The Austrian paint manufacturer Adler is

promoting the new application technology

together with Dürr, coming up with

colourless and pigmented coating solutions

that, in addition to the usual paint

requirements, are precisely tailored to the

special features of this technology. “For this

visionary application technology, we

developed innovative and environmentally

friendly, water-based products that deliver

maximum durability and at the same time

visual individuality for more than just sheet

material,” says Dr. Albert Rössler, CTO at

Adler, impressed by the new painting

technology.

Automated Water & Effluent Ltd have been supplying process control equipment

to the metal finishing and surface finishing industry.

We have an in-house team of qualified engineers able to design and build

control panels and process equipment specific to fit your requirements.

A wide range of our control instrumentation, dosing pumps and chemical process

equipment is available on short delivery.

CALL

TODAY ON

01785 254 597

• Custom Designed & Built Control Panels

• pH & Redox Controllers & Electrodes

• Conductivity Controllers

• Liquid Level Controllers

• Open Chanel & Magnetic Flow Meters

• Data Loggers

• Dosing Pumps & Tanks

Automated Water

& Effluent Ltd

Get in touch for a quote today!

AWE House, Antom Court, Tollgate

Industrial Estate, Stafford, ST16 3AF

awe-ltd.co.uk Finishing - 01785 March/April 2542021

597

40 SHOT BLASTING

Digital love

While digitization has already

established itself in various industrial

sectors, it is still not very common in

the surface treatment industry, especially in

the field of shot blasting and mass finishing

operations. To promote the digital

transformation in these areas, Rösler

Oberflächentechnik is developing innovative

digitization solutions. The Rösler Smart

Solutions activities focus on the

comprehensive monitoring and control of

work and production processes and the

intelligent linking and handling of the

respective data. This creates added value for

the equipment users and represents an

important milestone in the digitization of shot

blasting and mass finishing operations. The

first digitization packages will be available for

commercial use in spring 2021. Further

solutions for the equipment portfolio of the

Rösler brand “AM Solutions - 3D post

processing technology” are already in the

planning stage.

Nowadays digitization and intelligently

linked work and production processes are

hot subjects. Generally, developments in this

field are focused on improving quality and

productivity within a more flexible

production environment, achieving better

financial results and generating continued

growth. The overall goal is, of course, to

make a business more competitive and to

make it fit for the future. This trend poses

also new challenges for the suppliers of

surface treatment machinery. In order to

create added value for the equipment users,

intelligent solutions must be developed,

which – with the use of dedicated sensors –

collect and evaluate precisely defined

equipment and process data.

The benefits of the Rösler Smart

Solutions

To date the available solutions for shot

blasting and mass finishing operations were

limited to stand-alone systems with no or very

limited networking possibilities. To promote

the digitization of its own equipment range,

the Rösler Oberflächentechnik GmbH is

actively pursuing the development of suitable

solutions under the trade name “Rösler Smart

Solutions”. The company’s ultimate goal is to

make processes more transparent and reduce

their costs, actively monitor the processes to

develop suggestions for specific actions and,

on the basis of already archived data, to allow

quick correction of deviations and equipment

faults. All this is intended to create an

intelligent process and equipment control

system, which also allows a wide variety of

consumption and wear forecasts to be made.

Moreover, with the new smart solutions

package the company wants to achieve the

optimum usage of resources and, thus,

contribute to an improved cost-efficiency. Of

course, this approach will also help to

document all relevant equipment and process

conditions, which is already a requirement in

the automobile and aerospace industry as well

as for medical engineering companies.

The begin of digitization in the

Rösler product portfolio

The company intends to quickly implement

the digitization of the Rösler equipment

range. This will extend to solutions in the

fields of mass finishing and shot blasting as

well as the Rösler brand “AM Solutions - 3D

post processing technology” for the

automated post processing of 3D printed

components. In a first phase the digitization

package for the entire shot blast equipment

range will include software and hardware

modules in the areas of work piece quality,

operating parameters and maintenance. These

modules can be used individually or as entire

packages and are, therefore, ideal for

customer specific digitization strategies. The

first solution in the field of mass finishing

deals with process water cleaning & recycling

with centrifuges. A dashboard will display all

relevant equipment and process data, and the

user will be able to obtain suggestions for

immediate corrective action in case of

detected problems or deviations.

All Rösler Smart Solutions described above

will be available by spring 2021 and will be

regularly updated. They represent only the

beginning of further developments in the field

of digitization, which will cover the entire

equipment portfolio of the Rösler

Oberflächentechnik GmbH, including the

brand “AM Solutions – 3D post processing

technology”.


HoldTight 102 - Half Page Advert.qxp_HoldTight 102 Half Page Ad 07/07/2017 12:05 Page 1

HoldTight 102 ® is a wet blasting

additive that removes ALL salts,

acids, abrasives and greases,

PLUS it prevents flash rust for

up to 72 hours!

Suitable for a variety of industries:

MARINE l INDUSTRIAL

OFFSHORE l INFRASTRUCTURE

With over 85 years in the Corrosion Prevention Industry,

Winn & Coales (Denso) Ltd. have been long time suppliers of

the ultimate surface preparation solution. To extend the service

life of your coating, contact a Denso representative now!

