Finishing system removes production bottlenecks

A specially designed finishing system with heated paint application has reduced paint usage by 15 per cent, improved working conditions and increased throughput for a container manufacturer.

A specially designed finishing system with heated paint application installed by Hodge Clemco has reduced paint usage by 15 per cent, improved working conditions and increased throughput for Castle Container Systems (CCS) at Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

The company, which manufactures a wide range of waste containers and skips from 2m3 to 50m3, decided to upgrade finishing facilities because the existing extraction system was nearing capacity and the need to allow up to 12 hours for paint to dry during the winter before containers could be moved out of the paint shop was creating a potential production bottle-neck.

The system designed by Hodge Clemco includes Graco heated air-assisted airless paint spray equipment and a three-bay extraction plenum on one wall of the workshop to leave the maximum amount of clear floor space.

Instead of using thinners, the Graco equipment heats the paint to a maximum temperature of 50degC to achieve the required viscosity.

Because temperature is constant and controllable in all conditions, consistent finishes can be achieved, whatever the temperature in the workshop.

Paint generally takes about five minutes to reach temperature for spraying, and a twin-pipe design returns any material not applied back to the container.

The Graco equipment has allowed CCS to use a one-coat compliant polyurethane paint which has low VOC levels and gives a 75 micron dry coat.

A further benefit has been the virtual elimination of solvents on the site.

The paint dries fully in a maximum of three hours, compared with up to 12 hours for the previous system used by CCS, so finished containers can be moved out of the workshop more quickly.

The extraction system was designed by Hodge Clemco to leave as much of the floor as possible clear of obstructions.

Three PEC 3500 Enviraclean extraction chambers with CPA filter media were installed on one wall, with ducts rising vertically through the roof 15 metres above.

The filter media is made from multi-layered, multi-density polyester with an average removal efficiency of 99.5 per cent and a high paint-holding capacity.

Between the extraction chambers are two fluorescent light modules.

The design of the whole installation allows three skips at a time to be in position for painting.

(This was Manufacturingtalk's Top Story on 2 September 2002).

(This was Manufacturingtalk's Top Story on 2 September 2002).

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