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2026Powder coating for gardening tools: handling complex geometries and variable batches
Small serial productions with process variability in industrial painting
In the manufacturing contexts of metal durable goods, which are characterized by variable batches and complex finishes, powder coating is a critical step in the industrial process.
To meet the needs of a metal gardening tool manufacturer, Eurotherm designed and installed an automatic powder coating booth with a rapid color change system (color center), optimized to handle frequent product variations.
The project stems from Eurotherm engineers’ direct experience in designing powder coating systems for small serial production, gained on operational industrial lines and integrated with pre-existing handling systems.
Nonstandard geometries and discontinuous lots: the limitations of traditional plants
In the metal durable goods and light engineering sector-gardening tools, functional components, manufactured goods for outdoor use-powder coating is no longer an ancillary step, but a strategic node in the production process.
Increasing variability in geometries, fragmentation of batches and increasing color changes put pressure on plants designed for standardized production, reducing efficiency, repeatability and cost control. In this scenario, the challenge is not just to apply a conformal coating, but to govern the complexity of the powder coating cycle by dynamically adapting it to the product, without sacrificing quality, productivity and sustainability.
A customized design for an existing powder coating line
To respond to these critical issues, paint plant design can no longer be based on standard logic, but must start from a timely analysis of production and line dynamics.
This is where the new Eurotherm powder coating booth developed for a manufacturer of metal gardening tools fits in, integrated within an existing plant and adapted to the automatic conveyor already in operation.
In production contexts characterized by small batches, frequent color changes and non-standard geometries, traditional coating systems show structural limitations. In these cases, the ability to dynamically adapt the application to the individual part becomes crucial to ensure coating quality, repeatability of the result and overall process efficiency and thus avoid coating adhesion problems.
Variable part sizes, alternating small batches and frequent color changes required a solution capable of adapting the coating process to the products, not vice versa. The system is therefore equipped with automatic pattern detection, which adjusts the position of the guns and the amount of powder dispensed in real time, optimizing coverage, film uniformity and transfer efficiency. To support production flexibility, the booth integrates a rapid color change system and high-efficiency powder recovery via cyclone, which reduces downtime, minimizes color contamination and improves process sustainability.
This project approach-cut to the customer’s specific needs and based on the industry’s most common problems-transformed a production complexity into a competitive advantage, confirming the role of custom plants as a strategic lever for advanced industrial painting.
Eurotherm has been active for more than 50 years in the design of industrial painting systems, developing tailor-made solutions for European companies in the engineering, durable goods and manufactured goods for outdoor use sectors, where process reliability and production continuity are critical factors.
From efficient color change management to dust recovery, from dynamic application adjustment to booth integration within an existing line, it is the overall design approach that determines operational efficiency, coating quality and production continuity over time. The system is now fully operational in the plant, ensuring process stability, reduced downtime and more timely control of operating costs.
Get in touch
Eurotherm’s consulting team is available to support companies in the study of powder coating solutions for gardening tools, dedicated to non-serial production and processes characterized by complex geometries.