LEADERS IN CORROSION PREVENTION

& SEALING TECHNOLOGY

Sole Distributor in the United Kingdom:

Winn & Coales (Denso) Ltd

Tel: 0208 670 7511 l Web: www.denso.net

A MEMBER OF WINN & COALES INTERNATIONAL

ADAPTABLE SOLUTION CHEMISTRY

Spray • Immersion • Cascade • Anodising

WEDGE GROUP GALVANIZING

Your Galvanizing Partner

Aerospace Q Automotive • Architectural

Consultancy • Support • Service

APPROVED CHROME FREE AND

PHOSPHATE FREE TECHNOLOGIES

SurePrep ® SureBond ®

REST ASSURE ® D

EXCEED EXPECTATIONS

Sure ® Fast

SURFACE PREPARATION . PASSIVATION . PROTECTION

DEGREASING . ETCHING . DEOXIDISING . ANODISING

+44 (0) 1978 660297 • info@almetron.co.uk • almetron.co.uk

Hot dip galvanizing provides you with long-term protection

against rust and corrosion of steel products.

With 14 plants across the UK, Wedge Group Galvanizing

is the UK’s largest hot dip galvanizing organisation off ering

a national service, collection and delivery and 24hr

turnaround on request. The group can process anything

from small components to 29m structural beams.

E: Info@wggltd.co.uk

T: 01902 601944 www.wedgegalv.co.uk

@wedgegalv

Head Offi ce: Staff ord Street,

Willenhall, West Midlands, WV13 1RZ

almertron_quarter page_yb2020.indd 1 08/11/2019 07:01

42 PRINTING

New to the UK

Metal component surface finishing

specialist, Fintek, have become

exclusive UK agents for RENA

Technologies Austria GmbH H-series range of

machines that use their patented Hirtisation

process for reliable finishing of 3D printed

metal parts.

Fintek managing director, Jonathan Dean,

commented, "The RENA H-series

complements our existing disc, drag and

stream finishing ranges from OTEC. They

expand considerably our subcontract

capability and machine offering for the surface

finishing of additively manufactured metal

parts. RENA is a global company, and we are

pleased to be able to draw on their extensive

experience."

The Hirtisation process effectively removes

support structures and powder cake but goes

further by reducing the surface roughness of

metal parts manufactured additively by 3D

printing. The process is suitable for all

common metals and alloys and all types of

metal 3D printing technology such as

Selective Laser Melting (SLM), Direct Metal

Laser Sintering (DMLS) and Electron Beam

Melting (EBM).

Importantly, the fully automated chemicalelectrochemical

process is able to reach deep

into cavities, undercuts and other design

intricacies inherent in many AM parts and

often impossible to reach by manual or

mechanical methods. Along with support

structures, partially melted grains are also

eliminated. As there are no harsh mechanical

processing steps, the smoothing effect does

not compromise the precision of edge

profiles.

Printed metal parts leave the machine clean

and vacuum dried in perfect readiness for

subsequent finishing processes such as

protective coatings. Cycle times are short,

from just 30 minutes depending on part size

and target quality. H-series machines are easy

to operate, requiring the minimum of training

for personnel, even if they have little or no

surface finishing experience. Designed to

scale-up to any metal 3D printing operation,

all process chemicals are fully integrated and

can be safely refilled.

Available in three versions, the H3000

entry level is ideal for part sizes up to 300 x

300 x 150mm and can handle the part feed

from up to three AM-printers. The H6000

takes parts up to 500 x 500 x 350mm and

can handle the part feed from up to four AMprinters

at a rate of up to 100 parts per hour.

The H12000 is designed to integrate

seamlessly into larger industrial additive

manufacturing processes and can handle the

part feed from up to 25 AM-printers using

four different materials at once. It also has a

parallel post processing capability of up to

500 parts per hour.

Fintek operations manager, Jamie Phillips,

concluded, "Achieving a commercially viable

surface finish on additively manufactured

metal parts has prevented the adoption of the

technology for many applications. The

Hirtisation process removes this barrier and at

Fintek we also have the capability with the

OTEC range of high energy stream finishing

systems to take external surface roughness

down to Ra values of 0.01 m."


Gas Process Burners

Lanemark gas burner systems offer users reliable, high efficiency,

process heating solutions.

FD-C high turndown oven/

dryer air heating burners.

Midco HMA high efficiency,

high turndown, air replacement

or “make-up” air heating burners.

FD-GA modulating gas + air

process air heating burners.

FD-E low cost high turndown

oven/dryer air heating burners.

TX high efficiency small diameter

immersion tube tank heating

systems.

FD Series Packaged Oven/Dryer Burners

• Specifi cally designed for process air heating applications in convection

ovens and dryers

• High turndown/short flame lengths providing accurate process

temperature control

• High effi ciency gas + air modulation, gas only modulation and simple

high/low control options

• Heat Input Range: 9 kW – 1550 kW

TX Series Gas Fired Process Tank Heating Systems

• High effi ciency (80%+) heating of all types of spray and dip process tanks

• Compact high effi ciency small diameter immersion tube heat exchangers

occupying minimum tank space

• Accurate performance modelling using Lanemark TxCalc design software

• Heat Input Range: 15 kW (1½") – 1150 kW (8")

Midco HMA Series Air Replacement or “Make-Up” Air Heating Burners

• Direct fired, high effi ciency burner systems, for high volume air heating

applications such as paint spray booths, ovens and dryers.

