Surface World October 2019 Surface World October 2019 | Page 74

PRODUCTS & PROCESSES
exercise.” Goods would also have to be
packed for dispatch to outside suppliers,
re-packed for return to the factory, then
checked and packed again before delivery
to the client – the multiple handing involved
was time consuming and also very costly
when an item sustained damage in the
process.
“We finally made the decision to bring all
our finishing work in-house”, says Duncan
“but, to ensure the new facility would be
kept busy, and financially self-supporting,
we established The Finishing Studio; a facility
that was designed to meet all the demands
Doig Furniture could throw at it, but also
able to accommodate specialist finishing
work for other manufacturers.” Having
previously had dealings with Gallito’s sister
company, DCS Ltd, for dust extraction
requirements in the factory, Duncan was
already aware of the capabilities the
company could offer and invited Gallito’s
sales manager, Mike Lodge, to review the
location earmarked for the new facility and
to put forward proposals for a cost-effective
facility that would meet their specific needs.
The dry fi lter spray room has
16m2 of useable fl oor space
and fumes are extracted
through an 8m2 wall of
Andreae fi lter media.
Lewis Crook makes a fi nal
inspection of the deep gloss
fi nish on set of drawer fronts
for a bespoke bedroom
furniture commission.
Gallito, now part of Absolent Group AB,
a world leader in the development of
process-air cleaning equipment for industrial
applications has, for over 40 years, provided
everything from standard spray booths and
surface preparation equipment, through
to paint finishing systems and complete
turnkey industrial process packages.
“To make best use of the space available,
and to meet all the requirements Duncan
had asked for, our engineers designed
a bespoke facility which would be
manufactured to sit neatly within the shell
of the existing building”, Mike Lodge
explained, “and the primary objective
was to provide a facility that would be fully
capable of undertaking all the finishing work
generated by Doig Furniture.” Manufactured
from laser-cut mild steel panels, which fit
together perfectly to give a smooth internal
surface, the dry filter spray room and the
drying room each provide a working floor
area of 16m2, with 2,000mm x 2,000mm
doorways, and an internal ceiling height
of 2,250mm throughout. An array of 8
equally-spaced, flush-fitting, twin fluorescent
units gives an excellent all-round work light,
and the double-skinned, fully-glazed doors
allow easy access and good visibility.
The spray room is fitted with 8m2 of
replaceable filter media through which
a belt-driven centrifugal fan, powered
by a 4.0kW motor, has the capacity to
extract over 16,000m3 of contaminated
air per hour.
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The adjacent heated drying room is of similar
mild steel panel construction, but is designed
for operation at temperatures up to 40°C,
with heat provided by a fan-assisted 56kW
gas burner unit. Externally, the roof is
covered with a 50mm layer of mineral wool
insulation, faced with aluminum foil, and the
roof construction also forms an explosion
relief area so that, in the unlikely event of an
explosion, the effects will be vented vertically
to prevent injury to personnel. The burner is
located above the drying room and warmed
air is recirculated 4 times a minute by a
5.5kW centrifugal fan. The heating system
includes various safety features, including
a purge timer and cool down timer, over
temperature thermostat and airflow pressure
switch to monitor recirculated airflow and
OCTOBER 2019
bleed fan airflow – 10% of the recirculated
air is exhausted to atmosphere to prevent
any accumulation of solvent fumes.
“We are delighted with the new facility”,
says Duncan Doig. “The quality of the
construction is excellent and Gallito’s
installation team delivered a professional
service. We are now up and running and
fulfilling the finishing requirements of our
furniture design business – our next step is to
offer the service to other local manufacturers
who need a bespoke finishing service.
For more information:
Gallito Limited Tel: [phone]
or visit www.gallito.co.uk
read online: www.surfaceworld.com