Overhead conveyor blast machine solves capacity problems in paint pre-treatment

The high demand for powder-coated and wet-painted components made it necessary for a coating company to expand its blasting capacities. A new overhead conveyor blasting system solved the capacity problems in the paint pre-treatment department.

A continuous increase in demand for powder-coated and wet-painted components made it necessary for GAM Coating to expand its blasting capacities. With an overhead conveyor blast machine from Rösler, the company has acquired a flexible "workhorse" that impresses with its high blast quality and energy-saving operation.

The almost identical buildings at the front of the site at Ijsselstraat 29a, in the Dutch town of Oss, where the brothers Arnold and Marc Princen live, radiate seriousness and practicality, as does the production hall right next door. It is the headquarters of GAM Coating, the name stands for Gerrit, Arnold and Marc. Founded in 1972 by father Gerrit as a car paint shop, the company has developed over the last 50 years into a specialist in the fields of powder coating, wet painting, blasting, glass bead blasting and sanding. Marc Princen greets us with a friendly smile in work clothes covered in paint residue. He was just about to complete an order. "There is more than enough demand. Even if we were twice as big, we could still fill all the lines," he says.

Over the years, the company has increasingly replaced the car painting business with industrial work. Today, clients come from the automotive, mechanical engineering and agricultural engineering sectors. In addition, parts for interior applications are powder-coated and wet-painted. "We can coat smaller series in between or support customers quickly if they have an unexpected order," reports Marc Princen. "Many coating companies are too rigid in their work processes; they coat black on Mondays, blue on Tuesdays and if a customer wants a black part on Tuesday, they have to wait until Monday. That's not the case with us, we help the customer when they need it." It is precisely this flexibility, high quality and punctual delivery that is the basis for the continuously increasing demand from all sectors.

GAM Coating also knows that the basis of any high-quality coating lies in the pre-treatment of the surface. "We opted for blasting here because it is much more environmentally friendly than chemical and physical pre-treatment," explains Marc Princen. Corundum is used as the blasting medium as it hardly reacts with the substrate. The blasting process for large parts is carried out manually in a generously dimensioned blasting cabin. "We can pre-treat hot-dip galvanized and stainless steel as well as other non-ferrous metals so well. The blasting medium is added to the compressed air in a metered manner, and dust and impurities are continuously removed by a separator system. To ensure a healthy working environment, the personnel are equipped with approved positive pressure respiratory protection, supplied with purified air and protective clothing," explains Marc Princen.

GAM Coating was only just able to meet the demand for powder coating, but more and more work in the field of wet coating made it necessary to expand capacity. After careful consideration between the installation of another blast cabinet and the purchase of a blasting system, the decision was made in favor of the latter.

The choice fell on an overhead conveyor blast machine from Rösler. The machines can be used for descaling, derusting, decoating, roughening and desanding large or heavy workpieces and solid blast structures. They run through the blasting process suspended on traverses using a rail system, either intermittently or continuously. In addition to their flexibility, the systems are characterized by a particularly compact and space-saving design. The transport system is designed as an open Y-track so that a workpiece can be suspended on each side, which is then blasted alternately. The system also scores points when it comes to wear protection: The blasting chamber consists of a welded construction made of 8 mm thick manganese hard steel. In addition, the blasting chamber is lined with 10 mm thick, easily replaceable plates made of this low-wear material.

The 2,700 mm high and 2,200 mm wide blast chamber enables around three quarters of products such as shelves, machine parts and frames for doors and tables measuring up to 2,000 x 2,000 mm to be blasted automatically. "Programming is simple, we set the blasting time and turbine speed for processing the parts," adds Marc Princen. In addition to performance, the system's good energy balance also played a role. It is based not least on the Gamma G turbines with Y-shaped throwing blades. Thanks to this special design, they achieve up to 20 % higher jet power compared to conventional turbines while operating very energy-efficiently. "Energy awareness definitely plays a role. Firstly, because it is important for the environment. The price of energy is also a key aspect," concludes Marc Princen. (OM-11/23)