• Supplied either as Midco burner heads for OEM system integration or

as Lanemark DB or FDB complete packaged systems including modulating

gas valve trains and controls

• Wide range of firing rates to suit alternative temperature rise and air

velocity system requirements

• DbCalc system design software

Lanemark Combustion Engineering Limited

Lanemark House, Whitacre Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 6BW United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 24 7635 2000 Fax: +44 (0) 24 7634 1166 E-mail: info@lanemark.com

www.lanemark.com

COMBUSTION ENGINEERING

X4620 Lanemark Ad SDAW.indd 1 31/08/2016 09:04

PROTECT

YOUR VALUABLE

SURFACES.

Automated protection tape application for all kind

of profiles or flats in different materials. Single-sided,

double-sided, four-sided, flat or round surfaces

– our machines match all your requirements.

DALIC SELECTIVE

ELECTROPLATING

ADDEV MATERIALS IS THE UK OUTLET

FOR ALL DALIC ELECTROPLATING

MATERIALS AND SERVICES

All the required consumables including

anodes and bonnets plus training courses and

technical services. Dalic’s unrivalled application

systems including rectifiers and the patented

“closed loop” Dalistick Station for full control

of the application and no exposure to

hazardous metals.

BRUSH PLATING SOLUTIONS

Anodising

Cadmium, Cobalt,Zinc, Nickel

Copper, Tin, Gold, Silver

SWISS MADE

T +41 44 926 44 88

sales@muller.ch

www.muller.ch

ADDEV MATERIALS AEROSPACE

2 Bordon Trading Estate Old Station Way, Bordon, Hampshire GU35 9HH

T. +44 (0) 1428 651246 F. +44 (0)1428 661471

aerospace.emea@addevmaterials.com

www.addevmaterials-aerospace.com

pexa_quarter page.indd 1 05/11/2020 11:23

44 ALUMINIUM

Material gains

The aluminium industry needs materials

expertise to continue to develop new

markets or new products for existing

markets, to fend off attacks from competitive

materials such as plastics and composites, and

to face the future sustainability challenges.

This applies throughout the supply chain, to

companies rolling and extruding aluminium,

to companies making end-user products and

to suppliers of equipment to the industry.

Whilst some technical expertise can be

distilled into operational practices or captured

within computer models, most aluminium

materials expertise resides within certain

individual employees and is so often lost when

that employee leaves or retires from the

company.

The most significant advances are made by

those employees who have developed a deep

understanding of an aluminium process, an

aluminium product or a specific industry

problem. These aluminium experts take many

years to develop their knowledge, often within

the R&D or technical divisions of the

company, and represent a significant asset

value to that company.

Aluminium experts are certainly hard to

come by, making recruitment very difficult.

We are always on the lookout for such people

and will recruit at any time if the right person

becomes available.

Nurturing materials expertise

The nurturing of materials expertise is a

significant long term investment for any

company. However, the value of this

investment can be lost so quickly as a result of

short-term decisions to close technical facilities,

even when attempts are made to relocate staff

to other sites within the same company.

The trend for company mergers and

changes of ownership that we have seen over

the past 15 years has resulted in rationalisation

and relocation of technical centres and a

significant loss of aluminium materials expertise

from the industry. This has been compounded

during times of slow economic growth in the

developed countries of the world, resulting in

pressure for companies based in these regions

to reduce costs. The technical centres are all

too often seen as a pure cost to the company,

with little understanding of their true long term

strategic value.

I speak from personal experience. In my

case it was the closure of one of the

aluminium industry’s leading technical centres,

Alcan’s Banbury Laboratory, back in 2003. In

this instance, the closure resulted in the

formation of an independent technical

consulting company, Innoval Technology

(Innoval). Innoval provided a home for many

of Alcan’s top materials experts and has gone

on to become a profitable company and a

valuable source of expertise for the

downstream aluminium industry.

Danieli certainly understands the value that

this sort of aluminium materials expertise can

bring to an organisation, as demonstrated by

their purchase of Innoval to support the

growth of their aluminium business.

Measuring the financial value of

expertise

Assessing the financial value of materials

expertise and technical support has always

been a difficult task. One approach is to

estimate the loss of market share if that

expertise is no longer being applied to (a) the

solution of product or process issues or (b)

improvements to the product. The value of

protecting market share can be enormous.

Other more direct approaches involve valuing

the increased sales that result from the

solution of a specific problem, for example a

speed constraint on a bottleneck processing

machine.

It only takes a few successful technical

solutions to provide a positive net present

value in excess of the total cost for all

technical projects. When a company decides

to forgo investment in R&D and development

of new technology, then there is a strong

likelihood that it will lose any lead it may have

had in markets and become a follower of

other companies, with consequential loss of

market share and revenue.

