BASF Coatings inaugurates new pilot plant for electrophoretic dip coating

Electrophoretic or cathodic dip painting (CDP) protects the surfaces, edges and cavities of a car from corrosion. On the other hand, it smoothes out the roughness of the pre-treated metal surfaces and in this way provides the optimum basis for the application of the subsequent paint layers. "We have invested 15 million euros in the new building here at the Münster site," explains Mathias Schöttke, Managing Director of BASF Coatings GmbH. "The health and safety of our employees are particularly close to our hearts at BASF," says Schöttke. "That's why, during planning and construction, we placed a particularly high priority not only on the quality and efficiency of the coating process, but also on ergonomics and occupational safety right from the start." Frank Naber, head of the Automotive OEM Coatings EMEA business unit at BASF Coatings, emphasizes, "Our new KTL pilot plant offers the opportunity to faithfully reproduce our customers' processes and paint buildup. In the KTL technical center, we can apply pre-treated original parts from our customers under the conditions of the customer's plants in a 2,000-liter dip tank and bake them in a chamber oven. These can be doors, fenders or engine hoods," says Naber.

Furthermore, he said, the pilot plant has two ultrafiltration and filtration stands that can also be used to test the quality and stability of new electrodeposition coatings under customer conditions before the basin is filled for the first time. "In this way, we can ensure that the coating quality is at a very high level directly after the changeover to a new KTL material and meets the customer's specification," Naber continued. The cathodic dip coating technology CathoGuard 800, which has already been applied to more than 100 million vehicles worldwide, is the main application. The product dispenses with organotin compounds and is particularly low in solvents. Optimized layer thickness distribution saves material while at the same time ensuring protection of the entire body thanks to good edge grip. The product makes a further contribution to sustainability through the reduction of wastewater and the resulting reduced fresh water requirement in the process.