“With ionized atomizing compressed air and compressed air heating, Kerntopf GmbH achieves a higher application efficiency”: This is what the trade magazine “besser lackieren” reported on August 3, 2012. Here is the full report.
The ionization and heating of the atomizing compressed air by the "airmatic" compressed air treatment system from ensutec Products has a positive effect on the surface quality. Contamination on plastic parts due to static charges is reduced to a minimum.
Kerntopf GmbH is a medium-sized contract coating company for industrial and vehicle painting. The portfolio includes wet painting in the areas of corrosion protection and high-gloss finishes as well as small to large series from telephone buttons to large-volume machine elements. The core competence is plastic painting in the high-end sector, which must meet the extremely high demands of customers. The coating processes include automotive and industrial painting as well as external painting work on ships and yachts.
In the past, those responsible for painting at Kerntopf had had positive experiences with ionized air when blowing off plastic parts. This is where they became aware of the "airmatic" compressed air treatment system "AM 500W-1600" from ensutec Products GmbH. In addition to discharging the plastic parts during pre-cleaning using the ionized atomizing compressed air, the aim was to save paint when painting with this air. The heated air was also supposed to bring benefits in terms of the quality of the application.
Reinhard Kerntopf, owner and managing director, who has decades of painting experience and paints every day himself, says that all the promised benefits have been achieved - and even exceeded. Two machines are now in use, and two more are being planned.
The system was initially used to paint PS panels, which charge up very quickly and strongly and thus attract dirt more strongly. This static charge on the plastic parts could be completely neutralized with the "airmatic" compressed air treatment system. Other plastic parts for aviation, such as temperature-resistant ABS for lamp housings, can now be painted with drastically reduced rework. The employees now carry out the blow-off beforehand more consciously and for a little longer: the rework was reduced by 60 to 70%.
During the first use of the compressed air treatment system, a different, softer behavior of the atomizing compressed air was immediately noticed. When painting with unchanged parameters, runs resulted because too much paint was applied. The employees then immediately reduced the amount of material and air pressure. The use of the new system resulted in paint savings of up to 25% and a reduction in the atomizing pressure by around 25% while maintaining or even improving the surface quality.
The lower pressure in turn means that less dirt gets onto the parts. The user can therefore benefit from a higher application efficiency and reduced overspray thanks to the ionized and heated compressed air. The paint spreads better and produces a very good and even surface. The painters also find working with the ionized and heated atomizing compressed air of the new system very pleasant.
The “airmatic” compressed air treatment system has also proven itself in the company’s automotive painting department. The focus here is on reducing rework and significantly improving the quality of the coating.