There is no doubt that the population of

aluminium experts in North America and

Europe has seen a steady decline over the

recent decades. Yet the market for aluminium

remains strong with exciting predictions for

future growth in many sectors, especially

automotive. The emerging regions of the

world, where growth has been strongest, must

develop a new and significant body of

materials expertise, in order to take on the

many challenges facing the aluminium

industry in the future.


PUMPS 45

Pump efficiency

Reliable, leak-free pumping of hazardous,

more challenging chemicals is a

prerequisite in all chemical processing

applications and sealless, magnetically driven

pumps are the established preferred option.

The Finish Thompson ULTRAChem (UC)

Series of Tefzel (ETFE) lined centrifugal pumps

represent a good example of well-engineered

and durable leak-free pumps and following

recent modifications there are new options

resulting in extended capabilities and a wider

performance envelope.

Available from Michael Smith Engineers the

UC Series of pumps now includes the

UC436L model, which features smaller

impeller trims to allow for lower flows and

heads and the UC3210 model which has

been up-rated for 2-pole motors. The new 2-

pole motor option operates at a higher

rotation speed than the existing model and

enables the pump to generate higher flows at

higher heads, thereby extending its

performance range. Also, the innovative single

piece snap fit impeller / inner drive magnet

feature has also been extended through all

models in the ULTRAChem range helping to

simplify maintenance and reduce servicing

costs.

As with all the Finish Thompson

ULTRAChem pumps these new options

combine a tough ductile iron casing with an

ETFE lining to ensure outstanding corrosion

resistance and feature powerful neodymium

magnets which drive the impeller through a

carbon filled PTFE lined barrier for

dependable, leak-free operation.

In addition, the pumps incorporate other

features which optimise efficiency and

performance ensuring minimal wear on

components, lower running costs and

extended periods between routine servicing.

For example, a Dri-coat silicon carbide bearing

/ shaft option to prevent catastrophic failure in

the event of short-term dry-running. Also, a

two-piece dynamically balanced outer drive

magnet with multiple pole options matches

drive to motor for greater efficiency.

This outer drive magnet incorporates Finish

Thompson’s “Easy-set” mounting system so

that the drive magnet can be fitted to the

motor shaft without having to measure the

magnet set-height. This ensures a perfectly set

magnet which removes the potential cause of

misalignment and so improves safety and

reliability.

Other features include a Kevlar reinforced

barrier which reduces the air gap between

driven and driving magnet and so maximises

magnetic power to transmission. Using Kevlar

for the barrier reinforcement enables

maximum working pressure to be increased

to 300 psi (20.7 bar).

These latest options and features further

underline the effectiveness of ULTRAChem

pumps as the ideal choice for extreme

pumping applications. These typically occur in

chemical manufacturing, blending and

distribution, water treatment, plating and

surface treatment applications, paper mills,

fume scrubbers and other similar challenging

situations which demand robust and reliable

leak-free pumping.


46 WORKSHOP

Waste water system

New MiniMag thermocouple

PhoenixTM (Phoenix

Temperature Measurement) has

launched a new MiniMag

thermocouple to complement its

extensive thermocouple range.

The thermocouple is a critical

component of the thru-process

temperature profile system

offered for product temperature

monitoring of paint and powder

coating applications. A perfect

addition to the new PhoenixTM

PTM1500 Epsilon-x ATEX

approved paint monitoring

system. The thermocouple

design is ideal for automotive

steel car body shell monitoring

through continuous paint cure

ovens. As its name suggests, the

compact size allows easy quick

placement in the tightest of

product recesses on any

production or test body. The

sensor head is only 30 mm

diameter and 15 mm high so the

MiniMag will fit in places

previously impossible using

traditional magnetic

thermocouple designs.

The design allows for use even

in areas where the surface may

not be flat. The strong samarium

cobalt magnet allows quick

reliable strong fixing (Max

Energy Product 32 MGOe) to

any steel surface and is almost

totally unaffected by temperature

even at 200°C/400°F. The

Samarium Cobalt (Sm2Co17)

magnet has a magnet

temperature coefficient of only -

0.03% per degree °C. This

means only 7% loss in magnetic

strength even when operating at

250 °C. Other magnet types can

suffer from significant loss of

magnetic power with increasing

temperature. With a sprungloaded

hot junction, sensor

contact with the substrate is

guaranteed ensuring a high

accuracy of measurement. The

magnet is encapsulated within

the sensor housing, so no direct

contact is made with either metal

or surface coating. This

eliminates any damage or loss of

magnet post run if sensor

removal is difficult due to coating

adhesion (eg Ecoat process).

Provided with an ergonomic

shaped housing the MiniMag is

easy to handle even with a

gloved hand for quick safe

placement and retrieval. Being

constructed of Aluminium the

sensor head is light weight and

minimizes thermal mass effects.

An innovative unique design

feature of the MiniMag

thermocouple permits

replacement of cable and sensor,

significantly reducing

consumable costs.

The thermocouple is

compatible with most

competitive profiling systems

which means that even users of

competitive systems can benefit

from reduced consumable costs.

