Surface World November 2019 Surface World November 2019 | Page 63

PRODUCTS & PROCESSES
Environmentally sound investment pays big dividends
Liquid-to-powder conversion, done right
Switching from liquid to
powder coating with dense-
phase technology improves
operating effi ciency and
environmental friendliness
at Link 51.
Converting from liquid paint to powder
coating did not happen overnight for Link 51
– the UK’s leading supplier of storage, pallet
racking and shelving solutions. Thanks to the
high line density at their shelving plant in
Brierley Hill, England, an electrostatic liquid
paint system with rotary atomizers delivered
high paint application efficiency and finish
quality their customers liked. Yet, the system
had seen better days, required hours of
weekly maintenance, and created
environmental concerns.
with advanced dense-phase spray systems.
“The nature of our product is such that it
allows us to load the line quite densely, with
minimum gaps between the products.
Because of this, the old liquid system
delivered a rather high application efficiency
and material utilisation”, said Christopher
Walker, “however, each day we came to work
smelling solvent in the air. Although all
cleaning and disposal procedures were
Link 51 – the UK’s leading supplier of storage,
pallet racking and shelving solutions
High line density and application effi ciency
combine to deliver unmatched powder
utilization and operating effi ciency.
“Going away from liquid paint with the
associated VOC emissions and the need for
overspray and sludge disposal was simply the
right, environmentally-friendly move for us.”
– says Christopher Walker, Operations
Director Whittan Group.
Link 51 designs and manufactures a full
range of storage and shelving solutions
which help users improve their work
environment. From pallet racks for
warehouses, to mobile shelving, to lockers
and multi-tier storage systems for hospitals,
warehouses, schools, gyms and a broad
range of other facilities.
In 1951, Joe Kinnear and his son Peter
combined ingeniously designed slotted
steel angles with matching clamping plates
to form an extremely stable and versatile
configurable shelving system. They founded
“The Handy Angle Company” which, since
1966 operates under the “Link 51” brand
name. Today Link 51 is a part of Whittan
Storage Systems Ltd. – one of the largest
manufacturers of steel storage products in
the United Kingdom, operating with several
market-leading companies and processing
1,000 tons of steel each week.
To stay in the premier league of surface
technology, Link 51 Shelving plant has
recently installed a specially-designed
Nordson powder coating booth equipped
closely followed, we have a high level of
environmental awareness and it was time
to do the right thing – convert to a more
environmentally friendly finishing method.”
“In 2015, our sister-plant, Link Lockers,
installed a new Nordson spray system with
dense-phase pumps and significantly
improved their powder usage”, explains
Tom Clayton, the Powder Coating Line
Manager and a member of the project team.
“It was clear that we had to get away from
liquid and convert”. “First we defined our
goals,” recalls Christopher Walker, “and
agreed that if we were to improve the paint
system, it would need to deliver not only
environmental benefits but also improve
our operating efficiency and finish quality”.
After Link 51 joined the Whittan Group
in 2017, the move from liquid to powder
became a priority project. In early 2018,
Link 51 began a search for a powder coating
system tailored to their production needs.
“We were used to our liquid system applying
25 micron of coating. One of the concerns
with powder was the ability to match that
thickness consistently, without daily fine-
tuning, and to reduce the overall applied
coating and operating costs”, recalls Peter
Charles, Engineering and Maintenance
Manager at Link 51, who also led the
upgrade of the Link Lockers’ line to
Nordson technology back in 2015.
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