FREILACKE UK LTD
system that possesses all the qualities of an anodic single-coat system , e . g . layer thicknesses of up to 40 µ m , no yellowing and excellent wrap-around properties ”, says Andreas Segin , who works on the development of electrodeposition coatings at FreiLacke .
After the development of “ EcoOne ” had been largely concluded , the manufacturer conducted various tests in a lab for a year to thoroughly examine the system . The next step was to test the recipe , which had been developed in a lab , in the field . A four cubic metre basin was filled with EcoOne at FreiLacke ’ s EC technical centre and then tested . “ This demonstrated some of the practical challenges : For example , the new system was more sensitive to deposition as well as to heat input from pumps than solvent-based systems . That means it was absolutely necessary to sufficiently cool the material in the basin . That was an important finding because this effect did not occur in the tests in our lab ”, recalls Segin .
The basin of the technical centre goes on the road
In April 2019 , the basin of the technical centre , as well as the basin contents , made a trip to North Hesse and to the C + P plant in Breidenbach . In light of its size , that posed a true challenge , according to Segin . At first , only individual sample parts were coated in Breidenbach . They were run through the iron phosphating of the existing plant , dipped into the basin of the technical centre using a forklift and then , after the direct current had been applied , brought back to the surface , rinsed with ultrafiltration and deionised water and then baked in the plant ' s furnace . “ Everything was a success ”, says Jens Pott in summarising the results – from salt spray tests and recoating to abrasion resistance and bending tests . Due to the very good results , the head of production met with the company management and they jointly decided to switch to the new system .
Insignificantly low failure rates
And that ’ s how the big transition began in Breidenbach at the start of October 2019 . The old basin , which holds 69,000 litres , was drained ( and the contents properly disposed of ) and then cleaned . After some minor repairs , it was finally refilled . As a result of the large volume , this took 12 hours . Prior to commissioning , the temperature of the bath had to be increased to 25 ° C .
“ When the series production with ‘ EcoOne ’ began , we were pleasantly surprised by the result ”, says Pott . “ We actually anticipated that there would at least be some minor problems , but the failure rate was insignificantly low , and the wrap-around and the layer thickness structure were better than expected !” In the first few weeks , the basin was further “ tried out ” and the anodic EC paste was refined further . “ The basin was much bigger than the test basin , which also permitted different voltages , and the shapes of the components also differ ”, says Segin in explaining the process .
“ If you are looking for custom solutions , then FreiLacke is the place to go to ”, explains Jens Pott . The manufacturer from the Black Forest likes to try different things , keeps developing , is an innovator and is always well positioned . “ It ’ s not an accident that we have been working together for decades ”, Pott says .
Due to the very good results from Breidenbach , the basin at the Gotha location , which holds approx . 74,000 litres .
Telephone : + 44 ( 0 ) 1827 288 418
+ 44 ( 0 ) 1827 287 912 Email : m . hellmann @ freilacke . com Visit : www . freilacke . com
38 FEBRUARY 2022 twitter : @ surfaceworldmag