Replacing a complete

thermocouple due to damage to

the cable is both frustrating and

wasteful. This feature offered

with other Phoenix

thermocouples also allows

customization of the

thermocouple with different

cable lengths allowing the

thermocouple to be adapted to

suit the size and form of body

shell being monitored.

MecWash has launched a new waste water treatment system that

reduces disposal costs by up to 95%. The new high capacity Aqua-

Save Ultra can process up to 30 litres an hour of waste water from

manufacturing processes, complementing the smaller Aqua-Save Junior

system, which processes up to 15 litres per hour.

The Aqua-Save range has been developed for the treatment and

recycling of industrial waste water, including wash water from parts

cleaning equipment, coolant and dye penetrant, reducing the need for

expensive off-site treatment and disposal.

The fully automatic Aqua-Save Ultra water treatment system can be

added to any aqueous wash system to maintain solution cleanliness

and washing performance, to reduce machine downtime, minimise

effluent disposal and save money.

The machine boils the waste solution and evaporates the water,

concentrating the remaining waste oil and contaminants, which are

then discharged. The clean distillate can be reused in the wash system

or coolant, or disposed of, subject to appropriate controls and

permissions.

While processing twice the volume of the smaller Junior, the Ultra

retains a close family resemblance. The versatile nature of the Aqua-

Save Ultra facilitates easy relocation from a wash system to a coolant

intermediate bulk container (IBC). The self-contained system comprises

a built in waste receptacle and antifoam dosing, in case the waste

stream requires it.

Colour confirmation

Datacolor has launched the Spectro 1000/700 series, a family of closetolerance

benchtop spectrophotometers designed for high efficiency

and confidence in colour formulation and quality control in a wide

range of industries.

The new series features the high inter-instrument agreement

Datacolor customers have come to rely on, to ensure uniform colour

assessments across various instruments and multiple locations

throughout the supply chain. The systems are designed to increase

productivity and improve workflow efficiency through high

measurement speeds and seamless backward capability with other

Datacolor benchtop instruments. The Spectro 1000/700 family is

optimized for the future of colour management, featuring internet

connectivity for upcoming remote services.

Users of the Spectro 1000/700 series will also enjoy greater

confidence in their colour measurements thanks to its ability to capture

the temperature of samples measured. This is an essential new quality

control feature for those who work with materials that need be within

certain temperature ranges to assure accurate colour measurement.


Products & Services

Stewart Freshwater

tel: 01923 437615 • fax: 01923 432770

email: s.freshwater@turretgroup.com • web: www.turretgroup.com

Leading manufacturers of

Jigs, Racking systems, Baskets, Heaters, Coils and many other

products for the Anodising & Electroplating industry

T: 01283 529314 • E: Sales@Supreme-Eng.com • W: www.supreme-eng.com

abrasive blast cleaning equipment

HODGE CLEMCO LTD

Abrasives

Blast Rooms

Blast Cabinets

Portable Blast Machines

Paint Spray Equipment

Abrasive Recovery

Safety Equipment

Dust Collection

Spray Booths

Servicing

Training

Tel: 0114 254 8811

36 Orgreave Drive, Sheffield, S13 9NR

www.hodgeclemco.co.uk

Supplier and manufacturer of

abrasive blast cleaning and surface

treatment equipment since 1959

abrasive blast cleaning equipment

HEAVY DUTY

SHOTBLAST MACHINES

LARGEST UK STOCKS

NEW MACHINES

PLATE & SECTION CLEANERS

TABLE & SPECIFIC MACHINES

HOOK / HANGER MACHINES

BARREL & TUMBLER MACHINES

AIR BLAST ROOMS & CABINETS

EXTRACTION / DUCTWORK SYSTEMS

OVER 60 MACHINES IN STOCK

DOUG BOOTH UK LTD

(Est 1971)

SPECIALIST ENGINEERS

Tel: 01924 274887

Fax: 01924 262219

M/C Sales 07850 744377 Txt/WhatsApp 24hr

Email: paul@dougbooth.co.uk (machines)

jonny@dougbooth.co.uk (parts & service)

Website: www.dougbooth.co.uk

SURPLUS & TRADE IN MACHINES WANTED

AGENTS/FINDERS REQUIRED

abrasives

boilers

Modern Coil Type Steam

Generators & Fire Tube Boilers

• 100Kg/h – 25,000Kg/h

• High efficiency – up to 96%

• Low overall emissions

• Improved safety

• Simplicity of control

• Quiet, clean & cool in operation

Tel: 020 8953 7111

info@babcock-wanson.com

www.babcock-wanson.com

coating applications

Delivering highly

engineered, critical

function products

and services to

the commercial,

industrial, defense

and energy markets

n Shot Peening

n Laser Peening

n Coating Services

n Analytical Services

Please contact us on:

01635 279621

www.cwst.co.uk

rdm_4x1_FNGCLASS 15/7/14 14:06

complete finishing plant

(paint or powder coatings)

R.D.M. Engineering Ltd, Est. 1951

Stakehill Lane, Stakehill,

Middleton,

Manchester M24 2RW

Tel: 0161 643 9333

Fax: 0161 655 3467

Web: www.rdmengineering.co.uk

E-mail: sales@rdmengineering.co.uk

Contact: Mr R. Horwich

spraybooths • rooms • ovens •

conveyors • pretreatment • powder

plant • air replacement units

computer systems

Do you know what your production

line is doing? ORPHEUS DOES!

