Atlas Material Testing Technology LLC has added an enhanced digital control system to its Ci3000+ Weather-Ometer and Fade-Ometer to give operators more options, flexibility and control of their accelerated weathering testing.
BASF Coatings has recently been chosen by the Chinese automotive manufacturer Great Wall Motor Co. Ltd. to be the supplier of refinish coatings products, targeting overseas market. This partnership enables BASF Coatings to support Great Wall Motor’s authorized dealers and auto body shops worldwide with refinish coatings products and services.
The ISO-Automat P2 from ELMED is designed to test diverse kinds of coatings reliably. According to the company, even the smallest pores and faults are detected dependably and without damaging the material.
A 2007 Dyna Super Glide Harley-Davidson motorcycle, custom painted with products donated by PPG Industries’ automotive refinish business, was raffled during the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference, June 18-24 in Kansas City, MO.
One of the highest-cost areas for today’s modern coating lines continues to be the drying of parts after the pretreatment, post-wash and prepaint cycles. One way to reduce drying costs is by implementing effective blow-off drying. While this technology is not new, advances in system design are making manual drying more efficient, stationary drying less energy-intensive, and are increasing the coverage area of low-pressure multi-nozzle systems with repeatable results.
The application environment typically is the most important factor in how well a coating can shield an offshore oil platform from corrosion above the splash zone. However, it is not always possible to apply the coating in the “optimal” environment or to set aside enough time for the application. Advances in organic zinc primers are reducing the application time of coatings on offshore oil platforms compared to conventional inorganic zinc systems, without compromising performance.
All electroplaters, anodizers and electrocoaters have baths that need to be maintained. One of the most frequent needs in the maintenance procedure is to replenish one or more materials that are depleted as items move through the process. This goal often is accomplished manually based on an operator’s “best guess.” However, a more efficient method is to use meters that regularly and accurately measure parameters such as ampere hours, time, conductivity, pH and other process conditions to determine the precise additions needed at the correct times.
Nanotechnology, which is rapidly conquering an increasing number of application areas, has now found its way into industrial paint shops, and specifically the pretreatment process. A new wafer-thin coating applied to metal parts before they reach the paint shop is eliminating heavy metals and phosphates, reducing equipment contamination, and lowering energy consumption. The coating is compatible with all commonly used powder and wet paint systems and can be used with existing equipment with only minimal modifications.
RSS