Powder Coating Sun Protection Products

After careful examination of the market requirements, the most suitable suppliers were finally commissioned. In January 2019, a wide range of specialists jointly installed the new complete powder coating system. The powder coating system was designed to accommodate the parts, which are up to 7 m long in length. The parts had to first undergo a chemical pre-treatment. One tank is available for each the multi-metallic alkali and the alkaline treatments of aluminum, which comprises of seven stages.

The prepared parts are then fed through a state-of-the-art Nordson powder coating system consisting of a ColorMax3 coating booth,  12 Encore® HD automatic powder guns, complemented by the Spectrum® HD powder feed center with PowderPilot™ HD advanced control system, Nordson twin cyclone and after filter. 

The Encore HD spraying system uses HDLV (High-Density powder, Low-Velocity air) dense-phase technology to pump more powder through the spray gun with a minimum amount of air, and maximum process control. This results in superior efficiency, unmatched coverage and reliable self-clean color change, boosting productivity and reducing operating costs. The extremely robust and durable Encore HD pumps have zero wear parts affecting the powder output. The soft powder cloud, created by the Encore HD pumps, delivers unmatched uniformity and efficient coverage even at high output. 

The ColorMax® fast color change booth, the Encore HD powder guns and the Spectrum HD powder feed center makes production at Giménez Ganga more flexible and even makes the coating of small batches more economical. The booth is designed for color changes within minutes. The intelligent airflow management, regular compressed air blasts and a central duct extraction system ensure that the overspray is conveyed for cleaning and recycling even during operation. Particularly in powder coating of aluminum profiles, the high powder penetration ensures excellent coating quality. The high application transfer efficiency is the key to our economical powder coating.

Although the modern powder coating system is complex, operation via Nordson‘s PowderPilot HD requires little training and can be set up for multiple languages. The touch screen shows the operator the relevant status information of the individual plant modules at any time and, if necessary, requests step-by-step instructions for operation. The entire powder coating system is operated by only one person.

When it comes to the color change it only takes a few minutes to clean the full system. For part identification, a communication between the Nordson system and the ERP system occurs to load the programmed settings for the family products. The parts are coated in groups of three. Color changes are indicated by a light that receives its information from the ERP system. The color that will be used next is displayed on the ERP monitor. There can be up to 8 color changes per shift. This is a significant contribution to a flexible and economical production.

“This coating line is definitely one of the best coating systems for aluminum profiles in Europe,” José Luis Higueras is certain. “To achieve this, those responsible at Giménez Ganga have worked closely together from the very beginning. The company started in single-shift operation at the beginning of 2019, and one year later a second shift was added enabling round-the-clock powder coating operations.

The speed of the line is currently 3.5 m/min, but still has capacity to cope with 5m. The 12 automatic and two manual guns are designed for further growth and even higher speeds. Film thickness is applied between 80 and 100 µ, where high uniformity of the coatings and the exact repeatability are astonishing – a true result of the HDLV technology. “For normal applications, one coating pass is sufficient,” explains Juan Pedro Giménez. “But we also offer products that are exposed to the rough sea air in Marine Sea Quality. We coat them twice so that we end up with a particularly corrosion-resistant film thickness of 160 µ.”

Giménez Ganga develops solutions for enclosure, solar protection and decoration to guarantee well-being in all types of constructions and spaces.

To make the already very efficient system even more efficient, a powder weight scale has been integrated. The collected weight data is analyzed, and the exact powder consumption is documented to optimize it for an even better efficiency. This also plays an important role for the materials management. For Juan Pedro Gimenez, the expectations he had for in-house coating have been more than fulfilled.

“Now we have the production process completely in our own hands. This makes it easier to meet the high quality standards of our products, which our customers always expect from us,” explains Juan Pedro Giménez in conclusion and continues to note: “Particularly in the case of aluminum profiles, the high powder penetration depth ensures excellent coating quality and the very high transfer efficiency which is the key to our economical powder coating. With the Nordson HDLV technology we are highly resource-efficient and very cost-effective.”

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.