ORPHEUS... Proven Production

control software

Barcode technology provides

TOTAL ORDER TRACKING and

TRACEABILITY

Interested?

Why not give us a call for a

demonstration.

Mark Dimmock

Acton Gate Systems Ltd,

Essington, Staffordshire, WV11 2BQ

01902 249299 actongate

www.actongate.co.uk • enquiries@actongate.co.uk

conveyor systems

Overhead Conveyors

& Lifting

Equipment

coatings

E/M Coating Services

Engineered coating solutions:

● High lubricity/low friction

●

●

Anti-corrosion

Resistance to erosion/galling

T. 01926 813111

sales@niko.co.uk

www.niko.co.uk

abrasives

ball covers floating

●

Chemical/environmental

protection

High Carbon Steel Shot and Grit.

Medium Carbon Steel Shot and Metal

Bead. Stainless Steel Cr and Cr/Ni.

High Chrome Grit.

Aluminium Oxide.

Full Technical Support.

Tel: 01952 299777 Fax: 01952 299008

Email: sales@pometon.co.uk

Thermal

Insulation Spheres

Frogspawn by

Manufacturing in the UK since 1957

braude.co.uk

●

EM/RF shielding

A business unit of Curtiss-Wright Surface Technologies

Please contact us on:

01386 421444

www.emcoatingsuk.co.uk

To advertise please call

Stewart Freshwater

on 01923 437615 or email

s.freshwater@turretgroup.com

CALDAN Conveyor Ltd.

Kirkleatham Business Park

Redcar • TS10 5SH

Tel. +44 1642 271118

salesuk@caldan.dk

www.caldan.dk

Caldan Conveyor Solutions -

simply perfect.

March/April 2021 - Finishing

48 for all your classified needs call Stewart Freshwater on: 01923 437615

effluent treatment plants

electrophoretic coatings supplier

infra red emitters

www.neutralac.co.uk

TENNANTS

TENNANTS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED

Polypropylene Tanks

PVC Tanks

PVC/GRP Tanks

Bund Tanks

Tank Linings

Rubber Linings

HDPE Tanks

Established 1976

Fume Scrubbers

Fume extraction

Pipework

Ducting

Repairs & Refurbishment

Flexible PVC Linings

Guards in all materials

One off Fabrications and installation

Tel: 01543 462 802

Email: plasbrun.plastics@outlook.com

Web: www.plasbrunplastics.co.uk

t Bruest ATEX-certified

Flameless Gas

Catalytic Infrared Heaters

t Gas-saving industrial ovens

t “CATBOX” box ovens for

wood-finishing

t Servicing, spares & repairs for

most brands of catalytic heaters

electrophoretic coatings supplier and applicator

MANUFACTURERS AND

APPLICATORS OF SPECIALIST

ELECTROPHORETIC COATINGS

• A TRULY UNIQUE FINISHING SERVICE

• SIMULATED BRUSHED NICKEL, CHROME AND STAINLESS STEEL

EFFECTS APPLIED DIRECTLY ONTO BASE METAL SUBSTRATES.

• BESPOKE COLOURS AND EFFECTS TO CUSTOMER SPECIFICATIONS

• ALL FINISHES AVAILABLE WITH ANTI-BACTERIAL CAPABILITY

Hawking Electrotechnology Ltd

T: +44 (0) 1384 483019

E: sales@hawking.co.uk • W: www.hawking.co.uk

electroplaters

finishing systems

• Water wash spraybooths

• Water treatment chemical additives

• Paint separation solids removal systems

• Dry filter spraybooths

• Fixed or portable spraybooths

• Sprayroom enclosures

• Air replacement systems

• Full installation and commissioning

• After-sales service and maintenance

• Spray process engineering

Product complies fully with current environmental

protection and health and safety legislation

Unit 4 Brook Road Industrial Estate,

Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 2BH

T: 01202 840900 • F: 01202 889477

www.dynaclean.co.uk • sales@dynaclean.co.uk

hooks & jigs

Unit 1b Brown Lees Road Ind. Est. Forge

Way, Knypersley, Staffordshire ST8 7DN

Tel: + 44 (0) 1782 511880

www.thermocatalytic.com

thermocatsys@aol.com

jigs & baskets

To advertise please email

Stewart Freshwater at


laquers

fume extraction

Orchard Environmental Systems

Unit 2C, Webner Industrial Estate, Ettingshall Road, Wolverhampton WV2 2LD

Specialising in the

Upgrading and Servicing of existing plant equipment

We also design and manufacture:

