Surface World October 2019 Surface World October 2019 | Page 38

PRE-TREATMENT, SURFACE PREPARATION, DEGREASING & CLEANING
Albutt switch to one-step Pretreatment
Technology provided by Metavate
Metavate were delighted
to work with Albutt on
the installation of our
unique PlaforizationTM
pretreatment technology at
Albutt’s site in Tewkesbury.
Albutt specialise in the
design and manufacture of
high quality and heavy-duty
attachments for material
handling in the agricultural,
construction, forestry and
waste industries.
Albutt was founded over 50 years ago by Robert
Albutt and their driving principle is all about
providing quality, an ethos shared by Metavate.
Albutt realised that manually wiping down
parts with a degreaser prior to painting was
not only hugely labour intensive but offered
little protection against corrosion. With quality
in mind Albutt approached Metavate at a
Surface World Show to discuss our innovative
one-step pretreatment technology. Metavate
recognised that our products would be perfect
for Albutt’s requirement and worked with
Albutt to design and install a bespoke plant. with our customers to support them.
A spray batch-processor, was the most
appropriate system for their needs. To deal
with the large size and weight of the parts to
be treated Metavate designed and
commissioned an EcoJet, an enclosed spray
cabinet. Due to the large size of their
products, and for safety, Albutt did not want
to lift their products far off the ground so the
EcoJet supply tank was located in a pit below
ground level. The product envelope is 4
metres by 3 metres. Metavate have air-dry products for dip systems,
through to products for on-line spray tunnels.
Metavate policy is that each application
system is bespoke to each customer’s
requirements. Some customers make their
own and Metavate are always happy to work
Metavate have a range of different products
which address every type of requirement for
individual customers. In the case of Albutt
our Ecophor B700, fast dry product was best
suited as the massive size of Albutt’s products
make them very hard to dry, with oven heat
being absorbed by the metal.
An EcoJet will carry out a full cycle, from
closing the doors to opening them again in
around 10 minutes, load, spray (90 seconds)
drip fluid recovery and blow off (6 minutes)
and unload. 6 cycles an hour is achieved
normally but the massive size of Albutt
products take longer to handle.
Demand for the products has increased
exponentially so they are already often at
maximum throughput and we sometimes
wish for an even larger EcoJet!
Visit: www.metavate.co.uk
Stop operators blowing
coolant into the atmosphere
The New BD1000 from AirBench helps
control coolant problems.
AirBench BD is a self-contained blowdown station for the removal
of coolant and swarf from machined parts. An operator can
simply place parts in the cabinet, lower the screen, and use the
integral blow gun to clean parts using factory compressed air. An
integral venturi system assists with capture of coolant and the filter
system in the base of the unit is easily replaced when full.
The new model 1000mm wide BD1000 joins the existing 500mm
wide BD500 and is designed for longer components. Both models
run solely from factory air supplies with no requirement for
electrical connections – making them ideal for location next to
machine tools for regular operator use.
Maintenance is minimal with only occasional fi lter pad
changes required. Contact AirBench Ltd to arrange a trial
or visit www.airbench.com/bd
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OCTOBER 2019
read online: www.surfaceworld.com