Sieving machines for the coating industry
Installation of Russell Finex’s coating vibro sifter machine helps Profel Extrusion & Finishing to maximize productivity
Profel Extrusion & Finishing is part of the Profel Group, a family run Belgian company formed in 1948 employing more than 1,000 people globally and one of the largest manufacturers in Europe of windows and doors using plastic, aluminium and wood material.
Profel Extrusion & Finishing specializes in the extrusion of aluminium and processes around 14,000 tons of aluminium per year, with 200 employees at their site in Overpelt, Belgium. The company only uses 20% of the processed aluminium extrusion for the production of its windows and doors. The other 80% is sold to customers in Europe mainly within the construction industry.
Production Process
To ensure only high quality frame products are supplied, the aluminium profiles must have an even coating without any irregularities, which can be caused by oversize contamination in the powder paint. If the profile does not meet the quality standards it is rejected. To prevent this, the powder paint is screened before it is applied to eliminate any oversize particles.
The powder coating is then sprayed evenly onto the aluminium profiles using spray nozzles and any excess powder paint which does not attach to the aluminium profiles is reclaimed and rescreened ready for reuse. After the profiles have been through the coating process, they are baked in an infrared oven and dry oven. They are then cut to size and packed for shipment. Profel Extrusion & Finishing manufacture their own powder paint which is available in different colors and provides an anti-corrosive layer to their aluminium profiles.
The Problem
Profel Extrusion & Finishing were initially used small sieving machines, fitted with deblinding discs with an under pressure vacuum pulling the powder paint through the vibro sieve mesh. However, the sieves could not meet capacity requirements. Patrick Follon, Production Manager at Profel Extrusion & Finishing comments “We had to reject a lot of aluminium profiles which had irregularities as the sieves were unable to screen at the required 150 microns. Furthermore, mesh breakages would occur frequently due to mesh blockages resulting in high levels of downtime.”
The Solution
Profel Extrusion & Finishing approached Russell Finex for a solution to their processing problems. With 80 years of experience within the powder coatings industry, Russell Finex was confident that they could meet the quality standards and capacity that Profel Extrusion & Finishing required. Following consultations, a vibro sifter Russell Compact Sieve® fitted with a Vibrasonic® Deblinding System was provided promptly for testing at the Profel Extrusion & Finishing factory to ensure the company’s high quality standards could be met.
After successful trials, Profel Extrusion & Finishing purchased four Russell Compact Sieves each fitted with a Vibrasonic® Deblinding System. Two sieves were installed at the end of the powder paint manufacturing line while the other two were installed within the powder coating line to sieve the reclaimed powder paint.
Follon adds: “By testing the Compact Sieve and the Vibrasonic system at our production site we were certain the equipment could meet our requirements. We were more than satisfied with this service offered by Russell Finex as it assured us we were making the right investment.”
By combining the Russell Compact Sieve® and Vibrasonic® Deblinding System, Profel Extrusion & Finishing were able to achieve high capacity accurate screening at 150 microns and eliminated the quality problems immediately.
The low profile, ‘straight through’ in-line design of the vibro sifter Russell Compact Sieve® offers higher production rates compared to other vibrating screens with a larger diameter. With its easy clean design the sieve can be cleaned between color batches to prevent cross contamination with minimal effort. Easily adjustable clamps make this vibro sifter for coatings easier to dismantle than the previous static sieving machines, reducing downtime.
To ensure the flow of the powder through the sieves mesh is upheld, Vibrasonic® Deblinding Systems are fitted to the sieves. This ultrasonic deblinding system combines conventional vibration with ultrasonics. An ultrasonic frequency is applied directly to the mesh, breaking down surface tension and effectively making the wires friction free. This eliminates mesh blinding and maintains product consistency without needing to continuously stop the machine to clean the mesh. Follon comments “Our internal quality assurance department at Profel Extrusion & Finishing report that the coated profiles are now of better quality and have found that fewer profiles are rejected since the installation of the Russell Compact Sieves.”
For over 80 years Russell Finex has been manufacturing and supplying vibro sifters, vibro filters, industrial liquid filters, vibro screens and ultrasonic deblinding systems to improve product quality, enhance productivity, safeguard worker health, and ensure liquids and powders are contamination-free. Throughout the world, Russell Finex serve a variety of industries with applications including food, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, paint, coatings, metal powders and ceramics.
Contact Russell Finex to learn how this innovative sieving machine can help to improve your product quality.
For more information contact:
Radhika Singh- Assistant Marketing Manager
Russell Finex Sieves & Filters Pvt. Ltd.
Smartworks, 3rd Floor, Vardhman Trade Centre, Nehru Place, Delhi 110019.
Mobile: +91 8800558656 / 8800558656
Email: [email protected] ; [email protected]
Web: http://www.russellfinex.in/
