We installed a new 4.0 powder and liquid painting system for Donelli Alexo, one of the most important anticorrosion companies in Italy, founded in 1911 and always synonymous with excellence.
The request from Donelli Alexo – which specialises in protective treatments for various materials in the petrochemical, energy, industrial and construction field – was to get a new coating system that would allow:
- the use of FBE powder coatings for the internal lining of products intended for critical environments;
- an even stronger digital transition for the company.
The company’s further goal was to achieve an ecological transition. The development of powder coatings for coating both interior and exterior surfaces to replace solvent-based products, as well as the use of new digital technologies, go precisely in this direction.
The manual painting system supplied by Eurotherm
In the facility in Cuggiono (MI), components up to a maximum size of 6x2x3 metres will be processed including valves and actuators for the energy and water sectors, the smallest component of the large assets.
The painting system is manual and includes:
- Two powder painting booths;
- A polymerisation oven capable of reaching 350°C;
- Two pressurised liquid painting booths with oblique flow and drying function up to 80°C;
- A manual shot-blasting booth with a total shot recovery system;
- An automatic transfer unit;
- Two lifting stations with a maximum capacity of 4 tonnes each;
- An overhead conveyor equipped with sliding guides and mechanical switches;
- A rail in press-bent galvanised sheet metal.
All stations are aligned at the front and the overhead conveyor allows the gondolas to be automatically moved along the process and stationed at the various stops as required, with manual insertion at the different workstations.
Curing oven reaching 350°C
Our standard curing ovens reach a maximum temperature of 250°C, whereas Donelli Alexo’s request was to reach a temperature of 350°C.
In the construction of the standard ovens, Eurotherm employs a 150 mm-thick layer of mineral wool, whereas for this oven we have provided oversized insulated walls with a thickness of 250 mm and 350 mm for the access door, as well as internal stainless steel walls, all supported by an internal structure that can slide, adapting to the expansion of the different materials.
For this specific requirement, we have also designed special gondolas and a trolley inside the oven, that can withstand the highest temperatures.
4.0 Management system
The entire system has been integrated into the rest of production with a 4.0 management software. The line setup thus allows total control of the entire production process.
The constant recording of data relating to the different processes effectively monitors multiple data, the most significant of which include:
- The timing of the processes.
- The energy consumption of the various processes.
- The CO2 emissions.
Donelli Alexo’s goal – which certainly is in step with the times – was to be able to obtain the data relating to the energy balance of the processes as a whole, but also those relating to the individual job. In this way, it will be possible for the company to communicate to the customer what the environmental impact of their processing is, a figure that will be increasingly relevant in the future, also with an eye to ecological sustainability.
