Maximizing of Performance and Quality

Key elements of the coating line are the two ColorMax3 powder coating booths, one of which was built in late 2017, while the second was added the following year. In the place of these two booths, there were three conventional booths before the conversion and although the number of booths has been reduced, the performance has increased enormously:

“We consistently rely on Nordson‘s HDLV® dense phase technology,” explains Jorge Herreros, adding as an explanation: “The eight Encore® HD automatic guns spray with a very soft powder cloud that hits our workpieces at a low speed and applies a consistent coating on them. This produces an excellent coating quality that hardly ever requires rework, and we benefit from efficient powder application.” 

Another advantage is the fast cleaning. “We are prepared for up to 40 product and color changes a day with this system,” reports Mr. Herreros. “This is only economically feasible if downtime is minimal!” Powder is transported by the Encore HD pumps, which deliver powder consistently and accurately – a prerequisite for the maximum process control and reproducibility of coating results that Nordson HDLV (High Density, Low Velocity) dense phase technology excels at. “We typically coat at 60 to 70 µ, creating a particularly homogeneous surface that eliminates the need for rework,”  Mr. Herreros says.

Nordson's Encore and Encore HD powder coating gun offer superior performance, less price, high productivity, and repeatability. With advanced technology and fast robot movement capability, the powder gun can deliver a soft spray even at high powder output.

Nordson’s powder coating equipment, booths and guns are designed for maximum efficiency, offering superior performance and fast color change. Our Fast Color Change Booths, like the ColorMax™3 powder coating booth improves quality, reduces downtime and maximises your production. The booth floor is made of durable Apogee® composite material, and is automatically purge-cleaned for no powder accumulation inside the booth. The advanced design of our guns allow for simple setup and operation, with multiple access points to powder recovery systems that ensure a high quality finish on each product.

A special feature of the powder coating equipment at Frost-trol is that two additional PowderPilot™ HD screens were installed directly on the booths for system control. “This also increases efficiency and optimizes process,“ explains Rubén Cubillas. “Depending on where the operator is at the moment, the time in which he can read information about the current status of the plant modules or initiate the next steps are reduced.”“ The control panels themselves are Nordson standard and feature icon-driven and intuitive user ability. 

What has been created is a smart factory industry 4.0, of the kind that the development toward Industry 4.0 will increase: All plant areas are networked, communicate and complement each other to provide fully automated production. It enables customers to move away from series production and manufacture the various modules of a refrigeration system exclusively on a project-by-project basis as required.

The overall production is based on the high flexibility of the individual modules, especially in the powder coating system. “On average, we carry out about eight color changes per shift. This is a big step forward compared to the old system; whereas it used to take around 25 consuming minutes for a color change, it is now done in a matter of 10 to 12 minutes, without stress and almost automatically,” says a pleased Mr. Cubillas.

Similar to the entire plant, the dense phase powder coating system operates in two shifts, 16 hours a day, five days a week. For powder coating of surfaces that come into contact with food, an antibacterial powder is used that is somewhat difficult to handle. Nevertheless, the system produces an uniform quality finish. Refinishing is virtually unnecessary. “Consistently achieving this quality every time is very important for us, because the finished refrigerated cabinets later stand in the very bright light of our customer’s retail outlets, and their demands for a perfect finish are quite high.”

A major advantage of the innovative coating system can also be seen with the two new coating systems; a doubled output is now achieved with a nearly 20% reduction in powder consumption at the same time. Thanks to the new coating line, the production capacity has increased considerably. A doubled output is achieved and maintained, with  a reduction in powder consumption of about 20%.

The coating is applied at 60 to 70 µ and at  the same time it provides a highly uniform finish  that eliminates the need for reworking.

A quality curing oven is also an essential component of any efficient curing system and powder coating lines. They provide a hot, dry environment that is perfect for the process of curing products like steel, concrete, wood and other types of materials. Ovens come in various sizes and shapes, depending on their intended use, but most operate at a very high temperature. Nordson efficient curing systems feature ovens that provide consistent, reliable heat to ensure a successful outcome for your production line. Investing in a high-quality oven from Nordson can help you streamline your curing processes and get better results more quickly and cost effectively.