• Chemical Cleaning Plant • Fume extraction & purification

• Effluent treatment plant • Water purification and recycling

• Turnkey systems are our specialty

Tel: 01902 408766 • Fax: 01902 495032

Email: sales@oesgroup.co.uk

Masking • Hooks • Jigs

HangOn Ltd

Leintwardine, Craven Arms,

Shropshire, SY7 0NB, UK

Tel. +44 (0) 1547 540 573

Fax. +44 (0 1547 540 412

Email. sales@hangon.co.uk

Web. www.hangon.co.uk

T: 01202 661300 jane@hitekproducts.com

www.hitekproducts.com

Hi-Tek stocks not only an extensive range of

masking products including plugs, tapes, caps and

discs, but also has the distinction of being the

European distributor for the US based TOLBER

range of lacquers and

associated products. Hi-Tek

imports bulk supplies from

Tolber and converts or

decants into commercially

usable volumes for the UK,

and European trade. The

association with Tolber has

evolved over many years.


for all your classified needs call Stewart Freshwater on: 01923 437615

heating equipment for corrosive solutions

Specialist manufacturers

of acid proof equipment

fl uoropolymer immersion heaters •

temp & level control •

heat exchangers •

external heating systems •

metal immersion heaters •

chemical pumps •

sales@braude.co.uk

01252 876123

braude.co.uk

rdm_4x1_FNGCLASS 15/7/14 14:06 Page 1

oven stoving & curing

R.D.M. Engineering Ltd, Est. 1951

Stakehill Lane, Stakehill,

Middleton,

Manchester M24 2RW

Tel: 0161 643 9333

Fax: 0161 655 3467

Web: www.rdmengineering.co.uk

E-mail: sales@rdmengineering.co.uk

Contact: Mr R. Horwich

spraybooths • rooms • ovens •

conveyors • pretreatment • powder

plant • air replacement units

powder coating manufacturers

pumps & filters

49

jigs & baskets

SALT&SADLERLTD

Automotive • Aerospace • Oil & Gas • Petrochemical • Defence • Medical • Precision Engineering

masking

Specialist manufacturers in:

Jigs • Baskets

Coils • Heaters

Fasteners • Tanks

0121 622 3887 • info@saltandsadler.co.uk

www.saltandsadler.co.uk

The Sherwin-Williams Company

To advertise

please call

Stewart Freshwater

on 01923 437615 or email


Hi-Tek Products Ltd

2A Dawkins Road Industrial Estate

Hamworthy, Poole,

Dorset BH15 4JP

Tel: 01202 661300

E-mail: jane@hitekproducts.com

Web Site: www.hitekproducts.com

Contact: Jane McMullen

Masking Caps • Tapes/Discs • Tapered

Plugs • Tubing • Pull-Through Plugs

• Custom Design • Stopping-Off

Lacquers • PTFE Lubricant

nylon coating powders

Tel: +44 12 96 43 37 54

Fax: +44 12 96 39 22 85

Email: sales@nyloncolours.co.uk

To advertise

please call

Stewart Freshwater

on 01923 437615 or email


nylon colours_3x2_FNGCLASS 17/5/11 16:29 Page 1

NYLON

A TOUGHER COATING

Nylon Colours Ltd manufactures

Nylon Coating Powders for

Electrostatic or Fluid Bed.

A wide range of colours including

metallics is available.

Nylon Colours is also the UK distributor

for RILSAN range of Nylon Powders.

pre treatment chemicals

BC METAL FINISHING

BC

MF

METAL FINISHING TREATMENTS

FINISHING PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

METAL FINISHING CONSULTANTS

Contact: Brian Carroll

Specialist in Phosphate Pretreatment Chemicals

B C METAL FINISHING SERVICES

7 RAVENSWOOD DRIVE

HEATON, BOLTON BL1 5AJ

Tel: 01204 495818

Fax: 01204 845206

E-mail: brian1.carroll@homecall.co.uk

To advertise

please call

Stewart Freshwater

on 01923 437615 or email


ptr treatment

Aqueous Cleaners/Degreasers

Metal Brightening Solutions

Alkaline and Acid Etches

Desmuts/Deoxidisers

Chrome passivates and treatments

Qualicoat Approved Non-Chrome

treatments

Phosphates and Non-phosphate

treatments

Pickling Solutions

Paint Strippers

Special Formulations

and Approved Systems

Supplied with technical support

and advice

Tel: + 44 (0) 1978 660 297

Fax: + 44 (0) 1978 661 104

E-mail: info@almetron.com

Web: www.almetron.co.uk

serfilco_5x1_FNGCLASS 18/11/13

pump & filtration specialists

●

●

●

●

rectifier equipment

SERFILCO

Pumps, Filters

and Agitation

Systems

TITAN Auto Backwash Filter

Carbon Purification & Cartridges

Premier Washed & Pleated Reusable

Drum and Air Diaphragm Pumps

● Electric Immersion Heaters

Tel: 0161 775 1910

Fax: 0161 775 3696

SERFILCO delivers

clear solutions

E: sales@serfilco-international.com

www.serfilco.co.uk

Switchmode and SCR DC Power Supplies

for any metal finishing process.

Options include:

Local / Remote control.

Constant Current / Constant Voltage.

PLC controllable. Touchscreen control.

Process timer. Ampere hour / minute meter.

Digital meters. Outputs fully recordable.

Outputs from 10 Amp x 6 V to 6000 Amp x 200 V.

Prices available on request

For more information please contact us on:

Tel: +44 (0) 121 526 6847

Fax: +44 (0) 121 568 8161

e-mail: sales@britishelectrical.co.uk

Website: www.britishelectrical.co.uk

March/April 2021 - Finishing

50 for all your classified needs call Stewart Freshwater on: 01923 437615

salt spray environmental

cabinets

uni-spray_5x2_FNGCLASS 18/1/10 15:22 Page 1

spray nozzles

spray booths

UKAS/NADCAP CERTIFIED SALT

FOR SALT SPRAY TESTING

Supplied in 5Kg and 25Kg Packs

To meet the requirements of:

ASTM B117 • ISO 9227 • DIN 50 021

and all other standards.

Full traceability guaranteed.

SPECIALIST LAB SALT LTD

Paytoe Lane . Leintwardine . Craven Arms.

Shropshire . SY7 0NB

Telephone: 01547 540573

Email: sales@specialistlabsalt.com

Website: www.specialistlabsalt.com

specialised coating supplier

FreiLacke -

System coatings &

application solutions

We develop and produce all conventional

coating systems under one roof.

We are able to offer our customers

not only all the important coating

technologies but can also match these to

the respective coating structure and finish

to optimum effect.

FreiLacke UK Ltd

Tel: +44 (0) 1827 288418

Fax +44 (0) 1827 287912

sales@freilacke.com

SPRAY NOZZLE PRODUCTS FOR PRE-TREATMENT

• Quick Release Nozzles

• Quick Release Stand pipe couplers

• Eductors

• Air Knives

• Pipe Supports

• Complete Pipe Systems

Tel No. 01273 400092 • Fax No. 01273 401220

E-mail. info@beteuk.com

BETE Ltd, PO Box 2748, Lewes, East Sussex, BN8 4HZ

tanks & protective linings

Polypropylene Tanks

PVC Tanks

PVC/GRP Tanks

Bund Tanks

Tank Linings

Rubber Linings

HDPE Tanks

One off Fabrications and installation

Tel: 01543 462 802

Email: plasbrun.plastics@outlook.com

Web: www.plasbrunplastics.co.uk

thermal fluid

Established 1976

Fume Scrubbers

Fume extraction

Pipework

Ducting

Repairs & Refurbishment

Flexible PVC Linings

Guards in all materials

wychwood water_v2_5x1_FNGCLASS 18/11/13 11:58 Page 1

water purification

Purified Water Systems

■ Deionisers

■ Reverse Osmosis

■ Filtration

■ Rinse Water Recovery

Fast Responsive Service

Your problems solved

web design

Unit K, Country Park,

Avenue Two, Station Lane,

Witney, Oxon, OX28 4YD

Tel: 01993 892211

Fax: 01993 892212

www.wychwood-water.com

Excellent surfaces

WAGNER offers a wide range

of systems and products for

perfect coating solutions in

liquid and powder.

Applying

Feeding

spray nozzles

Mixing

Thermal Fluid

Heating

Technology now

for the future

• Up to 50% energy savings

• Compact size

• Easy & safe to use

• Works up to 350°C

• Low exhaust emissions

• High efficiency

• Requires no specialist

knowledge

Controlling

Tel: 020 8953 7111

info@babcock-wanson.com

www.babcock-wanson.com

Editorial Calendar

Each issue of Finishing Magazine includes the following regular columns:

4 News and views 4 Products 4 A-Z company shorts

4 Business and technical issues 4 Personnel changes

4 Company focuses 4 Questions and answers 4 Special reports

4 Company forecasts 4 Industry comment

4 Plus monthly special features

MAY/JUNE 2021:

n Powder Coating n Ovents and Curing Equipment

n Dust and Fume Extraction

For Editorial enquiries, please contact:

John Hatcher, Editor • E: j.hatcher@turretgroup.com

VIEW FINISHING MAGAZINE ONLINE AT finishingmagazine.co.uk

Booths & Systems

Wagner Spraytech (UK) Ltd.

Tel. 01327 368410


www.wagner-group.com


Poison under control.

SLOTOLOY ZN „Generation VX“

The alkaline zinc-nickel processes SLOTOLOY ZN „Generation VX“ are operated with an anode (special anode VX 1)

specially adapted to the process and respective additives. Because of this, the formation of breakdown products and cyanide

on the anode is inhibited. The practical application at customers showed in converted electrolytes that even the cyanide

content is reduced actively.

Advantages of the zinc-nickel

processes „Generation VX”

· No cost-intensive membrane technology necessary.

· Improvement of current efficiency and appearance.

· Simple conversion of existing electrolytes.

· Low additive consumption.

· The formation of cyanide is significantly reduced and

may falls below the detection limit.

· Since there’s less non-active tetracyanonickelate there’s

a lower demand of nickel.

Decrease of the cyanide content after the conversion to

SLOTOLOY ZN „Generation VX“

cyanide content [mg/L]

500

400

300

200

100

0

0 500 1000 1500 2000

bath throughput [Ah/L]

Schloetter Co. Ltd.

Abbey Works

New Road, Pershore

Worcestershire WR10 1BY

United Kingdom

T +44 (0)1386 552 331

info@schloetter.co.uk

www.schloetter.co.uk

Finishing - March-April 2021

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?